Virtual tips for the savvy business owner!

Ezines are in every email inbox, aren’t they? Many of us have worked hard to create terrific email newsletters to reach a broader audience for our products. But that doesn’t mean we should completely forget about hard-copy newsletters. Let’s talk about why printed material still has a place in marketing.

Would You Like Paper or Email? Before we dig into the issue of print vs. electronic, let’s all recognize that our clients like being given choices. When someone signs up online for your newsletter, do you give them the option of receiving the print copy? Try adding the hard-copy choice to your subscription form; I think you’ll be surprised how many of your readers prefer paper.

The Argument for Paper Newsletters: We all know the arguments for email newsletters—they’re “green” because no paper is used, they’re easy and cheap to deliver, and you can link directly from them to your website. But let’s look at three reasons why some people still prefer their news in print:

• Printed Newsletters are Convenient: Although devices for reading news online abound, not everyone enjoys reading for any length of time on a Blackberry. A printed newsletter can be tucked into a briefcase and read between subway stops or after a hard day at an out of town conference. Unfold, read, digest, what could be easier for a busy business traveler?
• Printed Newsletters Stick Around: Think about your own business reference library. I’m willing to bet you’ve got files of printed material that you refer to over time. Consider sending new print version subscribers a folder that fits in a file drawer to hold your back issues. They’ll have your information at their fingertips when they need it.
• Printed Newsletters Don’t Get Deleted: Sure, your readers can recycle that paper version, but how many times do our ezines end up in a spam folder or simply lost in a tsunami of email? When someone receives your newsletter in the mail, chances are they’ll flip it open and at least glance at your feature article. You can’t read, though, what gets lost in your inbox.

By all means, continue to build your email newsletter list. But consider offering your subscribers the option of receiving the print version, instead. After all, isn’t giving our clients what they want what’s made us successful in the first place?

Filed under: Marketing tips, Uncategorized