| Register/Subscribe Home |
|
|
ONLINE FEATURES
Book Reviews
BW Video
Columnists
Interactive Gallery
Newsletters
Past Covers
Philanthropy
Podcasts
Special Reports
BLOGS
Auto Beat
Bangalore Tigers
Blogspotting
Brand New Day
Byte of the Apple
Economics Unbound
Eye on Asia
Fine On Media
Green Biz
Hot Property
Investing Insights
Management IQ
NEXT: Innovation
NussbaumOnDesign
Tech Beat
Working Parents
TECHNOLOGY
J.D. Power Ratings
Product Reviews
Tech Stats
Wildstrom: Tech Maven
AUTOS
Home Page
Auto Reviews
Classic Cars
Car Care & Safety
Hybrids
INNOVATION
& DESIGN Home Page Architecture Brand Equity Auto Design Game Room SMALLBIZ Smart Answers Success Stories Today's Tip INVESTING Investing: Europe Annual Reports BW 50 S&P Picks & Pans Stock Screeners Free S&P Stock Report SCOREBOARDS Hot Growth 100 Mutual Funds Info Tech 100 S&P 500 B-SCHOOLS Undergrad Programs MBA Blogs MBA Profiles MBA Rankings Who's Hiring Grads | | FEBRUARY 18, 2000 MANAGEMENT Draw More Business With an Online Newsletter Compared with a printed version, an e-letter saves money, hassle and trees
Think publishing is the province of tree-killers and ink-stained wretches? Think again. Now, you can publish your own customer newsletter over the Internet -- and you don't have to dirty your hands in the process. Electronic newsletters accomplish all the same things as their print counterparts -- they remind customers you're there, spark repeat business, and help attract new clients. But consider some of the extra advantages: no trips to the printer, no hassles with mailing labels, no lines at the post office. With no printing or postage costs, e-mail letters are also a lot cheaper. If you're already doing business on the Web, an e-newsletter makes especially good sense. By embedding links in the text, you can take readers directly to your company's homepage or to other sources of useful information. Add a link to your e-mail address, and you can get instant customer feedback. By asking clients to fill out a subscription form, you can get valuable customer information, which can be used to refine your products and services. Add a counter, and you can determine exactly how many of your customers actually are reading the thing in the first place -- something that's virtually impossible with a print publication. Bob Dron, an independent Harley-Davidson Motorcycles dealer in Oakland, Calif. has published a print newsletter, "The Open Road," since 1997. He recently started doing an e-mail version, as well. The e-newsletter has the same news, technical tips and customer profiles as the print version. But it also includes detailed maps with directions to the shop, as well as a link to the Harley-Davidson Web site, where readers can get the latest information on new bikes and equipment. Of course, there are drawbacks to the electronic word. For one thing, despite the convenience of e-mail people seem to prefer hard copies, says Rebecca Evans-Milstein, director of commercial services for the Newsletter & Electronic Publishers Assn., a newsletter trade group. "People still have a sense that if it's paper -- something they can hold in their hand or put on their table -- it's worth more than something on the screen," she says. Many association members, Evans-Milstein says, added an e-mail newsletter after finding success with a print publication. But not one member has dropped the print version. Fortunately, desktop publishing software programs like Pagemaker and Quark make it easy to construct both a print and an electronic newsletter, essentially at the same time. "I just take our print newsletter and convert it to HTML format for the electronic version," says Evans-Milstein. And if you're paying someone to professionally produce your newsletter, getting a package deal that includes an electronic version shouldn't add much to the cost. Some pros will even do it for free. Jeff Rubin, owner of Put It In Writing Inc., a Pinole (Calif.)-based newsletter production outfit, offers to electronically format the completed pages of his customers' print newsletters. "Then, they just post it on their Web site," Rubin says. Meanwhile, whether your newsletter is printed on paper or downloaded to the screen, the same rules apply. Stay away from hard-sells and blatant self-promotion. Instead provide useful information and tips to your readers. And remember: only send your newsletter to people who are likely to want it, like existing customers. No one likes junk mail -- physical or virtual.  By Dave Lindorff  | | |
 Copyright 2000, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of Use | Privacy Policy |
Printer-Friendly Version
