Visit any major company’s website and somewhere on the homepage, you’re

bound to find an invitation to subscribe to its eNewsletter. Why is this a web staple?

Because businesses, especially those involved in e-commerce, find that eNewsletters are

an effective means of driving traffic to their websites, engaging and informing their core

audiences and identifying the needs of customers using built-in interactive features. Companies outside of the e-commerce circle

have caught on, realizing that any effective e-marketing plan should include eNewsletters

because they offer measurable gains much like those found in e-commerce environments.

With a growing number of businesses increasing their e-mail marketing budgets in 2009, marketers must be aware of the components that make up a successful e-campaign. This white paper identifies four key areas companies should consider when sending e-communications in the form of eNewsletters:

Audience Message Format Frequency

Within each area, essential elements are addressed to provide an understanding of eNewsletters and their capabilities in a marketing plan.

eNewsletters DefinedLike their paper predecessors, eNewsletters, or electronic newsletters, are delivered to a select group of current and prospective clients and partners on a predetermined basis, and they present a slew of benefits if a strategic plan is in place. Unlike their paper counterparts, however, eNewsletters are delivered to e-mail inboxes.

Four key eNewsletter componentsConsider these when sending e-communications in the form of eNewsletters:•• Audience•• Message•• Format•• Frequency

Get More Out of Company eNewsletters

Why Do Companies Need eNewsletters?Customers Use E-mail

Clearly. A Pew Internet and American Life Project study found that nearly half of U.S. adults send or read e-mails each day. With those stats, why would a company not want to make eNewsletters part of their marketing strategy?

Low Cost

There’s no cost for printing, paper, ink or postage. The cost of sending an eNewsletter is virtually negligible.

Revenue Generation

The electronic nature of eNewsletters turns traditional word-of-mouth into “word of mouse.” Chances are that your e-mail is being sent to someone who has a pretty good existing relationship with your company. Because they believe in your brand, they may forward your message to a friend, colleague or family member, thus gaining you new business prospects. If you’re really serious about generating a revenue stream from your eNewsletters, there are a host of ways to monetize your digital publication which include:

Placing partner ads in eNewslettersRequiring a subscription fee for premium contentOffering co-branded eNewsletters with your business partners

Customer Retention

A regular eNewsletter is a great vehicle for keeping customers in the know about what’s happening in your company. Because eNewsletters feature worthwhile content, your value among your clients will translate into an enhanced reputation that can promote loyalty and new business. Also, if you use your eNewsletters to inform your clients about new products and services, your clients will be the ones initiating dialogue with your company instead of sales reps making cold calls from a list.

Measurable Outcomes

Whether an eNewsletter recipient clicks directly to your website or clicks around your eNewsletter, you’ll be able to track his or her activity by using analysis tools provided by companies like your ESP (e-mail service provider), Omniture or Google Analytics. Using this behavioral data, you’ll be better able to assess the needs of any given customer, which can lead to future group-specific eNewsletters or a just-in-time phone call to a customer about a need you identified during data analysis.

In order to enjoy the many benefits of an eNewsletter, your company should be aware of some basic elements and best practices that can go a long way to ensuring the success of marketing efforts with this tool.

Audience

You know that two types of audiences exist in business: B2B and B2C. Your audience, of course, will dictate your message, but there’s more to your audience than simply choosing to whom you want to speak.

Relevant MessageBeyond thinking about the purpose of your eNewsletter, you have to continually address relevancy: Why will your recipients want read your eNewsletter, and why will they continue reading it?

Subscriber ListAnother issue related to your audience is how will you acquire the names and e-mail addresses of your potential recipients. Will you transition your existing print newsletter subscribers to e-mail

format? Will you generate an in-house list or purchase a list from a recognized ESP? Remember that opt-in subscribers are more likely to open your e-mail. If your company decides to send to everyone on every list (relationship or not), remember to include an unsubscribe link so you don’t turn clients off.

Customer ServiceDon’t overlook personalizing your eNewsletter greeting with the client’s name. Something like “Dear Client” can come off as unfriendly, and you don’t want your recipients to feel as if they are nameless in your database. Also, how will you deal with recipients who no longer wish to receive communications from your company? How will you welcome new subscribers? Where will you store audience demographics and behavioral data, and how will you use this information to shape future messages?

Four eNewsletter Essentials

Message

Multiple messages can be included in an eNewsletter, but all those messages must relate to the business at hand.

Subject LineThis will be the first interaction between your recipient and your brand. Because of this, you have to make sure that your subject line is compelling, specific and short. In writing these, you have to keep in mind that your subject line will be displayed in multiple formats given the number of available e-mail providers and inbox viewing options. Creating a short, telling (not selling) summary sentence and eliminating insignificant words is a good way to accomplish this in seven or fewer words.

Is It ScannableBecause most people scan electronic copy, ensure that your message is, well, scannable. That means highlighting subtitles, bulleting lists of three or more and carefully placing teases like “read more” links that will direct your reader to another, more comprehensive page.

Consistency and FlexibilityDetermine what features you will always include in your eNewsletter and which features will be floaters. Remember, you must always be on message if you want to maintain your audience or gain a new following. In the same thread, key components, like the eNewsletter title, contact us section and others that directly relate to your brand should remain consistent.

Format

Establishing a layout for your eNewsletter can mean one of two things: choosing what is easiest for your company or choosing what is best for your audience. Both options are justifiable, so your company must decide which one is most advantageous with regard to ROI.

Design LayoutWhen developing a layout, understand that you will have to stick with your basic design elements to establish a certain amount of predictability among your readers. This is important because if one section floats around with every issue, readers will be less likely to click through your e-mail to search for a favorite section.

Choosing What WorksAs previously discussed, your company can create a template and drop content in or conduct multivariate testing to see which layout works best for your audience. This involves

deploying a control version of your eNewsletter to a select group and, at the same time, sending other versions with modifications in layout, text, subject lines, graphics and colors to other groups. Depending on the response rate, your marketing team will determine which layout the company should employ for future deployments.

White SpaceAnother formatting issue that must be considered is white space. Ensure that you provide ample textless breathing room so that your readers don’t feel overloaded with copy.

E-mail Delivery FormatDetermine how your eNewsletter e-mail will be delivered. Are you using HTML, text-only or a PDF link? Or will you simply send an alert e-mail about a new eNewsletter stored on your website?

Mobile OptimizationWith more and more people receiving e-mails on their smart phones, mobile optimization becomes yet another consideration when creating electronic communications for your company.

Frequency

To maintain brand credibility, you must have a set schedule for your eNewsletter deilvery. Whether you send daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or bi-monthly issues, you have to remain consistent lest your company is perceived as disorganized, inoperative or ingratiating, especially if the content of the eNewsletter is wholly company-focused.

List ManagementTo ensure that your message gets to its destination on time every time, you should look into an ESP that specializes in sending mass e-mails to 50 or more recipients so that your send list doesn’t get a spammy label. An ESP that manages e-mail bounces, provides comprehensive data and offers automated features like a preferred send time would be a good option.

Avoiding SpamWhile you have taken the requisite steps to avoid being labeled a spammer (avoiding exclamation points, caps, common ad lines, incorrect HTML codes), you may run the risk of recipients forgetting about you and labeling you as a spammer if you don’t keep in touch with them.

For more information, contact Rick Gramatges, director of information services, at 305-350-5730.