Many company’s have an e-newsletter and I believe the majority of those company’s should not or need to take a lesson from the masters. Here’s why.
How many e-mail newsletters do you subscribe to? Out of those, how many, when you see it hit your inbox are “drop everything you’re doing to read the newsletter”? Very few I bet. On the flip side, how many were you subscribed to that when you received it, there was nothing of value to you whatsoever? Probably a lot more.
The best example of how to do an e-mail newsletter is from Chip and Dan Heath. They do not have a schedule they publish on, they only send it when they have enough content that they are satisfied that the newsletter provides exceptional value to the reader. It delivers value.
Granted, they are authors of two best selling books, and write a column in Fast Company magazine but they offer a lot of free content on their site and the newsletter is no different. The best part about it is that you don’t feel like they are bragging about their work in the newsletter, nor are they trying to sell you something, they genuinely want to fill your appetite of useful knowledge. Because I get this feeling from them I remain as a subscriber.
If you don’t have enough content that provides value the solution that I would recommend is quite simple; DON’T SEND THE NEWSLETTER!
Now it’s your turn, do you have an example of a great newsletter? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
When you pour sour milk into a glass, it comes out in globs and chunks, not very consistently. When you dabble in one medium and then try a different tactic it is not very consistent, that does not help your brand. People notice consistency.
When your efforts are focused on a certain task over time, by default your competency increases and you create consistency. Your customers or clients have an expectation of your work and you must deliver on that expectation consistently. People notice consistency.
In a world where products and businesses can be developed over night, it can be difficult at times to differentiate the good ones from the bad. Whether you own a small business or are developing your next marketing campaign, keep in mind that consistency over a period of time speaks louder than any chunky one-off sour milk promotion. People don’t like sour milk, but love consistency.
On September 16th the Executing Social Media conference will be held in Regina at the Queensbury Convention Centre. Now I may be a bit biased but I think they have a great lineup of speakers. Some locals and some from abroad all taking about our favorite topic, online media.
Besides myself the list of speakers includes:
Kip Simon – President, 22 Fresh
Mike Klein Senior Online Communications Strategy at University of Saskatchewan
Philippe Leclerc, Interactive Communications Manager at the City of Regina
Adam Herstein - Partner, Pitblado LLP
Doug Walker - President, WebWalker
Ryan Lejbak – CEO & Co-Founder, ZU
To see all the speakers and presentation outlines click here. Let me know if you are attending as we may organize a small Tweet up the night of the conference.
Photo Credit: Hubspot.com
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Have you experienced this yet? A random number texts you “HUGE SALE ON (Insert product), BEST PRICE IN TOWN, LOOK NO FURTHER FOR YOUR (Insert product) NEEDS!”
It has happened a couple of times now and I don’t like it. Here’s why if you use text-message advertising we’re both losing.
1. I have not given you permission to interrupt me on my phone, doing so makes me strongly dislike whatever the message is you want me to read.
2. You seem lazy and disrespectful, I want to return the favor. I’ll call you back or MySask411 your number to see who you are and when I find out I’ll realize how elementary your understanding of marketing really is. I will not forget this.
3. The more niche focused your text-message deal is, the better your chance of it being completely unrelated to my purchasing patterns. EXAMPLE: Niche focus, “HUGE SALE ON GRANITE” Broad focus: “HALF OFF ICE CREAM AT COLD STONE” – The first one you lose all credibility, the second only works if the person receiving the text sees value in what you’re texting.
Moral of the story? Lay off the Spam sandwiches, you’re hurting your personal brand and wasting my time.
