eVision Media Resources

eNewsletters: Why Should You Bother?

A good question. There are definitely pros and cons to writing regular e-newsletters. Let's first explore these and then move on to more specifics on "how" for those that feel the "pro" column makes it worthwhile...

What Do I Write About?

Simple, write about what you know. Share your expertise on what you know about your industry. You want to provide information that is of value to your subscribers and not make it all just about selling your wares. End each newsletter with an invite to visit your website and read more about what you do and offer. If you still aren't sure or simply don't have the "writing" chops to write something yourself, visit an article directory and re-print an article that talks about your expertise. As long as the author gives permission to re-print the article and you keep their "author bio" in tact, it's a good way to find good content.

How Often Do I Write?

This is up to your comfort level – as long as it is regular so people can get used to the pattern you have established. Options include weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or every six months etc. You need to consider what you will be writing about and how well it will be received. You don't want to annoy your subscribers by sending too many newsletters just like you don't want to annoy them by not sending enough! If you're unsure – why don't you poll your current customers and ask how often they'd like to hear from you given the kind of information you will be providing?

How do I get the subscribers?

Once you've got a newsletter system set up (described next) you will want to put a subscription form on your website and blog if you have one. This will take care of new subscribers that sign up. For those that have hundreds of email addresses in your contact list, you could send them a one-time-only email letting them know you are setting up a regular e-newsletter and invite them to sign up by directing them to your website to register. (Remember it's against our privacy laws to automatically add someone to a newsletter list without getting their permission first unless they are an existing customer.

How Do I Send Them?

This is where you need to do some research to find the best solution that works for you and your budget. I'll list some suggestions, some better than others, but by no means is this list an exhaustive one:

- Not recommended: Using your Outlook or Outlook Express email software. You run into too many potential troubles going this route:

• Spam filters detecting the newsletter is sent from a local client email application, blocking out your personal email address. You will then be labeled as a spammer and your personal email address is banned from sending out ANY emails to ISP's that have you on their spam list.
• Has the potential to look unprofessional and amateur
• Hard to manage subscribes/unsubscribes
• Hard for those receiving your newsletter to unsubscribe "safely" without potentially hurting your feelings.

- Not recommended: Using a third party email address such as Hotmail, Yahoo or AOL. Pretty much for the same reasons above – it's jut not a good idea. Period.

Now for the Recommended Solutions

1. Using a third party e-newsletter processing system. These outfits are in the business of storing and managing your newsletter subscribers as well as sending out your newsletters and keeping track of their stats such as how many were opened, what percentage clicked on a link, what percentage (and who) bounced etc. Here are a few to research:
   
   
   • Vertical Response: I know of several people that use this system and it works great for them. You can open an account for free and only "pay as you use". Great for smaller lists but it does get expensive if you send newsletters often and if you have a larger list (into the thousands).
     
     
   • Constant Contact: Another resource that I know is used often. Here, you pay a regular monthly fee – whether you send out an e-newsletter or not. The fee depends on how many email addresses are in your subscription base, but seems fairly reasonable. Great for larger lists and for those intending on sending weekly or bi-weekly newsletters.
     
     
   • Get Response: Here you can subscribe to different levels and it is all a per-month fee. The more you "pre pay" the more of a monthly discount you receive. This system takes up to 10,000 email addresses (you pay extra for more than that) and you could pay as little as $12.17(US) per month if you pay for a year in advance. Send as many campaigns per month as you like all for the same monthly rate. Take the tour for all the other features they offer such as auto responders, which is very handy.
     
     
   • AWeber: AWeber offers several bells and whistles for a starting price of $19 US a month. Features include: Email Newsletters, Website Signup Forms, Autoresponders, Unlimited Campaigns, HTML Email Templates, Email Deliverability, Blog Newsletters, Email Web Analytics, Subscriber Management, and Expert Customer Support.
     
     
   • 1ShoppingCart is more than just an eNewsletter service provider - it also offers shopping cart services and much more. Whether you need a shopping cart, an affiliate program, ebook delivery system, ad tracking software, questionnaires and surveys, autoresponders or other Internet marketing tools, 1ShoppingCart offers all these goodies.
     
     
   • iContact is also another choice for sending out eNewsletters. With iContact anyone can easily create, send, and track email newsletters, autoresponders, surveys and RSS feeds.
     
     
2. Using a software Application. This solution is not run by a third party – it is a software package that is installed either on your personal computer or on your website server. (I recommend that you stick with software that is installed on a server for various reasons).  Here, you only pay a one-time fee to purchase the software and avoid the monthly or pay-per-use fees. The downfall is you may also lose tech support and have to deal with software upgrade fees down the road.
   
   
3. ListPHP: This is an open-source software (a.k.a. free) that would need to be installed and setup on your web server. The bonus is that there's no cost to use, no matter how often or how many emails you have in your list. The downfall is that you will have to pay for your installation and tech support and it has limited bells and whistles – but does function nicely. Alternatively, you can find a web host provider that will do the installation and tech support and you'll pay them a monthly fee depending on how many emails are in your list.
   
   

Anti Spam laws and what you need to know

As with most topics dealing with the promotion of your business (and subsequently your website), there is so much information that can be given that it's impossible to cover everything. I hope that I have provided enough for you to get a fairly good understanding e-newsletters.

Kind regards,

Susan Friesen, B.B.A.
eVision Media ~ Definitive eBusiness Solutions
www.evisionmedia.ca

About the Author: Susan is a professional website developer with over eight year's experience in the industry. With a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, concentration in Computer Information Systems, she is able to provide a unique and caring service to her clients not only as a website designer, but also an eBusiness Advisor; assisting individuals, businesses and organizations establish and brand product or service effectively on the World Wide Web. Contact Susan today for your free consultation on building your website presence to the effective marketing tool is can be. susan@evisionmedia.ca or visit www.evisionmedia.ca.