In a prior post, I wrote about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and how it’s applied to build better search results for your website.

SEO is one of the most popular engagements with clients these days, right up there with a host of social media projects. After Facebook, Twitter and the other usual suspects, clients often ask about the value of adding or maintaining eNewsletters as part of their eMarketing social media mix.

The questions run the gamut from how often to publish to why do it at all. The answers, of course, vary from client to client depending on their unique business goals.

Here are a few universal Q&As on eNewsletters and you’re always welcome to contact me for additional insights specific to your business objectives.

Q. Why should I include eNewsletters in my eMarketing and social media mix?
A. There could be any number of reasons. From simply keeping your brand in front of customers and prospects to actually providing high-quality information about your business. Regardless of where your company lies on the spectrum, your eNewsletter should be crafted in a way that drives readers to your website and/or social media outlets. More traffic, more hits, more shared links—only good things can come from that—not the least of which is helping to build your SEO.

Q. Should our eNewsletter contain the entire story or just a “teaser” with a link to the complete story on our website?
A. Other than always trying to drive readers to your website and social media sites, there’s no best answer here. Either method is fine and you might consider testing each to see which works best for your company, and whether the results vary based on content type, for example: information articles vs. product/service offers.

Q. What about using videos?
A. Videos are great, however, brevity is key in any good message. Don’t expect readers/viewers to hang in there if your message gets overly verbose. Remember too that email programs do not generally support video, so readers/viewers should be given a visual cue to get them to watch. Most popular email services (i.e., Constant Contact, MailChimp, etc.) provide features for embedding videos in your eNewsletters and making it easy for readers to view them.

Q. Should we post our eNewsletters on our website?
A. Heck yeah!! You should post every issue on your website and remember to set up links for every issue on every social media outlet your company uses. The idea is to get your eNewsletter in front of as many customers and prospects as possible regardless of how that happens. Don’t worry about overkill. If an email recipient deleted your eNewsletter, also having it available on your website and social media sites gives you multiple opportunities to retouch them. It also exposes your eNewsletter to readers who are not on your email list. It’s a double bonus, so do it!! And you can track the results using your email service’s reporting tool and website tools such as Google Analytics.

Q. How often should we send eNewsletters?
A. The answer here really depends on your business goals and what you’re trying to achieve. For some companies a quarterly issue may work perfectly, while other firms may need to provide weekly updates. You should carefully consider frequency though, as getting it right is critical. You can post and link to each issue as many times, and, in as many locations as you want—but be careful not to over send to your email list—and consider segmenting your email lists if different frequencies are required to meet different business objectives.

Have a marketing question you’d like answered or featured in an upcoming post? Contact me by phone or text 404.513.0804 or email.