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3 Reasons Why I Still Publish An Email Newsletter

by Donna Maria

There is no shortage of expert commentary and analysis on whether or not email is dead when it comes to business communications tools. On October 12, Jessica Vascellaro of the Wall Street Journal said email is dead. On the same day, Kit Eaton of Fast Company said email is alive and kicking. Because I have published a weekly email newsletter since January 2000, I am keenly interested in the subject.

email newsletter going around the world Over the years, I have missed a week here and there, most notably when my children were infants or when they were ill. Earlier this year, I conducted an unofficial and unplanned experiment to determine whether or not I should continue to publish my email newsletter. I published one issue in May, no issues for the entire month of June and one issue in July. What happened next surprised me.

I received numerous email messages from people wondering where my newsletter was. One person emailed (and she was quite angry) saying that she relied on the small and indie business owner features in my newsletter to inspire her to be successful throughout the week. Another person actually called me saying she was concerned that I or a member of my family must be gravely ill. She said she thought that only something so serious could explain why she did not receive my newsletter for several weeks in a row.

I also noticed a sharp decrease in sales and in the number of people communicating with me through my Twitter and FaceBook pages. Unique visits and page views at the website where I archive my newsletter also dropped dramatically, then picked up just as dramatically when I began publishing consistently again in August.

I was tempted to question these results when I saw statistics quoted in the New York Times that over the last six years, time spent on social networks surpassed that for e-mail for the first time in February of this year. These statistics may be instructive of the direction we are headed, but they are still just statistics. While I use them to plan for the future, I pay far more attention to the first-hand feedback I get from my customers and readers. My relationships with them are rich and long standing. I think it would be foolish to abandon them because of a statistic. In addition to the fact that my readers tell me they enjoy it, here are three other reaons why I still publish my email newsletter.

  1. My Email Newsletter Is Unique, Targeted and Personal. Every business owner must embrace the role of publisher today, and my experience has shown that the more options I give people to connect personally with me, the better. My newsletter has a long history of consistency, and even though blogs and social networking sites are gaining popularity, many of my readers would not know a blog if it walked up and bopped them on the head.

    These readers dabble around with FaceBook and Twitter, but they don’t really “use” them. Until they begin to do so on a widespread basis (and I believe that will eventually happen), my newsletter is a critical contact tool for them. These relationships are important to me and they alone are enough reason to continue to publish the newsletter.

  2. My Email Newsletter Enhances My Platform and Reinforces My Brand. Consistency over a period of time is a key to the success of any business. The consistency with which I have published my newsletter is solid proof of the value I have offered in my field over the years. This enhances my credibility with the the media (both traditional and new) and helps to solidify the platform I need to pursue new business opportunities.
  3. My Newsletter Is Integrated With My Blog. Because each issue of my newsletter contains articles that link to my blog, the newsletter works organically to cross-promotes my business. It also serves to introduce some readers to the concept of a blog in a gentle, non-pushy way. While my newsletter links to my blog, the two media outlets are very different. The newsletter provides more of a “view from inside” my personal life. It tends to be more personal, more intimate.

    Each publication stands completely on its own, so much so that many newsletter readers subscribe to both the newsletter and the blog because together, they provide a more well rounded view of how I can be of service. Also, because the newsletter is intertwined with the blog, and the blog is intertwined with all of my other online social activities (FaceBook, LinkedIn, my social network and Twitter), the newsletter actually reaches far beyond the inbox of any given individual reader.

Question: If you publish an email newsletter, why do you continue to do so in light of all of the statistics about social media? If you do not publish an email newsletter, why not? Do you think it could help you grow your business?

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Tagged as: blogs, email marketing, email newsletters, Relationships, Social Media, social networking

posted on October 18, 2009 ·

Facebook comments:

  • http://www.manorhallsoapcompany.com/ Susan

    I'm a newsletter die-hard. I have wondered if I'm just a dinosaur, but my newsletter list continues to grow weekly. Despite current technology trends, I still find it a very worthwhile and rewarding marketing tool that keeps me in touch with my customers, and my customers in touch with my product.

    I subscribe to many email newsletters, and look forward to my favorites. Your newsletter continues to inspire, and I would miss it terribly if you pulled it. I gain a lot from your Indie interviews, as I'm sure many of your Indies do. It's great to read how others started, how they deal with adversity, and how they continue to grow.

    I think that while social media appears to be everywhere, not all customers are social media groupies. That may very well change in the future, but for now email is still very alive and kicking and almost everyone understands it. Social media is a great way to keep in touch, but I think email speaks communication. Great topic. It'll be interesting to read what other Indies are experiencing.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Indie_Business Donna Maria

      I'm a total social media groupie, LOL! But like you, I realize that it's not about me. It's about the people I serve. We need to be where they are and email is where many of them still live and collect information. I too look forward to what other people are experiencing. It's all in a state of flux so we must be discerning so we know when things change in a way that requires us to change too.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Indie_Business Donna Maria

      You may be a dinosaur, but you're a smart dinosaur. Thank you for the positive feedback about my publication. I enjoy yours too, and your blog.

  • http://www.manorhallsoapcompany.com Susan

    I'm a newsletter die-hard. I have wondered if I'm just a dinosaur, but my newsletter list continues to grow weekly. Despite current technology trends, I still find it a very worthwhile and rewarding marketing tool that keeps me in touch with my customers, and my customers in touch with my product.

    I subscribe to many email newsletters, and look forward to my favorites. Your newsletter continues to inspire, and I would miss it terribly if you pulled it. I gain a lot from your Indie interviews, as I'm sure many of your Indies do. It's great to read how others started, how they deal with adversity, and how they continue to grow.

    I think that while social media appears to be everywhere, not all customers are social media groupies. That may very well change in the future, but for now email is still very alive and kicking and almost everyone understands it. Social media is a great way to keep in touch, but I think email speaks communication. Great topic. It'll be interesting to read what other Indies are experiencing.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Indie_Business Donna Maria

      I'm a total social media groupie, LOL! But like you, I realize that it's not about me. It's about the people I serve. We need to be where they are and email is where many of them still live and collect information. I too look forward to what other people are experiencing. It's all in a state of flux so we must be discerning so we know when things change in a way that requires us to change too.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Indie_Business Donna Maria

      You may be a dinosaur, but you're a smart dinosaur. Thank you for the positive feedback about my publication. I enjoy yours too, and your blog.

  • http://www.vedasun.com/ Gina

    Great post dM. It reinforces for me why I keep sending out a newsletter.
    I think it definitely adds more of a personal touch. Plus, I also Love writing it! I'm amazed through the years how much I realize I love to write.

    I'm also starting to record guided meditations (quiet me, who if you ever told me I'd be doing Live telenars even a year ago I wouldn't believe you!) and Life amazes me in the way that we could be on one path, but the path curves and bends and changes and keeps transforming and guiding us along the way if we pay attention to it. You're such a great example of this. You're flexible and are guided to try new things and look what you have created! Such an amazing world of knowledge and wisdom that you share.

    Love it!
    Gina

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Indie_Business Donna Maria

      I am truly enjoying watching you try these wonderful, new ways of connecting with people. You have a knack for making people feel calm and whole. I benefit more than you know.

  • http://www.vedasun.com Gina

    Great post dM. It reinforces for me why I keep sending out a newsletter.
    I think it definitely adds more of a personal touch. Plus, I also Love writing it! I'm amazed through the years how much I realize I love to write.

    I'm also starting to record guided meditations (quiet me, who if you ever told me I'd be doing Live telenars even a year ago I wouldn't believe you!) and Life amazes me in the way that we could be on one path, but the path curves and bends and changes and keeps transforming and guiding us along the way if we pay attention to it. You're such a great example of this. You're flexible and are guided to try new things and look what you have created! Such an amazing world of knowledge and wisdom that you share.

    Love it!
    Gina

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Indie_Business Donna Maria

      I am truly enjoying watching you try these wonderful, new ways of connecting with people. You have a knack for making people feel calm and whole. I benefit more than you know.

  • Katrina

    I use Facebook but do not follow twitter or blogs. I absolutely do not have the time. I too rely on the newsletter. If I cannot get to it, I go back to that particular email another time and I have not missed anything. On Facebook, because I do not have time to read all the articles posted when they are, I save them to my desktop so all I have to do is open and read them when I get a minute. dM, you are an incredibly smart woman and you know what is best for you, your business and your Indies far more than the stats that anyone else publishes. Thanks for doing your thing!

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Indie_Business Donna Maria

      Time is a huge factor, isn't it? Congratulations for implementing a sort of "system" that works for you so you can tend to your priorities. Thanks also for your complimentary thoughts, and for sharing them here.

  • Katrina

    I use Facebook but do not follow twitter or blogs. I absolutely do not have the time. I too rely on the newsletter. If I cannot get to it, I go back to that particular email another time and I have not missed anything. On Facebook, because I do not have time to read all the articles posted when they are, I save them to my desktop so all I have to do is open and read them when I get a minute. dM, you are an incredibly smart woman and you know what is best for you, your business and your Indies far more than the stats that anyone else publishes. Thanks for doing your thing!

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Indie_Business Donna Maria

      Time is a huge factor, isn't it? Congratulations for implementing a sort of "system" that works for you so you can tend to your priorities. Thanks also for your complimentary thoughts, and for sharing them here.

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  • http://twitter.com/hennasooq Khadija Dawn Carryl

    I have to say and to be honest, I read your email blogs/newsletters way more then I would keep up with your blog. Because if I don’t get a notification for it, then usually I don’t keep up with it, and for some reason my RSS doesn’t do it much for me. I like the newsletters via email for sure. Love it so much, I might have to copy you :)

  • http://twitter.com/hennasooq Khadija Dawn Carryl

    I have to say and to be honest, I read your email blogs/newsletters way more then I would keep up with your blog. Because if I don’t get a notification for it, then usually I don’t keep up with it, and for some reason my RSS doesn’t do it much for me. I like the newsletters via email for sure. Love it so much, I might have to copy you :)

    • http://www.indiebusinessblog.com Donna Maria Coles Johnson

      Feel free to copy. After all, I watch others and duplicate what works for them as well. Like they say, success leaves clues. Thanks for letting me know you enjoy getting the emails. I produce both RSS and email because some people prefer one over the other and I want to be in touch with both types. I do think the world is moving ever so slowly more to RSS, but as long as some people prefer email, I will use it — and enjoy doing so!

    • http://www.indiebusinessblog.com Donna Maria Coles Johnson

      Feel free to copy. After all, I watch others and duplicate what works for them as well. Like they say, success leaves clues. Thanks for letting me know you enjoy getting the emails. I produce both RSS and email because some people prefer one over the other and I want to be in touch with both types. I do think the world is moving ever so slowly more to RSS, but as long as some people prefer email, I will use it — and enjoy doing so!

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