Email Newsletters: Waste of Time and Resources?

 

At echogravity, there is a topic that frequently surfaces in our marketing discussions with both prospects and clients: Should I continue to send email newsletters to my prospects and clients? Well, we find this to be an interesting topic because there are diametrically opposing sides to the argument. Part of our team believes that an email newsletter has a purpose in today’s age of marketing and the other feels that email newsletters are a dying breed; a marketing tactic that worked in the 90’s but has now become a standard in the email trash bin. So, we brainstormed on this topic internally and were able to decipher a few points from the debate that we wanted to share. Here’s what we came up with…

Fans of Email Newsletters Agree to the Following Points:

  • Opt-in Audience Nurturing– If your target market opts into email newsletters, it’s a great way to nurture leads. It’s one step closer to converting new customers.
  • Communication is Consistent– Giving your brand a consistent message to the market tells people that you are active and alive.
  • Face Time– Being in front of your audience is an important aspect of selling and brand awareness. Along with consistency, relevant content to the inbox is key to connecting with your market.
  • Original Content is Given New Channels– If you write your own content, this is a nice channel to distribute your material, concisely summed up in a neat little package.

 

Nay-sayers of Email Newsletters

  • How Big is Your Opt-in List? If your opt-in list is 10 people, then an email newsletter is a huge waste of time. Eyes on content is better achieved through blog syndication.
  • Nobody Clicks– According to MailChimp, various click-thru rates are between 2-5%. Unless your opt-in list is of significant size, the number of actual clicks is minuscule (not to mention conversion rates from clicks).
  • Information Overload– Viewing loads of information all packed into a single email is too much. Wading through a variety of story excerpts and clicking various links is too time consuming when bite-size information wins in today’s world.
  • Email Newsletters are cliché– In the current age of marketing, content has a better impact when distributed through social media, syndication and shares.

 
The argument for or against email newsletters can be supported from either side of the equation. Regardless of the position taken, we all agreed that content is important and that driving eyeballs to your material and web site is the number one goal when looking to achieve inbound marketing objectives.

If you are uncertain as to whether your email newsletter is achieving the goal and really worth the time and money, contact us and we will evaluate your current program for free. If we find that your ROI is better achieved through other, more current inbound marketing methods, we’ll migrate you off of your monthly email newsletter program while kicking up a program that will realize true benefits. Contact us to see if you qualify.