eNewsletter

eNewsletters can be one of the most effective activities that your company can undertake and all with a very low cost to implement.

Research conducted by the Direct Marketing Association, indicates email marketing generated an ROI of $43.62 for every dollar spent on it in 2009. The expected figure for 2010 is $42.08. As such, it outperforms all the other direct marketing channels examined, such as print catalogs. Businesses engage in email marketing because it works and works well.

Much research has been done to indicate the benefits of e-newsletters. Obviously it is more cost effective to grow your business by increasing revenue and referrals from existing clients than in pursuing new clients. A subscriber list of your business relationships is one very valuable asset for your business. We have seen our clients receive an increased proceeds when selling their business based on their eNewsletter. 

Collecting email addresses on your website or checkout is a very effective way to market to people that are already interested in your business. Offer them access to exclusive sales, prizes and so on to build your list.

An eNewsletter can also: 

• enhance your company’s reputation and increases lead generation

• increase the lifetime value of your clients

• be a very cost-efficient and cost-effective communication channel with your clients

• assist in leveraging your marketing efforts

• provide instantaneous track-able results

• open the opportunity for your clients to easily and immediately interact with you and for you to promote dialogue with your clients

• provide a higher response rate because it is being sent to a more receptive audience

• be much more cost efficient than a printed newsletter because of the significant savings in time, printing and mailing costs

• quickly identify “undeliverable” so an effort can be made to correct them and resend them

We can implement an eNewsletter solution for you that adheres to the new Canadian Anti-Spam laws and is branded to your business. 

Frequency 

The Ad Effectiveness Survey commissioned by Forbes Media in Feb/March 2009 revealed that email and eNewsletter marketing are considered the second-most effective tool for generating conversions, just behind SEO. 

If you are showing strong readership rates and low unsubscribe rates you are doing the right thing. As for frequency, consider this rule of thumb, though:

Everything less often than at least every other month is not often enough. People will forget about you, and the surprise of a newsletter from you showing up after a year will probably result in a surprise un-subscription.

Everything more often than once a week is too often unless your subscribers specifically agreed to more frequent mailings. People will get tired and annoyed by your emails, and unsubscribe even if they like your content. 

Why electronic is best? 

In Datran Media's 2010 Annual Marketing & Media Survey, 39.4% of industry executives said the advertising channel that performed strongest for them was email.

Shop.org's State of Retailing Online 2009 survey of retailers found that "E-mail is the most mentioned successful tactic overall".

The money is following the results:

• A December 2009 survey of 300 email marketers by Silverpop found that their companies were feeling the effects of recession, but "four out of 10 marketers reported that their email budgets in 2010 would increase, and nearly half (47 percent) said their budgets would stay the same"

• A November 2009 survey of B2B marketers found that email marketing was likely to see more spending increase than any other form of online marketing bar website development

• A Q2 2009 survey of over 5,000 senior US executives revealed that email marketing was the channel most likely to see an increase in marketing budget 

• 46% of North American small businesses surveyed in 2009 by Hurwitz & Associates use email marketing, with another 36% planning to do so in the coming year

You could use your eNewsletter to announce new products, sales, contests or exclusive buying opportunities for you customers and potential customers.