What Is A 'For-Profit' Newsletter?
Non-profit newsletters are relatively easy to recognize as such and are usually provided
as a service to members of a group with a common interest. The term 'FOR-profit', on the
other hand, can easily be misunderstood, in relation to newsletters. For example, a
non-profit organization might publish a newsletter that generates cost-covering revenue by
means of advertising sales. Does this make it a 'for-profit' newsletter? What about a
newsletter that is essentially an information sheet but is put out by a commercial
organization? For the purposes of this article, it is the nature of the principal
organization that differentiates one from the other. All newsletters should be
information providers but one deemed to be 'for profit' is one that is published in support
of a commercial concern's sales or marketing
objectives.
On Target
As with non-profit newsletters, the first consideration should be the potential readers: your
target market. Profiling them might be a little more difficult than with a truly
homogeneous group such as a club's membership but it is still possible to ascertain the most
important characteristics they have in common and form a picture accordingly. Once you have
done that it is simply a matter of empathizing with them. What are their needs? More
importantly, what are their wants? What topics would they be bound to find, at least, of
passing interest? What topics would they find absolutely riveting?
What NOT To Do
As a fictitious example, let's consider how the average marketer might use a newsletter
to support efforts to promote a baby food called Yummy. First off, they would probably call
it Yummy News, Yummy Quarterly or something similar in the belief that what they need to
promote, above all else, is name recognition. Then they would fill it with information about
the latest flavors, statistical information about nutritional benefits (perhaps with
comparison charts showing how much better Yummy is than competing products), a photograph of
the company president or the brand new Yummy factory, a picture of a scientist holding up a
test-tube with a caption explaining how Yummy is the result of rigorous scientific research,
a favorite marketing activity such as a special introductory offer or a competition where
the prize is a year's supply of Yummy, maybe a photograph of the winner of the competition
that featured in the previous edition etc. Does this sound familiar? It should—because it
describes the average marketing newsletter.
And, for that reason, you might well ask: "Well, what's wrong with it?".
A Typical Scenario
We've all seen newsletters like this so it's a valid question. One of the things that is
wrong with it is that it probably won't last beyond a second or third edition. Eventually,
funds are going to be needed for some other project and nobody is going to be able to make a
strong enough case for its continuation. Everyone might agree that it looks great and they
are really proud of it as a company 'flagship', but, after all, it's really just a PR
exercise and they would all agree that PR can be a major drain on the marketing budget. It
might have graphics designed by a leader in the field. Maybe it's printed on glossy paper
with lots of colorful photos. But, if it's not seen as a major contributor to successful
market penetration it will probably not survive. Disillusion about the role of newsletters
in marketing often follows, leading to the abandonment of any future newsletter
projects. At this point, management has come to the conclusion that 'newsletters don't
work'.
Newsletters That Work
The main thing wrong is that there is no empathy
with the target market (see 'On Target' above), which in this case is mothers.
- What are their needs? The brief answer, of course, is help and advice on
bringing up healthy babies. Especially sought after is expert advice on what problems
they might face and how to overcome them.
- What are their wants? They want to know how to get their figures back! They
want to be beautiful again! Then they want to know how to stay that way in spite of
motherhood! They want to know how to slow the aging process...
- What topics would they find interesting? Look at the answers to question 1. and
add keeping house, managing the family budget, family health . . .
- What topics would they find riveting? Look at the answers to question 2. but
add absolutely anything to do with babies!
Follow this formula for suitable content for your commercial newsletter and, not only
will it get read assiduously once they realize what's inside, but the next issue be awaited with eager anticipation! So how do you let
them know what's inside? Obviously you need to get them to pick it up and open it! Think
back to the topics they find riveting—meaning topics that they, the target readership,
feel compelled to read—and include a key word or phrase from the prime topic in the title.
Mother and Baby, Baby News, Mommy...
Putting The News Into Newsletter
You might, despite fully understanding the reasoning and psychology involved in this
method, be wondering if there is any point to this newsletter though, since there seems to
be no mention of the principal organization. That is where the news portion of the
newsletter belongs. Suitable eye-catching headlines,
such as you would see in a newspaper, followed by the latest company news, can have a
tremendous marketing impact (Breakthrough in Infant Nutrition!, Yummy #1 for 3rd Year
Running, etc).
Other Considerations
Include ongoing features, if you possibly can, such as serializations etc. They make the
reader want to keep coming back for more. Personalize wherever you can and try to include
some item(s) featuring satisfied customers, individuals who have benefited from other
company activities (such as charity work), etc. Include fun stuff such as puzzles, quizzes,
cartoons, jokes and similar material. Scatter fillers, such as suitable and/or inspiring
quotations throughout the newsletter to add variety. Lastly, have some kind of interactive,
or feedback, facility, such as a 'Letters to the Editor' feature. This can be
invaluable, not only as a way of involving the readers, which builds loyalty, but as a way
of gauging whether your efforts are properly 'on track'.
© 2000 Mike Alexander (Revised 2003)
(The previous article in this series covered 'non-profit'
newsletters.)
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Mike Alexander is the creator and owner of '101 Newsletter Answers', the 'How-To'
place where the focus is on 'Power Communicating' with newsletters. http://www.101newsletteranswers.com
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