1] Loyalty

When consumers look for a particular product or service, they probably have only a few local brick & mortar options. But online, every option in the country crowds onto their PC monitors. A store in California is only a click away from a store in New York. E-shoppers are sometimes overwhelmed by the wealth of choices. Unfortunately, this means that plenty of your customers will forget you, even if they don’t intend to. But they won’t forget to check their e-mail. A regular newsletter serves as a reminder for customers who want one. So help them out by popping in for an e-visit every week, or every month, or whatever time frame best suits your business. It’s always beneficial to establish even the subtlest of emotional connections with customers. When you regularly inform them of your developments, you’re modeling the behavior of a friend catching them up on life. And the longer this relationship lasts, the stronger it will become. Customers will feel involved in the progress of your company, and this will give you an advantage over your more anonymous competitors.

2] Distinction

Small businesses are popping in and out of cyberspace at the rate of subatomic particles. A consistently-delivered newsletter reminds subscribers that your small business isn’t nearly so unstable or insignificant. It is changing, growing, and – most importantly – surviving. Every month you stay in business is another month you’re outperforming a certain percentage of the competition. And if your mere existence isn’t enough to make you stand out, your persistence and/or growth may be. As the old saying goes, “if an e-business grows, but nobody knows, that grown-up e-business is destined to close.” Or is it, “the growth of that e-business drastically slows”? Or, “no one’ll know of that business’s woes”? I can’t remember exactly, but you get the idea.

3] Promotion

Marketing is like fishing; you may have targeted a certain kind of fish by baiting your hook with its favorite meal, but you won’t get any bites if you’re fishing in the wrong waters. A newsletter significantly reduces your marketing efforts by self-assembling a pond full of your target fish just waiting for you to cast your line. And you’re the only one licensed to fish that pond. Could there be a better opportunity to talk up new offerings, sales, or strategic changes? Just be certain to provide the option to unsubscribe, otherwise you run the risk of torturing those poor fish whose tastes have changed over time. Remember: they came to your pond voluntarily, so let them leave if they like, otherwise your newsletter will be no more enticing or welcome than an empty hook.

-David Yakubik, Volusion Customer Care Specialist

Bookmark to: