E-zines connect to new audience

One such method is the e-newsletter or e-zine. Because these don’t come with printing and postage costs of their paper counterparts, e-zines generally are a more cost-effective method of sharing information, according to Jana Daugherty, who founded gourmet food store The Cheddar Block in April.

Daugherty sends a periodic newsletter to 2,000 people, more than 90 percent of whom have shopped in the store at 1440 W. Republic Road, Ste. 108, and submitted their e-mail addresses.

“What’s nice about it is it’s very cost-effective,” Daugherty said of the e-newsletter. “Cost is always an issue, so the more ways you can get out there in front of potential customers at a cost-effective rate, the better.”

She added that she tries to be prudent with information, sending the e-newsletters on a quarterly schedule or when there is a new program or highly sought-after product.

Daugherty, as an example, pointed to a new line of 110 spices the store began carrying.

“I announced that through an e-mail, and those have been one of our most popular lines of items,” she said.

Shawn Askinosie opened the doors of Askinosie Chocolate in May, and now that the company is ready to more actively market its products, it has launched a monthly e-newsletter as a way to keep in touch. The company’s first newsletter went out last week.

“Part of our marketing strategy is to maintain a relationship with our customers, and this is a way to keep them up to date on what’s happening with the company or where Shawn is traveling,” said Kesha Quigg, the company’s sales and marketing director. “We want customers to be involved in our business.”

Springfield relationship development expert Marlene Chism sends out three different e-newsletters. She said the e-zine system is the easiest way she has found to stay in touch.

“It’s very economical, there’s ease of delivery, and it’s easy to set up,” Chism said, adding that her system is designed to send out the letters once a month automatically. “I can write a year’s worth in advance and have them delivered sequentially.”

Chism’s newsletters go out to more than 2,000 people, including Julie Reynolds, practice administrator for Reynolds Plastic Surgery. Reynolds receives Chism’s Attitude Builders e-newsletter, which offers ready-made meeting topics and information for administrators and human resources directors.

“For me, it keeps my skills up. It gives me things to talk about and teach to my staff,” Reynolds said. “I use it as a nice refresher of the things I’ve learned and some new ideas on how to apply them.”

Growing trend

Online newsletters are growing in popularity nationally, according to Barbara Weathers, adjunct faculty member in Drury University’s communication department, though she said it’s difficult to gauge the exact growth due to the nebulous nature of the Internet.

Weathers said e-newsletters at least to drive customers to a business’ Web site.

“They are a great way to keep in contact with potential customers,” she said. “We use them here at Drury for prospective students – they request information, and then we send them out once a month.”

Aaron Jernigan, president of mortgage loans for BancorpSouth, has been e-mailing mortgage market information weekly to his clients for several months. The newsletter is provided by Mortgage Market Guide LLC, to which Jernigan subscribes. According to MMG’s Web site, an annual e-newsletter subscription costs $720 a year.

“It has information about national reports – employment reports, consumer confidence reports – and how those affect mortgage rates and what they may do,” Jernigan said. “It helps people looking for a house or refinancing to plan ahead. Then we send out additional (e-newsletters) as things come up – for example, when the (Federal Reserve) cuts the prime rate.”

Jernigan cites three advantages to using an e-newsletter.

“One is that it’s easy to put together – it takes five minutes to generate it,” he said. “It’s timely. When the Fed cut rates (Nov. 1), I had a newsletter out in 10 minutes. By mail, that could take several days. Thirdly, with the increased cost of postage, it’s become a really cost-efficient way to transmit that information.”

The pitfalls

There are a few warnings to consider when using e-zines to communicate. Weathers said the most important is making sure that the recipient actually wants the information.

“Someone has to know they’re receiving the information so they don’t think it’s spam,” she said. “Companies can get blacklisted by different Internet providers. If you get too many complaints, all of your e-mails are blocked by that domain. ... You don’t want to just be signing people up randomly.”

Chism said businesspeople sending e-zines must avoid the temptation of turning the product into a mire of advertising, despite the low cost. The key to a successful e-zine, she said, is value.

“Occasionally, I’ll offer a teleseminar or talk about a new product, but I’m careful not to bombard people,” she said. “I’ll offer free value; many times I’ll invite them to participate in an interview I’m doing with an industry expert. That way, they get additional value, and I get to network and build my lists.”

Reynolds enjoys the value she receives as well.

“I love it, because I live by my laptop,” she said. “I’m the practice administrator, but I wear many hats. If I’m going to travel, I can keep really current. We’re pretty paperless here, and so that’s important to me. I don’t want another piece of paper.”[[In-content Ad]]