Regardless of what type of site you run, Newsletters can be a very valuable commodity. In fact, next to member databases, newsletters are the most popular way to market or make announcements to not only your current customers but to potential ones as well. Often a double edged sword, newsletters can damage your sites reputation used incorrectly, or broaden your customer base and sales when used correctly. This article is aimed at focusing on the benefits and advantages of newsletter marketing and provides advice on pitfalls to avoid to help you get it right the first time.
Creating a Subscriber List
There are several ways to create and maintain a subscriber list. Software such as MailList Controller, hosted services like Lyris, and services are available to make your job easy, however make sure that the software or service you select is adult friendly and read their guidelines if you mail out from servers or domains other than your own. For most webmasters with smaller lists, you can create and validly use a Yahoo Group or simply send out from you own email address or web server using desktop mailing software like GroupMail from Infacta.com. When in doubt, ask - the last thing you want is for your web host to shut down your site due to spam complaints - which brings us to the topic of Opt-in.
Running an Opt-in list means that not only did the recipient subscribe to receive your mailings, they have also confirmed the subscription from the email address subscribed. For example, if you run a free site and require an email address to allow users access to your content, simply having them enter the address and parsing their entry to your newsletter list is not opt-in. However if you have a checkbox which they can select or unselect "Yes, I would like to receive the weekly newsletter from XXX.com" and click a link in the email to "Please confirm your subscription to the weekly newsletter from XXX.com", this is an example of Opt-In. Actually, this is double opt-in since they select twice and it is the safest way to create a clean subscribers list. Web hosts or services are more willing to work with a double opt in list than any other type because the numbers of spam complaints are lower and subscribers have a stronger tendency to know who the email is originating from and how to unsubscribe. And make sure you can receive and respond to your newsletters "Reply to" address.
Marketing your newsletter to subscribers should include a name or brand for your newsletter, tell potential subscribers how often they should expect to receive it (daily, weekly, monthly), and what format it is presented in. This brings up a number of marketing decisions that can affect the performance of your mailings.
If you run XXX.com you want to name your newsletter something they will remember and associate with your site. Rather than have the XXX.com Newsletter, try something like the 'XXXPress' or XXXTimes - something with an energetic news flair. Consistency in newsletter format is also part of this branding process - decide and advertise what your newsletter includes; updates about XXX.com, site reviews, chat schedules, special events, or special deals, etc. Give them a reason to subscribe and look forward to your newsletters - no one wants another advertisement.
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Now format, for B2C mailings, I've found plain text works just fine. For one, it is deliverable and readable in 99% of all email programs. Text based newsletters are also less likely to be filtered out by spam filters, many of which automatically filter out email messages in HTML or those which contain images. Legally, you may want to take a cautious approach by using text based mailings to avoid any potentially upsetting reports if your newsletter has images which may fall into the wrong hands (such as a minor) however keep in mind that even if you do not actually post images in your mailing, if you link to a site with sexual images you still need to put a 2257 and age disclaimer in the body of your email.
Frequency is another marketing decision that can affect the length of your recipient's subscriptions as well as the overall performance of your mailings. Frequency is often debated as results may vary, however I have seen that once a month is not frequent enough, whereas daily just annoys your visitors who may go 4-5 days between checking email and find their box filled with, basically solicitations from you. Weekly or bimonthly tend to perform better with mailings sent out on Wednesday or Thursdays so that the mail is read or surfed over the weekend when many have time to spend online. Understand that putting together, sending out, and maintaining lists takes a lot of time, so consider it when deciding the frequency of your mailings. Rule of thumb is too many too soon will dilute the effectiveness and too little not enough often can result in loss of interest.
We've all heard the saying "Content is King" so consider including offerings, deals, anecdotes, and special content access only for subscribers. Marketing your newsletter to surfers and then marketing your site or sponsor to subscribers is a great way to generate interest and give customers a chance to become familiar with your service. Try to keep your list clean, a list of 50% bounced emails will only waste your time and resources, so remove bounced addresses from your active lists. Finally, treat your subscribers like you would your members. Newsletter promotions tend to have the best conversions because there is a basic level of trust between customer and service. Don't abuse it. And finally, when spam topics are in questions, when in doubt, don't. Spamming can not only damage the health of your site and welfare, it can be detrimental to your business plan in many ways. Ask for advice and never subscribe addresses to your list that have not opted in.
Whether you use a basic Mailform script which you receive and collect subscribed addresses or full blown mailing software or service, newsletter marketing can become your key to success for getting sales and conversion up when all else fails. Get your newsletter act together and take advantage of this instant marketing resource!