eAdvisor - Feature Article

Mythbuster: eNewsletters Are Easy

Sending a regular eNewsletter should be easy — right? After all, you just need someone who can pull together some articles and schedule a send every month. Many companies buy into the myth of in-house newsletter production believing that because they have smart, expert staff, those people are more than capable of getting the job done. So why do so many eNewsletters fail to get sent? Let's take a look at how myth compares to reality.

The myth:
There are templates we can use — and they are cheap!

The reality:
Canned newsletter templates aren't hard to find online. Although such templates offer an alternative to creating a custom design and HTML format, the limitations of most pre-fab templates result in newsletters that can be awkward and less-than-professional in appearance.

In addition, many templates are cumbersome to work with and are limiting in terms of font use, style and colors.

A professional, full-service eNewsletter outsourcing company will not only provide an original, customized design and layout, but will update it as often as needed and make changes to reflect the unique requirements of each issue.

Of course, having a nice blank template doesn't get you over a more important hurdle: You still need content to put into the template.

The myth:
Our people are already experts in our business. We can have our staff write the articles.

The reality:
Organizations that ask internal staff to write the content for their eNewsletters often run into two problems: bottlenecks and bias.

Your staff members are competent, smart and productive — but chances are, you didn't hire them to be writers. Writing a newsletter article will always take a back seat to higher priority tasks — and that's how it should be. Their primary concern will be on running and growing your business, and newsletter article deadlines will get pushed to the end of their To Do lists, sometimes indefinitely.

When internal staff members do get around to writing their articles, their expert, insider knowledge may actually end up being a hindrance to the newsletter in the long run. When all your articles come from inside your business, you often end up with a newsletter that's all about the business. Instead, newsletter readers need information that's valuable to them.

An outside perspective can help. A professional eNewsletter service will not only make sure your articles get written, but also make sure they are expert, accurate and relevant to your readers. And an outside company can turn to your staff for expert information without putting a crimp in their already busy schedules.

The myth:
You can give the newsletter to Joe. He does all that admin stuff. He can work it into his other projects.

The reality:
Joe the admin may initially take on the eNewsletter job with a smile. But once Joe gets into the job, he may quickly become overwhelmed. He may be OK with keeping a file for articles and putting the send schedule on his calendar, but does he have the skills to edit articles and art? Can he manage lists? Will he know how to comply with the CAN-SPAM Act?

Even if Joe has some skills in many of these areas, Joe already has a job, and he'll end up having to make a choice between the myriad tasks associated with the newsletter and his regular job. Because his focus is not devoted to the newsletter, it gets pushed back … and pushed back … and pushed back. Your newsletter either goes out inconsistently or not at all.

Myth: Busted!
The reality is that you need skills, experience and focus to produce a great eNewsletter.

When you outsource, you get the full focus your eNewsletter needs. You get a staff that is trained in newsletter writing, editing and production, and you get a partner who has a vested interest in creating an excellent product that gets excellent results.

In our next issue of eAdvisor we will take a closer look at what distinguishes a quality action-oriented, results-driven eNewsletter from an eNewsletter that does nothing more than clutter your customer's inbox.

To effectively communicate with your customers and prospects and build your brand, you need a quality eNewsletter as part of your marketing mix. If your eNewsletter is not getting done — or isn't getting done well — contact Proven Systems today at (800) 720-5398 or info@provensystems.com.

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