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E-mail Newsletters In A Web 2.0 WorldE-mail Newsletters In A Web 2.0 World

Stephen Wellman, TechWeb Network

CMP

About CMP & The BTGAbout CMP & The BTG

CMP is a media and marketing solutions company

serving the technology industry.

Business Technology Group – Reaching enterprise

IT decision makers.

The Value Of E-mail Newsletters ForThe Value Of E-mail Newsletters For

PublishersPublishers

For Readers For Publishers

Value-adds:

Enhances value perception of brand

Provides convenience

Monthly, weekly and daily NL choices

provides industry coverage and

assortment

Distribution:

Efficient method of distributing new

content

Conditions readers to be loyal

Can stimulate additional newsletter

subscriptions

Value-content:

Allows readers to stay current

Stimulates reader interest

Provides for passive interruption

Consumption:

Increases frequency of editorial

consumption

Drives unique users back to targeted

areas of web property

Emotional benefit:

Readers can forward articles and be

seen as ‘current’ by peers and colleagues

Revenue:

Drives page views (PVs), ads

monetized on PVs

Monetizes content via ad positions and

sponsorships within NL itself

Provides marketing vehicle for driving

attendance to live & online events

TechWeb NewslettersTechWeb Newsletters

Newsletters At A Glance: 2007 To Date

TechWeb Newsletters Average Click-Through Rate

2006: 4.9%

TechWeb Newsletters Average Click-Through Rate

2007: 7.2%

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E-mail Newsletters & Web 2.0:

Friends Or Foes?

Challenges Posed To E-mail By Web 2.0Challenges Posed To E-mail By Web 2.0

E-mail as a channel is challenged by key trends:

Spam -- While spam was on the decline for almost two years, it’s back in

the news and people are, understandably, annoyed.

RSS -- Real-time syndication is a format for distributing content online.

This technology, and similar technologies like XML and ATOM, are

predicted to eventually replace the need for e-mail newsletters and other

published e-mail content.

Blogs -- Blogs have taken the place of e-mail newsletters for some

readers, especially for tasks like content aggregation or market

leadership.

Search -- The continued growth of news aggregators like Google News

make it easy for users to get the latest news and updates without having

to rely on old-school e-mail newsletters.

Gen Y -- Gen Y, or the generation known as the millenials, don’t use e-

mail as much as we do. As they move into the workforce, they will use e-

mail and e-mail based products, like newsletters, less than their

predecessors.

Not As Competitive As You ThinkNot As Competitive As You Think

Turning Challenge Into Opportunity

RSS --RSS services, like FeedBurner, now offer

delivery of their content through, you guessed it, e-

mail newsletters. A large percentage of Feedburner’s

readers access their RSS feeds through e-mail.

Blogs – Many of Feedburner’s RSS clients are blogs.

These blogs rely on Feedburner’s newsletters to

distribute their content to their readers.

Search – Google News uses its custom e-mail

updates to drive traffic to aggregated news.

Not As Competitive As You ThinkNot As Competitive As You Think

Automation Is The Key

The one factor all these newsletter services share in common –

Feedburner, Google News, blog newsletters – is

automation. These newsletters are created by systems

build into the sites. They are NOT built manually.

What I Want, When I Want It, How I WantWhat I Want, When I Want It, How I Want

ItIt

Web 2.0 Is All About The User

Web 2.0 is about giving users more power.

E-mail newsletters that thrive in a Web 2.0 world

will give readers more choices.

How To Give Your Readers What TheyHow To Give Your Readers What They

WantWant

Topical – Make your existing newsletters more topical.

Newsletters that target a more narrowband topic will

perform better than those that target a wider audience.

Never forget your brand.

Give your readers more options. Give them daily

newsletters, weekly newsletters, and real-time newsletter

updates.

Integrate your newsletters with your overall online offerings.

Make it easy for readers to sign up for RSS, newsletters,

Webcasts, etc., in one place.

Always work to improve your products.

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The Virtuous Cycle: How To Make Your

Newsletters Work

E-mail Newsletters: The Virtuous CycleE-mail Newsletters: The Virtuous Cycle

Source: FulcrumTech -- http://www.fulcrumtech.net/email-marketing.html

Step 1: MetricsStep 1: Metrics

Industry Averages For B2B E-mail Newsletters

Average Click-Through Rate: 5 to 6.5%

Average Open Rate: 20-22%*

Step 2: ObjectivesStep 2: Objectives

Meet industry averages. If don’t meet them, get there. If

you do meet them, beat them.

Always improve. Target at least 10% improvement year-

over-year for each newsletter.

Manage to click-throughs over all other metrics. If

readers are clicking, they’re opening. And if they’re

clicking they’re interested. Translates to more page

views, more ad sales, etc.

Know the purpose of each newsletter. Make sure you

define editorial and business objectives for each

product.

Step 3: List Development IStep 3: List Development I

Challenge

How do you grow e-mail lists in the age of spam

and e-mail fatigue?

Consult

Solution

Offer Benefits For Each Newsletter And Target

Readers Outside Your Current Readership

Create a universal newsletter offering and

target across your sites

Create individual brochure pages for each

newsletter

Use search engine optimization, search engine

marketing, and search engine ad buys to drive

traffic to your newsletter Websites.

Accountable

Integrate

Results

Always monitor your lists

Set growth targets

Results

Cutting dead wood keeps performance high

Dead wood doesn’t just drag down

performance, it also raises your risk for

spam ratings

Cutting dead wood cuts costs, it costs

money to deliver e-mail to people who don’t

want it

Challenge

How do you maintain high performance while

growing your e-mail lists?

Consult

Integrate

Solution

Identify Old Subscribers Who No Longer Click

On Newsletters And Cut Them

Monitor your e-mail newsletter lists

Identify “dead wood” (aka non-clickers)

Churn deadwood every six to nine months

Accountable

Step 3: List Development IIStep 3: List Development II

Step 4: Content IStep 4: Content I

Successful e-mail newsletters do all the following:

Informative: E-mail newsletters keep users up to

date (mentioned by two-thirds of the users).

Convenient: They're delivered straight to the user's

e-mail inbox and require no further action beyond a

simple click.

Timely: They offer current information and

convenient delivery.

Concise: They deliver must-know information

Step 4: Content IIStep 4: Content II

Recipe for a Killer NewsletterRecipe for a Killer Newsletter

Leadership and Guidance

Relevant Subject Lines: Each Word is Critical

Descriptive Headlines

Synthesizes What’s Important and Why It Matters

Cut the Fluff

Step 5: DesignStep 5: Design

"It is the pervading law of all things

organic and inorganic,

Of all things physical and metaphysical,

Of all things human and all things super-

human,

Of all true manifestations of the head,

Of the heart, of the soul,

That the life is recognizable in its

expression,

That form ever follows function. This

is the law.”

-- Louis Sullivan, Architect & Inventor Of

The Skyscraper (The Building, Not

The Online Ad Unit)

Step 5: Design IIStep 5: Design II

Elements Of A Well Designed NewsletterElements Of A Well Designed Newsletter

Easy to read and easy to scan

Not too long -- No more than 3 pages

long

Consistent creative & experience with

Website

Can be easily read across all formats --

Outlook, Notes, Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail,

Mobile

HTML vs. Text -- HTML is still king, but

this may change in the next few months

Always experiment with design -- What

works today may not work next year.

Step 6: DistributionStep 6: Distribution

E-mail newsletter distribution is all about three factors:

E-mail lists – if you don’t practice solid development, forget

about it

Email service provider

DNS and IP addresses

Step 6: Distribution IIStep 6: Distribution II

Clean & current lists -- See earlier slide on list development

Choose your e-mail service provider carefully -- Monitor

your DNS (make sure you’re not being associated with

spammers, etc.)

Monitor your spamlist status -- ESP should do this, but do

this on your own too.

If your deliverability drops below 90%, sound the alarm

Always watch copy -- Make sure your editors and your

content avoid certain words

Keys To Successful DistributionKeys To Successful Distribution

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Thank youThank you

Stephen Wellman

Editorial Director Of E-mail

Newsletters & Business Mobility

TechWeb Network

Voice: +1 212 600 3142

E-mail: swellman@cmp.com

Blog: www.overtheair.biz

Newsletter: www.grokongoogle.com