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I Read the News Today, Oh Boy - Part II
When I wrote
part one of "I Read the News Today, Oh Boy" - way back in
July of last year, I didn't necessarily expect to be writing a
part two. But, "oh boy," do I see a disturbing trend.
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"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away"
Increasingly, more than a few newsletters in my inbox
have become little more than thinly veiled self-promotion.
Lighter content and heavy selling has resulted in less and
less of a differentiation between email promotions and
email newsletters. This means that email marketers are
missing out on an opportunity to leverage two different
kinds of email communication to their fullest potential.
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So, what's the difference between an email promotion
and an email newsletter?
In a nutshell, email promotions are primarily one-way
communications designed to achieve the short-term goal of
driving traffic and sales. An email promotion generally
contains one or more direct calls-to-action "click here to
buy now," or "sign up today" to elicit immediate action on
the part of recipients.
Promotions can:
- Help you get your share of holiday business
- Boost sales, appointments or traffic in otherwise
slow months
- Promote your brand
- Clear space for new stock
- Move excess inventory
- Get your name in front of a new or existing
customer
- Reward your most loyal customers
Email newsletters, on the other hand, are regularly
scheduled communications that encourage a two-way
"conversation." While a newsletter can contain some
calls-to-action that provide short-term benefits, it is
uniquely suited to accomplish the long-term goals of
customer retention and loyalty.
Newsletters can:
- Build relationships with your customers and
prospects
- Position your company as a valuable resource
- Obtain and retain the mind share of your customers
- Educate and inform
- Build your credibility over time
- Widen your audience via "word-of-mouth"
- Help you get your share of holiday business
Both email promotions and email newsletters have their
place. My advice is to use both in your
email marketing plan, but treat them differently to
maximize the value of each communication type.
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How, you ask?
- Manage Expectations
When your visitors sign up for a newsletter, a
newsletter is what they expect to receive. So, do not
use the word "newsletter" as a clever disguise for your
promotions. If you are hoping to increase your signup
rate by duping your audience, expect the corresponding
unsubscribe rate to be as high - or even higher. Better
to just tell it like it is. Your subscribers will
appreciate your honesty and reward you with their trust
and ongoing readership.
- Separate Your Lists
Keep your newsletter lists and promotion lists separate
(it's fine if you have individuals who subscribed to
both lists). Some of your subscribers know they want to
take action and are looking for your promotions. Some
may not be ready to take action just yet. Win them over
with your newsletter content.
- Know Why You're Writing It
Starting a newsletter because your competition has one
is not a good enough reason all by itself. It is very
important to clearly define your newsletter's purpose.
Here's an example that should look familiar:
Email Marketing Hints & Tips is a short email,
sent every three weeks, on the best practices of email
marketing. It includes actionable hints and tips in a
crisp and concise format aimed at helping you become
an expert email marketer!
Trust me, it will let your readers know what to
expect and keep you on track and on topic.
- Give Subscribers a Reason to Read It A
newsletter may have ads and links, but recipients will
open each issue and read it for the content. Our good
friend and newsletter expert, Michael Katz, has his own
80/20 rule:
"80% of your newsletter should be focused on
helping the reader, 20% should be about you."
So provide real value in the form of useful
information. Solve a problem, discuss a hot topic or
give actionable tips. The time you invest in writing the
content will be well spent.
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Email
Marketing Video Tutorials Show you how to plan, create, and send
successful newsletters.
Read Email Marketing Tips
and Lessons written by Michelle Keegan, Constant
Contact's Email Marketing Diva.
Learn E-Marketing Lingo from the
glossary of Email
Marketing terms.
| by Michelle Keegan, Constant Contact's Email
Marketing Diva(TM) |
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