By Remy Raitt

Why are newsletters invaluable?

“Sending your promotions, latest trends or news about your product via email to a subscriber base, ensures that they are receiving the information that they want about your product directly in their inbox,” Romano says. “And most importantly, research that we have done has shown that 54% of South Africans that are online, have made a purchase as a result of something they have seen in an email. So email directly links back to revenue growth.”

Mike Jones, a strategist at NATIVE VML agrees. He says traditional post is outdated and wasteful, but email “is highly measurable and utilised by a wide range of users”. 

Newsletters vs. social media

Some people argue that social media can replace the function of an emailed newsletter. But our experts don’t fully agree.

Jones says; “Social media might lead to more traffic but the quality of that traffic should be questioned. Email newsletters can be more personal and direct.” He says the most effective strategy is to include both in your media mix. Romano agrees that they have a “symbiotic relationship”. “Email helps to generate business and encourages repeat business, social media creates brand awareness,” she says.

Big benefits

And the benefits of sending out newsletters are abundant. Jones says newsletters drive traffic and help indicate article content, which gets people to where they want to go faster, so more time on the site, more engagement or potential for conversation is created.

Romano says inserting a UTM tracking code into your newsletters will allow you to track how many people visit your site as a direct result of the newsletter. And from a marketing point of view, Romano’s colleague, Everlytic clients services manager, Jodine Landman says newsletters help create needs readers don’t necessarily know they have yet. “It keeps top of mind brand awareness and in return sends traffic to your site,” she says.

But businesses aren’t the only ones benefitting. Jones says that if it’s valuable and intuitive content, not spam, then the benefits are clear.

Do not spam your readers

The frequency you send out newsletters is totally dependent on your business objectives. But Romano says it’s important to not spam your readers. “Your IP address will be blacklisted with the service providers, and you will not get into the inbox,” she says. “More importantly you will damage your reputation with your subscribers, and that will not be as easy to repair.”

She also says it’s important to get explicit consent from readers for you to send them newsletters. “Keep up to date with your lists and ensure that unsubscribed people are noted and removed from receiving future newsletters but you should still keep the list, so you know who has unsubscribed in the past.”

The jury is out, newsletters are an invaluable source and both Everlytic and NATIVE VML agree that failing to send them could jeopardise your relationship with your customers. “Email is here to stay and is becoming more valuable each year,” says Romano. “If you can get into the inbox, then half the battle is won.”

What are your thoughts?
Do you agree that brands should be emailing newsletters? Tell us below.