In this edition of Web Enlightenment we'll be talking about the fact that bulk mail is not an E-Newsletter. Confuse the two at your peril.

This newsletter focuses on giving you practical, interesting insights into how to successfully use technology as a tool to improve the way you do business. Bridging the gap between knowledge and understanding that all entrepreneurs have will help you make money online.

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Bulk Mail is not an E-Newsletter

As most of you know I am a big fan of marketing via email, especially with an E-Newsletter. I gave a seminar last week to the good folks at Maine Built Boats on this very topic and I was really pleased to not have anyone in the audience ask the dreaded "question".

You know, the one question that reveals they have made some serious errors in trying to communicate this way. The dreaded "question" was asked when I spoke at the Discover New England summit last spring:

"I was sending an E-Newsletter every week but people unsubscribed and complained so much that I reduced the frequency to twice a year and yet they still complain, do you think I should send it once a year?"

I smiled. I nodded patiently. I tried not to sigh too loudly. And then I asked my "the question" right back:

"Please tell me about what you are sending people."

And so he did - he was sending a coupon for a small percentage off a stay at his hotel at a specific time of year, usually 5% off.

So I explained that he was not in fact sending an E-Newsletter at all, he was sending a bulk mail coupon and the results he was getting were in fact quite predictable.

This problem is quite common, the temptation for Internet Entrepreneurs is very strong and you have to make sure your E-Newsletter does not drift into this state over time.

The basic problem that Entrepreneurs have is pretty simple. They want to focus on what is important to them - a customer making a purchase - and not what really matters to the customer, getting to know you and perhaps learning something useful.

I usually cringe when I hear folks talk about sending an "email blast" because most people that use those words don't get E-Newsletters at all.

The purpose of an E-Newsletter is to provide high quality no strings attached content. This will help you build relationships over time as people get to know you better. It will allow you to stop calling prospects because they are getting something from you regularly, they'll hit reply if and when they want to talk to you. You can (and should) add them to your website to create a stream of new content that keeps Google happy.

Don't expect quick results. E-Newsletters are a long term strategy.

What you can't do - what you must not do - is start treating your E-Newsletter like a coupon or pure product promotion vehicle. I don't mean to suggest you can't send coupons and such but those need to come under a different name, they need to focus on an "excusive" club type feel, and they need to be provided to people that like to shop. You can please the bargain hunter but you need to focus on them in a different way, that is really a topic for another edition of this E-Newsletter.

When you put an E-Newsletter plan together you should focus on what you are an expert in, what makes you different, what you are best known for, who the E-Newsletter is meant to be for, what you'll write about, and most importantly your own personal genuine voice.

Here is the bottom line: Resist the temptation to add coupons or direct product promotions to your E-Newsletter as those belong in another type of email. If you confuse E-Newsletters with bulk mail the end result will be that neither of them work very well.