Newsletters feel personal and build an emotional connect
In a recent report from the Nielsen Norman group some interesting insights into the impact of enewsletters emerge. These include

  • Users have emotional reactions to enewsletters. This is in strong contrast to research on website usability, where users are usually much more oriented toward functionality. Even a website that users visit daily seems to feel like a tool: users want to get in and get out as quickly as possible rather than "connect" with the site.
  • Users tend to glance at websites when they need to accomplish something or to find the answer to a specific question. In contrast, newsletters feel personal because they arrive in users' inboxes, and users have an ongoing relationship with them.
  • Newsletters also have a social aspect, as users often forward them to colleagues and friends.
  • The positive aspect of this emotional relationship is that newsletters can create much more of a bond between users and a company than a website can.
  • The negative aspect is that newsletter usability problems have a much stronger impact on the customer relationship than website usability problems..
  • Sixty-nine percent of users said that they look forward to receiving at least one newsletter, and most users said a newsletter had become part of their routine. Very few other promotional efforts can claim this degree of customer buy-in.

Newsletters are the best way to supplement a website

One of the findings from this report is that newsletters work well to supplement websites. Here are some reasons why.

  • Newsletters are active (push) while websites are passive (pull). If you rely only on a website you are waiting for people to come to you whereas with a newsletter you can take your message to your customers and potential clients.
  • Newsletters generate leads which draw people to your website. Visitors to your website can sign up to receive ongoing information about your products and services without having to remember to come back to the website.
  • Through the relationship established by a newsletter you can nurture the interest of your readers and through tracking information you can sharpen the focus of your communication.
  • Email newsletters can improve your SEO ranking. If you store your newsletter on what is called a microsite this site can be found in searches and help raise your ranking.
  • With the rise of social networking you can provide links that let readers post articles to their own networks or to follow your company on Facebook for example.
Comparing email newsletters with other media, one user said: "Bottom line, I'd rather have it in an email newsletter than in the regular mail. I can click Delete if I don't want it; I don't have to throw anything away; and it is usually easier to unsubscribe if you don't want to get anymore." Convenience rules.

If you would like to start a newsletter for your business please get in touch
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