EZines: Get from Adequate to Fabulous

If my in-box is any indication, most of the business world is hot on e-newsletters. I receive half a dozen every day. Some are thinly masked advertisements; most, however, provide some degree of valuable information.

E-newsletters provide a relatively easy and low-cost way to accomplish a number of business goals, including:
? Maintaining connections with current and past clients
? Demonstrating expertise in a particular field
? Sharing resources and building an active network
? Educating clients and prospects about products, services and how best to access them

As a communication professional, though, I review the newsletters I receive with a critical eye; many of them leave much to be desired in their planning and execution. Luckily, it isn't difficult to make the leap from adequate to fabulous, if a newsletter publisher is willing to take a close look at the purpose, audience, content and execution of the project.

What's the Point?
E-newsletter publishers often confuse the tool with the purpose. An e-newsletter is a tool used to achieve some greater business purpose, yet novice publishers often forget the greater purpose in the effort to put out the newsletter on something resembling a regular basis.

Knowing the point of the newsletter within your business context, though, helps you make better decisions on everything from content to frequency. It's critical to your success ? and your sanity ? to understand up front what the purpose of the newsletter really is.

Newsletters always address one or more of the following three purposes:
1. Serve the needs of current and past clients
2. Position in front of prospective clients
3. Build a base of repeat business

In other words, e-newsletters, like all business communications, have the core intention of creating, sustaining or deepening a business relationship. As a newsletter publisher, you have to know what kind of relationship you are asking your readers for; what do you want from them? Loyalty? New business? Referrals? Increased business? Believe it or not, most of your readers are perfectly willing to give you what you want, as long as your wants are clearly communicated. Most publishers don't communicate clearly enough.

Which of the three purposes is most important to you? Are you helping current and past clients improve some aspect of their work on an ongoing basis? Are you demonstrating your skills to prospective clients? Do you offer a wide range of services that could lead to repeat business if your clients only knew about them all?

Naturally, some overlap exists between the three essential purposes, but one may emerge as the primary purpose. Know what it is, and plan your content to satisfy the requirements of that purpose.

Make Your Point
Once you have a clear idea of what your purpose in publishing your e-newsletter is, you will find it easier to make decisions that help you maximise the benefits of publishing in a digital medium, while overcoming some of the obstacles.

Chief among the obstacles is the notoriously short attention span of online readers. A writing style that engages readers emotionally as well as logically is a must. When your e-newsletter arrives in their inbox, the very subject line must capture their attention. Then, in the body of the newsletter, use compelling headlines, short sentences, action verbs and a story-telling approach to draw readers in.

Headlines are of particular import because readers make nanosecond decisions on whether to delete or keep reading based on headlines. Try these suggestions to come up with effective headlines for your e-newsletter:

? Solve a problem. Examples:

o Spend More Time Providing Value than Hunting for Information.

o Don't Make Your Business Vulnerable to the Taxing Authority

? Use a statistic. Examples:

o Most Companies Lose 30 Percent of Their Mailing Lists Each Year

o Office Workers Waste 6 Weeks per Year Searching for Lost Information

? State a quote or adage. Example:

o Whoever Said "Ignorance is Bliss" Didn't Know a Librarian

? Ask a question. Examples:

o Is It Possible to Get Through Divorce with Dignity?

o What Do Your Clients Really Think of You?

? Create a mystery. Example:

o What Is the Real Agenda of Google?

Interact!
Unlike print media, e-newsletters offer the opportunity for two-way communication with your readers. This capability can be one of the biggest benefits of publishing an e-newsletter, so make creative and strategic use of it. Build the expectation of interaction into your newsletter, and you create the opportunity for meaningful engagement with audiences of all kinds.

For example, you can incorporate links in your text inviting readers to send immediate feedback or questions on your content. Live links embedded in the text are more effective than relying on the "reply" function of e-mail, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that readers often need to be reminded that you really do want them to respond in some way. By including the link (which handily shows up in an eye-catching blue amidst a plain-text message), you reinforce the suggestion that you are inviting discussion and response.

Where do these links lead the reader? If you have a web site, the links can bring readers right into your site to fill out a form, join a discussion forum, or complete a registration for a program. Be sure to create a back-end automated tracking system that will capture information about how many visitors arrived by clicking a newsletter link, what they did when they arrived, and other data points that will help you deepen your relationship with them individually and en masse.

Realistic Outcomes
Quality e-newsletters take time to create and manage. Expect to devote time each issue for planning, writing, editing, layout and production, distribution, and database management. A monthly e-newsletter will require human and financial resources; I usually counsel clients to start with a quarterly or bimonthly newsletter, as it is preferable to increase frequency than to create the expectation of more than you can consistently deliver.

As you create and distribute your newsletter, think carefully about what specific result you want for each issue. What do you want a reader to say, think or do as a result of receiving the newsletter? Your desired outcome might be for readers to:

? Visit your web site
? Request additional information
? Sign up for a class or seminar
? Use a particular tool/resource
? Refer you to others
? Give you feedback
? Feel they can't live without you

All but the last of these desired outcomes are measurable and relatively easy to communicate to readers. When reviewing your newsletter content, ask yourself if what you want is clear. Put your "call to action" in no uncertain terms, and make it easy for readers to fulfil their side of the bargain by placing live links, contact information and other next steps right in their path.

Within the context of your e-newsletter, your words can shape opinions, behaviours, business decisions and profitable relationships. Make your efforts pay off by understanding your purpose and how to work toward it in every single issue.

Robin Neidorf is the author business books, articles and reports and the founder of Electric Muse, a research and communications consultancy. Go beyond ezine basics with Robin's full-length report: E-Newsletters: A Guide for Publishers (http://www.freepint.com/shop/report/enews/), published by Free Pint.

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Google News Updated : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:08:13 GMT Coalition launches push for health care reform - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Tampa Tribune Coalition launches push for health care reform Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - 2 hours ago By GUY BOULTON An array of unions and liberal activist groups in Wisconsin have joined a national coalition that plans to spend $40 million to push for health care reform, particularly universal coverage, in the coming election. Coalition to lobby for US health-care reform Reuters $40 Mill Health Care Reform Campaign Launches ABC News Washington Post - Workday Minnesota - Kansas City Star - Bizjournals.com all 266 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:17:57 GMT Study Finds Flawed Practices at Ratings Firms - New York Times ABC News Study Finds Flawed Practices at Ratings Firms New York Times - 4 hours ago By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM The analyst at the credit ratings agency was blunt: “Let’s hope we are all wealthy and retired by the time this house of cards falters. SEC criticizes credit-rating firms Los Angeles Times SEC finds conflicts at rating agencies Financial Times CFO.com Magazine - Reuters - Bloomberg - Wall Street Journal all 301 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:20:01 GMT Ex-Secretaries Suggest New War Powers Policy - Washington Post Aljazeera.net Ex-Secretaries Suggest New War Powers Policy Washington Post - 3 hours ago The next time the president goes to war, Congress should be consulted and vote on whether it agrees, according to a bipartisan US study group chaired by former secretaries of state James Baker III and Warren Christopher. Video: Panel Calls for New War Powers Legislation AssociatedPress War Powers Act needs fixing, bipartisan panel says CNN Reuters - Seattle Post Intelligencer - AOL News Newsbloggers all 639 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:48:10 GMT Bush Won't Back Setting Timeline for Troops in Iraq, Aide Says - Bloomberg Times Online Bush Won't Back Setting Timeline for Troops in Iraq, Aide Says Bloomberg - 44 minutes ago By Catherine Dodge and Roger Runningen July 9 (Bloomberg) -- The Bush administration rejects setting any ``arbitrary'' deadline to withdraw forces from Iraq, the president's spokeswoman said after an Iraqi official said his government wants a timeline ... Video: Iraqi PM Calls for Withdrawal Date AssociatedPress Maliki's Withdrawal Card Wall Street Journal New York Times - Reuters UK - AFP - ABC Online all 1,754 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:24:10 GMT Afghan Bombing Sends Stark Message to India: With Power Comes Risks - New York Times Afghan Bombing Sends Stark Message to India: With Power Comes Risks New York Times - 3 hours ago By SOMINI SENGUPTA NEW DELHI - The suicide bombing on Monday outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul was the latest and most audacious attack in recent months on Indian interests in Afghanistan, where New Delhi, since helping to topple the Taliban in 2001, ... Video: Mourning for Kabul blast victims - 08 Jul 08 AlJazeeraEnglish Pakistani PM calls for joint efforts to fight terrorism Reuters India BBC News - Bloomberg - The Associated Press - CNN all 3,127 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:32:49 GMT Google Introduces a Cartoonlike Method for Talking in Chat Rooms - New York Times Los Angeles Times Google Introduces a Cartoonlike Method for Talking in Chat Rooms New York Times - 4 hours ago By BRAD STONE Google, known for its plain-Jane approach to Web design, has come up with something much wackier. On Tuesday the company introduced Lively, an online tool that allows people to embody a cartoonish online avatar and have text-based ... How Lively? Google’s Me-Too Virtual World GigaOm Virtual Worlds Are So Hot Right Now: $345 Million Invested So Far ... TechCrunch Wall Street Journal - CNET News - Los Angeles Times - PC Magazine all 166 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:21:46 GMT Alumina Shares Gain as Profit at Partner Alcoa Tops Estimates - Bloomberg Reuters Alumina Shares Gain as Profit at Partner Alcoa Tops Estimates Bloomberg - 3 hours ago By Rebecca Keenan July 9 (Bloomberg) -- Alumina Ltd., owner of 40 percent of the world's biggest producer of the material used to make aluminum, rose the most in more than five months in Sydney trading after partner Alcoa Inc. reported profit that ... Alcoa Profit Tops Estimates After Price Rise New York Times Alcoa beats the Street CNNMoney.com The Associated Press - Reuters - BloggingStocks - Nightly Business Report all 284 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:09:46 GMT Datafeeds For Blogs Amazon Associate Software

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