Email Delivers!

In the "connected" world, where people are bombarded with information, email newsletter subscription increases the chance of your message getting through. However, it is absolutely vital that when you get a subscriber you deliver them genuine value. A newsletter that is simply full of hard sell and poor quality content damages your reputation. Do it well or don't do it at all. People experience a greater connection and loyalty to companies through e-mail newsletters than is possible through Web sites, according to a recent study from Jakob Nielsen.

"Newsletters feel personal because they arrive in your e-mail inbox, and you have an ongoing relationship with them. In contrast, Web sites are things you glance at when you need to find an answer to a specific question," said Jakob Nielsen, principal of the Nielsen-Norman Group, a Freemont, Calif. research group that conducted the study. Nielsen Norman Group focuses on all aspects of consumers' interaction with a company.

Nielsen's study of email newsletters found:

» People have "highly emotional reactions to newsletters which feel much more personal than websites." People are "frustrated by newsletters that demanded too much of their time."

» If people "keep getting unwanted newsletters, the messages will start to backfire and become regular reminders that your company is annoying."

» People should be able to subscribe and unsubscribe quickly.

"People get a lot of email. They don't have time to read a lot of text." Therefore, newsletters need to be short and laid out in a simple, straightforward manner. A regular subscription schedule is very important.

"Writing good subject lines is especially important, both to encourage users to open the newsletter and to distinguish the newsletter from spam."

A word of warning. People are drowning in spam. In an intranet, it may be okay to send a monthly What's New to all members of staff. But unless you want a reputation as a scam artist, never, ever subscribe people to a public newsletter without their agreement. Address all unsubscription problems immediately.

Always treat your subscriber with respect. Otherwise, they will treat you with contempt.

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