Used
well, a newsletter can create a sense of community for website visitors,
which contradicts the impersonal distance of the Internet. If they
feel involved, they will keep coming back.
Words on the Web
2. Newsletters
Frequent, loyal visitors, masses of
interest, regular, growing sales - is that your experience with Internet
trading? For most small businesses, the promise of the web has yet
to be fulfilled. The website is there, but few people seem to visit
the site and even fewer buy from it - or even make a second visit.
So you lose interest, the site declines, visitor numbers drop away
even more, and you give up.
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Imagine what would happen if a shopkeeper took the same attitude
to his storefront. It would quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy…
few people come, so the shop is neglected then nobody comes. Website
traffic cannot be taken for granted; you have to work to keep the
visitors coming and one of the recognised ways to stimulate visitor
loyalty is to issue a Newsletter. Does your website have one?
Sense of purpose
Whether published in print or electronically, newsletters suffer
the common fate of starting well then tailing off. They can lose
their way over time, reducing in size, quality and readership until
the effort no longer seems worthwhile. Some succeed, however - establishing
a loyal readership and contributing positively to the business which
sponsors the effort. The problem is that is it an effort. A good
newsletter does not happen by accident. It needs planning, hard
work and consistency; and it needs to generate a sense of 'belonging'
among its readers. Success begins with a sense of purpose.
Create a community
The purpose of a website newsletter is to create a community where
readers feel at home. The Internet is a remote, and relatively static,
medium that speaks to an audience of distant individuals quietly
staring at sheets of glass. It is an unreal environment inhabited
by lone individuals. A good website will hold the attention of those
individuals long enough to convey the site's message while they
are still on-line. A good newsletter will bring those visitors back
to the site - again and again. They become loyal because the message
is right for them. The message will be right for them if you have
clearly defined your audience.
Shared interests
Describe your customers. What do they like? Where do they live?
What do they want from your business? Why do they visit your website?
The answers to those questions will determine the contents of your
newsletter. At its most basic, a website newsletter will tell people
about the latest features and offers on your site; but why be basic?
To build a real community you need shared interests that do not
necessarily have a price-tag. The things you tell your readers should
not always be blatant sales messages. Mass-market magazines earn
their money through advertising, but few people would read them
if that were all they contained.
Respect
Statistically, direct mail is a successful means of promotion. True,
the majority or 'junk mail' ends up in the bin, but the low cost
of mailing makes it value-for-money compared with media advertising
and cold-calling.
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