E-Zines Are Hot, Research Shows

E-mail newsletters have arrived. Over half of all chief marketing officers plan to publish one this year, according to research from eMarketer.

And that’s only one of several finding that points to an impending e-zine boom, says Silverpop CEO Bill Nussey.

“Newsletters usually he best vehicle for gaining retention and loyalty,” Nussey argues. “And there’s an awful lot of untapped opportunity to use them, especially in multi-division companies.’

That view is supported by another finding from eMarketer: That 54% of all e-mail users regularly read messages from five or more different companies.

“That’s a defining issue,” Nussey says. “You’re not just competing with other companies in your industry, but with e-mail of all types.”

And that means it’s no longer enough to get people to opt in. E-mail works best when customers anticipate it.

“Anticipation comes in many forms,” Nussey explains. “If you send out a special discount, people aren’t necessarily going to open it. But newsletters occur at a certain frequency. They are one of the most powerful ways to build up anticipation.”

Nussey’s comments are based, in part, on a teleseminar that he co-hosted with David Hallerman, senior analyst with eMarketer. The latter presented several research findings, including those listed above. In other results, eMarketer found that 31% of all CMOs said e-mail and regular mail offer the greatest ROI—more than event marketing (15)%; public relations (14%); or Web site interactive programs (10%).

And the research shows that 63% of all marketers use e-mail for retention and to increase loyalty, and 62% for acquisition.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they rent e-mail prospect lists. For many firms, “purchasing a co-registration name, and taking it through the life cycle warming queue is considered acquisition,” Nussey says.

The research also indicates that the from line is more important than the subject line in getting the e-mail opened. .

“The from field is becoming predominant, and it completely changes how you view e-mail,” Nuseey says. “If each e-mail is no longer an island, but tied together by the from field, you truly have a brand.”