A key element of creating a successful e-newsletter is generating content that is relevant and useful to readers. It is here where many succeed or fail.
Experts agree that the worst thing you can do is use your e-zine as a pure-play promotional tool.
“Consumers’ inboxes are filled with all kinds of things these days,” says Jordan Ayan, CEO of e-mail service provider SubscriberMail. “A very small percentage of what makes it into that inbox is going to be read. The key to success is relevance.”
One of three things will happen if the content isn’t on point, Ayan adds. One is that the newsletter will be flagged as spam, thus hurting long-term deliverability. Second, consumers will push the delete button. And third, they will flag the brand as a spammer in their own folders. The result? You never get delivered.
“Companies that take a long-term view of the relationship have great success with newsletters,” Ayan says.
Who does it well?
SC Johnson’s Clean Home Journal is Ayan’s idea of a well-run newsletter. It offers cleaning tips and recipes and articles on gardening and crafts. The real beauty of it, though, is that it also wraps in details about related products.
“Conceptually, it’s a great example of something that over time will build a tremendous relationship with consumers,” Ayan says. “And it gives them the opportunity to always introduce new products. It’s true one-to-one marketing.”
Unilever has a popular monthly newsletter called Home Basics, containing promotions for moms and grocery buyers. The firm keeps it relevant by wrapping content like recipes and child safety tips around the offers. The use of a calendar coordinates ad buys with products mentioned in the newsletter. When the two are coordinated, sales can rise 40%, says Jeanniey Mullen, senior partner, senior director of e-mail marketing for OgilvyOne Worldwide, New York.
Can content and promotions exist in the same newsletter? Yes, if they’re layered, says David Fish, CEO of IMN, an e-mail service vendor based in Waltham, MA.
“You’ve gone through the hard work of opting in that person,” he says. “You want them to hang in there.” This requires a three-step process. First, the mailer has to create engaging editorial content along with product-specific articles. The second step is to provide a link. And the third? To drive a hard call to action, direct-marketing style.
For example, an automotive dealer may provide fun family road trips and information about the benefits of using a particular vehicle. And it will include links to the local dealer and an offer of a test drive.
“In a single monthly newsletter, you can accomplish a campaign by walking the person through the successive layers of content that represent progress toward a transaction,” Fish says.
But no matter how good content is, it’s often difficult to discern the real ROI of an e-newsletter, even if you do have a linkable coupon.
One foundation of ROI is a good, permission-based subscriber list. Without it, you can lose customers.
“If I start to feel negative about you because you’re sending me things that I don’t want, I may feel that way the next time I walk down the supermarket isle and see your product on the shelf,” Ayan says.
“The best practice is to have an explicit opt-in,” Fish adds. “That’s the thing that actually ensures that you’re getting a well-qualified readership.”
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