What is it about email newsletters that really gets marketers frothing?

Well, it's far less expensive that traditional direct mail. It's more easily customized than printed mail pieces. It's faster, too and can be responded to more quickly and more efficiently.

In short, it's simply well, better.  Kind of like direct marketing on steroids.

From a user's perspective, email offers a simple, effective, low-bandwidth communication device. That's why 95 percent of all those online have email addresses.  The challenges for marketers is to make their messages targeted, relevant and compelling, to allow them to stand out in the crowd of other stuff that hits our email boxes every day.

Email newsletters are a tool that functions like one of those all-in-one gadgets sold on late-night TV.  Its various functions include:

·        Enhancing revenue through ads

·        Driving traffic to websites

·        Replacing paper mail

·        Providing valuable information for the sales team

Of course, email newsletters do all these things and more. But it can’t be done in a vacuum.  Marketers must:

1. Have a clear idea of the role email newsletters will play within an organization.
2. Commit to the program by dedicating necessary resources to it.
3. Set up a customer service function.
4. Have the necessary database list administration and maintenance in place.
5. Construct a compelling message and deliver it in scale.
6. Handle exceptions like the bounces, undeliverables, and duplicates.

At the core of any email newsletter program, of course, is a qualified list of names to target.  Spam might be legal but blanketing the Net with unqualified messages is neither responsible nor particularly effective. It's also guaranteed to tick more than a few people off, damaging your brand and possibly getting your site blocked from certain ISPs.

So what's a responsible marketer to do?

·        Offer users an opportunity to voluntarily add their email addresses -- or opt-in -- to receive information or offers from you.

·        Send confirmation emails when they do opt-in with you.

·        Provide clear "opt-out" instructions in every communication, preferably in a header than precedes any message you send.

·        Protect the privacy of users, through a dedicated list manager.

Bottom line: Aren't 10,000 well-qualified names who want to hear from you a whole lot more valuable than 100,000 unqualified prospects who don't give a darn?

With those names in hand, how do you speak to them?

·        Speak to both HTML and text audiences. 

·         Prominently feature your URL in multiple places. 

·         Offer value for your target audience. Make your content or message useful or fun, and preferably both.

·         Make subscribing to your newsletter easy.

·         Establish regular frequency and stick to it.

·         Don't sell your list no matter how tempting the cash.

·         Answer any resulting email within a reasonable time frame.

·         Confirm new subscriptions (or changes to old subs) within a day.

·        And always spell check!

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This article was written by Jason Kassel of http://www.InternetVIZ.com.  InternetVIZ helps companies acquire and retain customers by creating, editing and distributing Internet newsletters.  He can be reached at mailto:jason@internetviz.com or 612/871-4000.