Why Newsletter Still Matter

This year the exciting trend has been focused on social marketing, so it’s easy to forget about the old marketing standby: the email newsletter.  Although the newsletter is not as quick to show off as a status update, or as catchy as a video clip, the online newsletter can be a small business owner’s key marketing asset when used to its full potential.

Here are 3 reasons why:

You Can Rise Above the Noise.  Even with the excessive amount of information in the internet space, people can get overwhelmed and more confused than ever. Every day an average of 270,000 words are on blogger.com alone. Your clients and prospective customers are looking for a few key voices to listen to that can offer them clarity.  Smart marketers know that a well-written email newsletter can educate your customer about your area of expertise, answer questions that will solve their problems and generally accelerate their decision making process.

Newsletters are an Extension of Your Brand. People still like to shop from brands they can identify with and relate to.  By showing your company’s personality and brand through your newsletter you are creating another connection with your prospective and current customers.  When you write and design an informative newsletter that is relevant to their needs you give your audience an additional chance to see your business as useful and knowledgeable resource in your industry that they can trust.

Your Email List is Your Own.  Having your own list is powerful. It is true that with a few key strokes you can send out thoughts via social media channels, but you can’t guarantee your readers will hear you. Since Facebook’s latest announcement to move to a “Pay to Play” model, you are now going to have to run advertising to get your message out to most of your fans. Yet an email article is guaranteed to get into the inbox of all your readers. Plus, the people on your list chose to hear from you. They want to see what you have to say. They already signed up to receive your news. If you have content that is useful and tailored to their interests, they will not only read your article, but they will remember you, maybe respond to your call to action, and visit your website and probably read your next email.

Not convinced? One last thought: imagine what would happen if Facebook and Twitter went away tomorrow. (Unlikely, yes, but perhaps you vaguely remember MySpace.com).  We know that social media is fun and engaging, but it cannot replace the solid relationship building of your email newsletter.