While surfing the Net is becoming a national pastime, studies indicate that the average Internet user only returns to 5 to 10 Web sites. So how do you get them to return to yours? By providing valuable content, preferably content which is growing and changing. But people need reminding. One of the best ways is via e-mail using mailing list software.
Mailing List Functions
Mailing list management programs (sometimes called "listservs" after the granddaddy of this type of program) automate subscriptions and unsubscriptions, as well as the process of mailing to each of the subscribers. Mailing list software has major uses:
Newsletters - In the typical public newsletter, anyone
may subscribe freely, though only the moderator or list owner
sends mailings to people on the list. In a private newsletter,
the moderator controls both subscriptions and mailings.
(We'll come back to newsletters in a moment.)
Discussion groups - These are discussions carried on
via e-mail, in which each person's e-mailed comments are echoed
to every other subscriber. In moderated lists, the moderator filters
out all the annoying "unsubscribe me" requests, and
only passes on the more important, on-track contributions. To
keep the number of daily messages from the list under control,
it is often wise to subscribe to a digest version of the discussion
which may be sent once per day.
Discussion Groups
Discussion groups can be powerful, with great potential for education and community building. Some manufacturers set up a "user group" of people who are familiar with their products. Company representatives, as well as more experienced laymen, share information with the less experienced. Groups can build customer loyalty and provide significant customer support. In addition, the individual or company which sponsors or moderates the discussion can build an excellent reputation -- and significant business -- from discussion group members, who often number in the thousands.
Types of Newsletters
In addition to hosting discussion group, companies use mailing lists to power e-mail newsletters which:
Remind former visitors with brief information about
new articles, products, and features on their Web site. (Examples:
C|Net, Ziff-Davis, TechWeb, etc.)
Inform with a regular newsletter containing helpful
content along with information about one's business. Often such
newsletters are also archived on a Web site, creating an increasingly
valuable information resource. (Examples: Web Marketing Today,
Web Digest for Marketers)
Enhance a reputation through occasional articles of
interest. A weekly or monthly publishing cycle is not crucial.
Nurture potential customers during the gestation period
until they are ready to purchase or sign a contract.
Support existing customers with on-going information.
Solicit paid subscriptions for newsletters with proprietary
information not readily available elsewhere.
Earn revenue from paid sponsors of the newsletter.
Obtaining Subscribers
One of the best ways to obtain subscribers is to ask visitors to sign up when they first enter your Web site. Offer incentives to "register". Then, in the registration form ask if they would like to receive updated information, notice of new articles or products, etc. I make it easy for a visitor to receive a "free subscription" to Web Marketing Today by placing her e-mail address in a box and pressing the "subscribe me" button. Perhaps one third of the visitors to my site subscribe to WMT. What a great way to conserve and nurture prospects!
But be very careful. Don't contribute to the glut of unwanted e-mail. And don't add someone's name to your mailing list without out his or her explicit permission -- even if you graciously offer to unsubscribe them. People will resent it!
Pros and Cons
When you compare the cost of distributing information via e-mail vs. printed fliers and postage, e-mail wins hands down.
Content, however, is of prime importance. If you offer information people value, your newsletter will gain subscribers. (Hopefully, you won't get the note I did last week: "Please unsubscribe me. This wasn't as good as I thought.") I look at the time researching and preparing for my newsletter as marketing time needed to spend to maintain and develop my business. If you have some writing skills, a newsletter may be a natural for you. But don't wait until you have time to publish a regular periodical. An irregular publication can be just as valuable -- so long as you send it out often enough so your potential customers keep you in mind.
Are there limitations? Of course. An e-mail newsletter excels in sending information in words, not graphics. And you'll have to do some list maintenance. E-mail addresses are always becoming obsolete, and mailing list software doesn't automatically unsubscribe such addresses. People constantly e-mail you to unsubscribe them manually. Last week for a mailing list of 8,500, I had to manually subscribe and unsubscribe about 160 individuals. While it isn't necessary that often, I do it nearly every issue to conserve bandwidth and my ISPs limited resources.
Getting Started
Ask your ISP how much he would charge for set-up and monthly
charges for a majordomo mailing list.
Brainstorm with staff and colleagues concerning how you can offer a value-added
newsletter to your customers and potential customers.
Set up a method by which Web site visitors can subscribe.
Tell people how to subscribe (and unsubscribe) in every issue.
Create an archive of past issues on your Web site. It makes
your Web site increasingly valuable.
Are e-mail newsletters effective business builders? I constantly have calls which begin, "I am one of your subscribers, and our business is thinking about having Web pages...." A content-rich "passive" Web site, coupled with a content-rich "active" e-mail newsletter or reminder can be a dynamite marketing combination.
There are three widely-used mailing list programs, discussed in greater detail in my aging article "Software Needed for E-Mail Conferencing". The most popular is Majordomo by Brent Chapman, which is freeware. It is supported by a discussion group, an on-line manual and FAQ, and is made available by most Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The cadillac commercial program is LSoft's Listserv, used widely in educational institutions. Another high quality program is Listproc, available in both freeware and commercial versions.
To use a mailing list program you'll need to go through your ISP, since setting up the program requires access to protected directories and files. After the list has been configured, you can administer it remotely with your mailing list password via e-mail. ISPs may charge $10 to $30 per month to host a mailing list, and perhaps more. The larger the list, the more computer resources it uses. Majordomo, for example, works in the background on your ISPs computer, contacting individually each of the list subscribers' ISPs, verifying the addresses, and sending the messages. For a list in the thousands, this process can take more than 24 hours per mailing.
Mailing List Functions 
