In just a short few years, social media has completely changed the way we think about marketing: Tweets and pokes, tags, likes and check-ins offer opportunities for succinct and instantaneous contact with customers and colleagues. But what about more mature-and slightly lengthier-digital marketing methods like e-mail newsletters and blogs? Are they yesterday's news?
Not at all. A 2011 Digital Marketing Outlook Survey conducted by the Society of Digital Agencies and AnswerLab found that up to 70 percent of agencies are planning to invest in e-newsletters and e-mail marketing, and nearly 75 percent will invest in blogging and blogger outreach, as reported by MarketingProfs.com.
Well-crafted e-newsletters and blogs build credibility and customer loyalty. The key is to serve up quality content. Develop a reputation as an expert or authority in your industry, and entertain, engage and inform your audience, and your message and organization will resonate with customers, clients and prospects.
Sign Me Up
E-newsletters are a simple, inexpensive way to promote your business. Because recipients have to opt in, your message only reaches people who want to hear from you. Another benefit: It's easy to track success. You can monitor how many people open the e-mail and how many click through to your Web site.
First, decide on a purpose for the newsletter. Is it a weekly round up of your company's progress on a big project, a summary of legislation, or current events that affect your customers? Identify your audience and write about topics that will interest them. Establish a voice or tone, whether it's funny, serious or conversational. Remember, your newsletter needs to be entertaining and informative, not purely promotional. Constantly bugging subscribers with your latest sales pitch is a great way to make sure the newsletter goes right into the trash folder.
Newsletter Basics
Don't diss design. Your layout can dramatically affect response rates. Develop a simple, appealing format and stick to it.
Write an interesting subject line. Newsletter Vol. 17 won't entice anyone. Instead, highlight the most interesting piece of information in your newsletter.
Keep it short and relevant. A good rule of thumb is three paragraphs. Link to content via landing pages including your Web site, videos, blog, white papers, social media and more.
Make sure e-newsletters and associated landing pages look good on mobile devices.
Send a test e-mail to yourself before distributing your newsletter to the full list of recipients. Check for spelling and grammatical errors, and make sure it looks good.
Stay out of spam filters by keeping the text simple. Don't use crazy fonts, bold colors or 24-point text. Use exclamation points sparingly-if at all. Don't encourage people to act now!
Most e-mail preview panes are about 600 pixels across, with length varying by provider. Check different platforms and make sure your important content is above the fold.
E-Newsletter Pitfalls
Not allowing people to opt out. Include an unsubscribe link in your e-newsletter and make it easy to find. No one will remember your company fondly if they can't prevent unwanted messages. Oh, and it's also illegal.
Adding people to the list who didn't opt in. Don't risk ruining your company's reputation by adding people without their permission. Build your list by offering people something they want in exchange for e-mail permission, such as a discounted product or service.
Not paying attention to frequency. There are no specific rules, but be predictable. If you create a weekly newsletter, try to send it at the same day and time every week.
Not paying attention to e-mail platforms. People use different tools to view their e-mail. Some use Web browsers, like Firefox, while others use dedicated e-mail platforms like Outlook. Make sure the e-newsletter works for many platforms.
Blogging Successfully
Your blog is the perfect forum for positioning yourself or your company as a thought leader. Blogs are both posted on company Web sites and e-mailed out to subscribers. Unlike e-newsletters, successful blogs are always conversational, not stuffy and formal.
Share your expertise, start conversations about hot topics in your industry, and educate potential customers or clients. While the ultimate goal is to promote your products or services, avoid being blatantly self-promotional. If you're selling clothes, write about this season's fashion trends. If you're trying to promote your law firm, offer basic legal advice. Tone, presentation and quality of content are extremely important. Let your personality shine. As in your daily conversations with people offline, blogs can be about different topics, offering unique insight into what makes you tick and offering advice readers can apply to their lives. Never post for the sake of posting.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engines are constantly looking for fresh content, so having a blog and keeping it regularly updated is an extremely effective method of search engine optimization (SEO). The more active your site appears to search engines like Google, the higher it will show up in search results. If other sites link to your blog, your search engine position will get a boost. The best way to get links is having good content that other sites want to reference.
Do some keyword research each time you write a blog. Imagine what you would type into a search engine if you were looking for information. Plug those words and phrases into Google's keyword tool to find out if that's how people are searching. Then sprinkle the most commonly searched words and phrases throughout your blog post.
Blogging Basics
Build an opt-in mailing list into your blog.
Use social media profiles to distribute and advertise your content. At MESH, we always make sure to announce a new blog post to our Facebook page. Provide buttons at the bottom of posts allowing readers to like (through Facebook) and retweet posts.
Stick to timely subjects and update them regularly. Nothing is sadder than a deserted blog, so choose a starting frequency that is not too ambitious, such as once a month. Then stick to it as your audience will come to expect posts at certain times and go looking for them.
Interact with readers by responding to comments, posing questions and asking for feedback. Comments should be vetted before they go online.
Make it easy for readers to see who's behind the blog. Post your picture and create an about me page. Display your contact information in a prominent place.
Include hyperlinks to stories and facts referred to in the blog that readers might want to learn more about.
Where Should I Start?
We are often asked what is better, a blog or an e-newsletter, as many people don't have time for both, especially since blogs are a free marketing tool and e-newsletters should be free and have no advertising when starting off. Advertising or sponsors should be considered for e-newsletters only after you have established a devoted following.
So how do you decide? Determine your goals. E-newsletters are harder to share than blogs, so if your goal is to spread your message to many people, blog. If you are looking to know exactly who your audience is and have direct contact with them, choose e-newsletters.Whichever method you choose, remember people want to hear what you have to say, but keep it interesting, concise and regular to attract and retain readers.
Bill Schick is creative director, founder and owner of MESH Interactive, a full-service graphic design, advertising and marketing agency in Nashua. Schick can be reached at billschick@meshagency.com. For more about MESH, visit www.meshagency.com.