Part 1: Newsletters and the value of a customer's inbox

Howdy, Jason. How did you get into the Internet marketing strategy field coming from a background in art and politics?
First, Meryl, I want to thank iBiz for this opportunity. I think all of the publications put out by the Internet Business Forum are top-notch and I am really pleased to be included in one of them.

In answer to your questions, I think the three fields are much more related than people generally think. Marketing requires a lot of creativity and persistence. In addition, a well-designed marketing campaign is very similar to a political campaign. In both, I've found success comes by focusing on three things: a strategy built around manageable short-term goals, aggressive outreach to the media and identifying and building relationships with influential people.

Does a website's success depend on its ability to be visually appealing?
Instead of fixating on graphics, people should focus on how effectively they are providing visitors with an opportunity to leave contact information. Beyond spending too much money on graphics, the biggest mistake people make is to not make any effort to maintain contact with site visitors.

If they visit your site once, you have to do everything you possibly can to give them a reason to let you stay in touch with them. That's why newsletters are so powerfully effective. You put an opt-in box on your site announcing you have a free newsletter and that provides an incentive for people to leave their email so you can continue marketing to them.

In talking about newsletters, email newsletters have little or no visuals unless in HTML format. How do you apply your art expertise into the newsletter environment?
First, I believe my creative 'artistic expertise' is a constant part of every InternetVIZ campaign. It requires creativity to work with a client and see a new solution to a marketing problem. It requires creativity to design the overall newsletter campaign and then implement it effectively with every issue.

So, I think that being creative is just a part of who I am and is, from my perspective, absolutely integral to everything that happens with InternetVIZ and myself.

Second, we encourage people, especially in the B2B market, to send their newsletters out in an HTML format. We refer to newsletters as 'portable websites,' and InternetVIZ produced newsletters tend to look very much like a company's website, navigation links and all. The reason for this is simple, people are time-constrained and hard-pressed to remember URLs. When they do spend time online, they are hunting for something specific.

Contrast that with email. Most people check their email routinely. And when they do, they often scan or read nearly every message they get. It would be hard to stop them, especially when they receive emails that they requested from companies they trust. Internet newsletters enable companies to earn a place in their customers' inboxes much more easily than they can stake their claims in cyberspace and at a lower cost.

From the customers' standpoint, Internet newsletters make the company's home page obsolete. The only home pages these customers know are the ones that routinely appear in their personal inboxes. In effect, companies have used opt-in email to change the venue in which they are competing. In doing so, they have gone from fighting for attention online to enjoying predictable mindshare through newsletters and email campaigns.

If a company wants to create a newsletter, what are the top five things that need to be considered before going "live?"
The first thing to consider is whether you have the resources to do it in-house or if outsourcing is a better option. There are pros and cons to both sides. People tend to forget that the individuals who become responsible for newsletter projects are managers who not only have a lot on their plate but also have a high hourly wage.

After the company has reached a verdict on the business problem solved, the overall newsletter context needs to be developed. At this stage, you start thinking about the business problem from the customer's viewpoint and how to best solve their pain. Providing an overall context also enables the readers to have a better grasp of the company's perspective as soon as they open the newsletter.

Once the context is decided upon, the newsletter should be split into different views. These views help to guide the reader through the context and give him reference points. Each of these views should address the business problem solved in some way, and should be focused on providing value to the reader.

At this point the newsletter is constructed and now needs to be populated with content. It's funny because a lot of companies will skimp on this last part. They will go to a lot of trouble to develop the framework for communicating with prospects and customers and will then turn the task of writing content over to an intern. It doesn't really make much sense to me, but that's the way it is.

What is the most important aspect in making a newsletter successful?
People open their inbox with three thoughts in mind: Which emails should I open immediately? These come from sources they know or trust. Which emails should I save and read later? These come from sources they know but, for one reason or another, lack urgency. And which emails should I delete without opening? These are from sources such as spammers, obnoxious friends who can't help but send you every joke they come across, or companies that you once dealt with and now can't get off their mailing lists.

Newsletters that are placed in the first and second categories are filled with information that is relevant, useful and informative to the audience. They either focus on the business problem a company solves or how the business solution makes people's lives better. If the company sells to accountants, then the newsletter should be populated with information accountants would be interested in.

It comes down to this; newsletters that are successful are focused on the customer and not the company. By focusing on the customer, the company ensures that the customer will open, read, internalize and even pass on to friends the company's message.

Continued...