What has Your Blog Done for You Lately?
If you are still living in the dark ages, working your hardest to write a newsletter every month, printing it or publishing it, and then carefully sending it out either via snail mail or in a calculated email blast, please stop. Stop right now.
What good is your newsletter doing you? Are you a retailer trying to find NEW customers with your newsletter? If so, is it reaching NEW customers? Or are you sending it out to the same past customers over and over again? Or are you a membership organization preaching to the choir, but calling it "keeping them informed?"
What you really need is a blog, not a newsletter. Blogs reach your current and past customers or members, plus are there for NEW audiences to find as well. Blogs don't clutter up inboxes. Blogs cost less than a newsletter (even if you are just emailing it out). Blogs can be monetized with advertisements. Blogs can be measured for readership. Blogs can be monitored to see what keywords people searched on it. Blogs are just plain better.
My top ten reasons why blogs are better than newsletters.
#1- Google. People searching online for information on where to find quality koala food can find your blog. But no matter how hard they search, they will never find your newsletter.
#2- The Delete Key. No one likes a cluttered inbox. Newsletters are the first thing to get deleted or ignored for later. Blogs can't be deleted and will be there when your reader has time for it.
#3- You can always fix your mistakes. We've all been there. We have all sent out a newsletter with an embarrassing mistake in it. Blogs can be fixed after you hit publish. No matter how hard you pray, you can't get a newsletter back.
#4- Search Engine Optimization. With the right set of keywords your blog can help search engines find your main website.
#5- Branding. What better place to share what your company is all about and what it has been doing, and setting itself a part, than on your blog.
#6- Customer Service. This is sadly the most overlooked key component of blogs. You can address all manner of customer issues on your blog, and you can spin the issues your way. Be direct, be honest, and be there for your customers. Reply to ongoing issues! Share positive experiences! Talk to your customers!
#7- Expertise. Don't confuse expertise with marketing or advertising. Your blog is the perfect place to share your expertise in your field. Set yourself apart as a leader. Talk about what other companies are doing, and how you would handle those situations. Share your knowledge on the latest trends in your industry.
#8- Viral activity. Register your blog with all of the major bookmarking sites and blog directories. Find new audiences, customers, and readers. A timely, well-written, and interesting blog post can quickly go viral with the assistance of bookmarking sites. A newsletter can also go viral if it is forwarded around enough. But ask yourself when was the last time you really read a forwarded email?
#9- Statistics- Newsletters are limited in the feedback they can give you. You can find out if it was opened, or if the links were clicked, but that is about it. Blog statistics counters and analytics can tell you so much more.
#10- Money, money, money- Blogs can make and save you money if done right. Not only will they bring in new customers if done right (through google, SEO, and viral traffic), but they save costs. Newsletters either require postage, or a paid email blasting service. Blogs are free. Blogs can also host ads either for you, or for paying companies.
That isn't to say there isn't a place left for newsletters in this world. There are still good reasons for newsletters (to share the latest deals for instance). But blogs are better! Stop wasting your time creating your e-zine/newsletter/email blast if you aren't blogging. Put that same energy and time into blogging, and prepare yourself for improved website traffic, better customer relationships, and more confidence knowing whether or not anyone really read your blog.
Erin Ann McBride is the Director of Social Media Strategies for an international online retailer. When not staring at her blackberry or laptop, she can be found volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, attending a Real Salt Lake game, or hiking. She entertains herself on Twitter @erinannie.
