Newsletters: Dying or Thriving?
Do me a favor… Think about when email became a thing. Email newsletters were the newest and brightest idea that completely took off. Then companies roped people into subscribing to their emails and then the whole idea of weekly or monthly newsletters began. This was such a big innovation for the marketing world, discovering a whole new field of advertising and creating the idea of ‘digital marketing.’
Dying?
Since their creation, we’ve all had an unreasonable amount of interaction with newsletters. New York Times writer David Carr mentioned, “email newsletters, an old-school artifact of the web that was supposed to die along with dial-up connections, are not only still around, but very much on the march.”
Before and After
For their time, newsletters were considered innovative because they helped consumers figure out what is worth paying attention to. Newsletters broke the mold for advertising and created the idea of digital marketing! Now, newsletters aren’t really news…or letters, they’re promotions. They aren’t intended for reading anymore, they are simply sent with the intentions of click bait that comes from the contact we all know too well: ‘donotreply@company.com’
Goals
The goal behind email announcements is essential for a reasonable outcome. If you want a consumer to end up on a page on your website, it needs to be evident. Want consumers to register for a paid subscription or membership? They need incentives! Again, this is where newsletters are now exclusively promotions.
Good vibes
More times than not consumers respond to product and marketing tactics more if they make them feel good. If the vibe of your email makes people feel better, they will more likely help with the goal of your newsletter. Between images, colors, or large text, consumer response is essential for reaching the goal of the newsletter. Be sure that your promotional newsletter is visually capturing.
Thriving?
The uniting moment between consumers and producers of newsletters depends on how the reader feels about the content. Web content needs to be worthy of the consumer’s time and energy. The connectivity relies strictly on what the reader wants to see and assuming they subscribed to this newsletter; they have an interest in what your newsletter has to say. Your news HAS to be newsworthy.
This is because media users are tired of the constant feed of information that they get on other media platforms. When newsletters containing suggested content arrive in consumer’s emails, it’s easy for them to skim over it and click on only what they want to read more about.
So again, Dying or Thriving?
Dying in the past. In 2016, some referred to the rising use of newsletters as the “email newsletter resurgence.” So, they are currently, thriving. Email was thought to be something old people used, but thanks to technology and its ability to reinvent itself, it looks like newsletters are here for good. I guess you could say they are retro since they have been around for so long!
Future Predictions
Bots will eventually run newsletters. But you think, “Ugh! What about Mail Chimp and Mad Mimi?” No, those are created by people and distributed by these platforms. It has been noted that content in bots is more engaging than good content in other formats.
Needing help with newsletters and digital marketing? We can help! For other inquiries, feel free to fax us since ‘retro’ is back in style.
Written by Demi Butler – Digital Marketing Intern, Spring 2018
