E-newsletters build relationships…and sales

I'm in the relationship business. No, not matchmaking or counseling. I'm a marketer. As such, it's my job to help companies connect with customers, not just once, but again and again as they build a relationship and therefore a level of trust.

One of the most effective weapons in this marketing arsenal is the e-newsletter. Short of one-to-one, in-person communication with each prospect and customer, e-newsletters are perhaps the most effective--and cost-effective--means to let people get to know you and trust you. An ongoing relationship earns their trust. And trust is crucial to sales.

E-newsletters have other benefits too, including viral marketing, thought leadership, SEO and insight into the issues important to your market.

Relationship building

E-newsletters are what I like to call "indirect marketing" (as opposed to the much better known direct marketing). They are an easy way to stay in touch with prospective customers--those people who are interested enough in your company to go to your Web site, but not yet ready to buy. Through the newsletter, you can nurture the relationship until such a time when they are ready. It's also an easy way to in touch with past customers to keep them thinking about you until they are ready to buy again.

Basically, it's marketing that doesn't come across as marketing. You're offering a service to your clients and prospects as something of value that you are giving them for free. For professionals, a newsletter can be a filter of just the news they need to stay up-to-speed in their jobs. For a software company, it can be a way to keep users informed of bugs, patches and new releases…thereby minimizing calls to tech support. And consider a few B2C examples:

• A pet supply store can dispense advice on pet health, dealing with flea season and dog training tips.
• A vitamin business can offer health tips, articles on exercise or the latest news on the healthiest foods.
• A gourmet spice company can offer recipes.
• A running shoe business can offer marathon training tips.

Not one of these newsletters would be blatantly promotional. They'd all offer the "soft sell" by delivering content of value without asking for anything in return. Done right, they deliver information of value that helps people live their lives or do their jobs better, faster, cheaper. It's killer content, not filler content (to use Gerry McGovern's term in a different context). Content of value that people find useful, maybe even useful enough to forward to a friend.

The relationship started and nurtured via an e-newsletter can help you earn affection, credibility and trust-which can lead to faster and easier sales. When they sign up to get your newsletter, they are raising their hands to say "yes, I want to hear from you." And that opens the door to other communications, i.e. a chance to directly market to them. In fact, people are more apt to trust, buy from and recommend companies that send them e-newsletters, according to the eMarketing Association.

Thought leadership
Depending on your business, publishing an e-newsletter can establish credibility and position your business as a leader and resource. Even the small pet supply store can get this edge: Say someone's dog has a tiff with a skunk. Who will they call for advice? The company that has already proven itself knowledgeable in the field of pet care. And, of course, that same company sells the deodorizer said dog owner will need to get rid of the nasty smell.

Viral marketing
When you deliver content of value into people's inboxes, they will share it with others. It's as easy as a forward. Your e-newsletter can also lead to referrals because it keeps your name in front of people. The person who gets the newsletter might not ever buy from you, but when a friend or colleague says "Do you know where I can buy a (blank)?" it might be your name that gets passed along.

Search engine optimization
Archiving the newsletters on your Web site adds to your content, and search engines love good content! And these pages will naturally contain keywords important to your target audience, because the topics will be near and dear to them. Therefore, when they go searching, that Web page just might get found, leading them into your site. Archiving your e-newsletter on your site also ensures fresh content, something else search engines look for. Those spiders don't like crawling stale sites.

Insight
An e-newsletter is cost-effective to test and adapt. Watch your metrics, determine what people are really interested in and give them more of that. You can target and segment your message. If you're the pet supply store owner, you can send one version targeted to cat owners and another targeted to dog owners. People will reply to e-newsletters, giving you even more insight into the issues that concern them most. And you can include surveys to solicit even more feedback.

And, of course, need I mention that a well-executed e-newsletter can drive traffic to a landing page or a brick-and-mortar store?

Think about your own favorite newsletters, why you subscribed, why you continue to subscribe: It's because they give you something you can use-information. If they didn't, you wouldn't keep reading them…and saving them and forwarding them on to colleagues, etc.

Of course, as with all good marketing, your results depend on doing your e-newsletter correctly. Newsletters that are purely promotional--or that go to people who didn't ask to hear from you--only harm your marketing efforts. But do it right, and you will reap the rewards of that ongoing contact as you build relationships, earn trust…and make sales.