Jakob Nielsen’s latest Alertbox discusses newsletter usability and the competition for user attention. Nilesen reports that the original findings remain true today: “email newsletters are the best way to maintain customer relationships on the Internet.”

I love newsletters as a marketing tool. Done right, you provide valuable information to readers without annoying them with sales-speak. I try to focus on building relationships and let the chips fall.

One problem with some newsletters is the difficulty in unsubscribing to the newsletter. Keeping readers who don’t want your newsletter is not worth it. It’s a waste of money to email readers who want nothing to do with the newsletter. If they’re gonna delete it, then make it quick and painless to get off your list.
(more…)

When I find my way to a Web site, I may have gotten there through a search engine or through a link from a colleague or Web site. After I’ve scanned the content and fiddled around in the pages, the site may impress me if the information proves valuable.

What do I do then? The possibilities: Bookmark it, Furl it, subscribe to the feed or subscribe to the email newsletter. The action I take depends on how much I need the information and what options the site offers by way of feeds, newsletters and what-have-you.

Let’s say I found the email newsletter link or subscription box. Would I subscribe? It depends on what’s available on the site surrounding the newsletter. I won’t subscribe if respecting my privacy isn’t mentioned. I also won’t subscribe without finding archives to review. The third reason I won’t subscribe is if the site asks for too much information. [ Read more in the May issue of eNJ ]

Here’s a mixed bag entry as these aren’t long enough to warrant their own entries. Marko Mihelcic has a growing list of interviews and asked me to join the list. Thanks, Marko. It’s an honor to be among a pool of talented folks. Maybe he needed a black sheep.

When I read a great article that makes me think of a friend or colleague, I share it. Alas, I can’t share them all as some require free registration. I think the burden of registration outweighs the the opportunity to read the article. That’s the rant in the latest eNewsletter Journal. Also, there’s a new issue of meryl’s notes newsletter.

I’ve been meaning to post this list of book resources for weeks. Finally got off my duff and fixed it up. I would’ve liked to expand the summary, but then I’d never get it posted and these sites deserve visitors.

Someone asked about how to format the newsletter — how much content to put in the newsletter itself, whether it should be a link, some content or all of the content. As you know, in Lockergnome you get the title and a summary. It allows you to quickly decide whether or not you want to read the rest of the article.

Every format has its fans and enemies. I share my take on this topic and leave it to you to decide what works best for you.

A reader asked about increasing survey responses. It’s a challenge. We try to provide you with questions that interest you and keep the survey short and sweet with a prize drawing as an enticement. I wish I could offer every one of you prizes for completing the survey … you know how it goes. [ Read the August issue of eNewsletter Journal ]

Responses haven’t been up to par with the latest . A reader needs help with ensuring high response rates with direct mail marketing. You can submit a question of your own. Hey, who can turn down free advice?

In the latest MarketingProfs column, Feed a starving crowd, a reader asks about educating clients about online sales. Can you help?

Direct marketer Gary Halbert‘s advice is “Look for a crowd of starving people,” which is certainly the biggest and best thing you can do to market your services online. But what if you have a starving crowd who want your services, but for you to provide true business value (i.e., attributable bottom line profit) you need to “educate” your clients that your initial work (Web traffic generation) is only the start, and conversion is the key. No doubt it’s a problem that many people encounter — how do you “educate” your clients about the online sales process in the most effective way?

I’m currently writing a white paper and came across WhitePaperSource thanks to Tara. The site obviously from its name covers white papers and has articles, a newsletter and forums.

Lots of definitions of RSS have floated around, but none quite hit a chord like the one from Bill Flitter of Pheedo.

“RSS is Santa Claus content, delivered to you by the postal carrier, via your own personal remote control ordering system.”

Quote pointed out by Bryan and seen at marketingstudies.net, and originally found at Church of the Customer. Tells ya something about word of mouth, don’t it?

You’ve seen them. It’s hard to miss at some point while you’re surfing the Web. Long Web pages promoting a product or service. Mainly text and maybe with an image here and there along with some bolding and yellow highlights. Why long web pages are better than short ones. Now, I don’t mind scrolling and reading something that’s long when it’s useful.

I understand these “ads” are trying to erase every doubt and question you might have about making the buy. These pages also strategically place a closer at the end and in obvious places in the middle for those who scan the page. Seriously. When I arrive at such a Web page, my eyes glaze over. Most of the time, they’re not good reading. Yet some of these folks pull big bucks.

I asked an expert copywriter about this. He claims they would make bigger bucks if the writing improved and captured our attention longer. Roy Williams shares a few words on the topic. I agree that the higher the price, the more information provided. I’ve been taking a course on this kind of writing, but so far it hasn’t clicked with me. I do not have the ability to sell like my dad and brother. But I thought it would come naturally in writing. So far, nada.

The April issue of eNewsletter Journal looks at fee versus free when it comes to newsletters and ebooks (ereports, whatever you call it).

The March issue barely got noticed since April went out too soon. Mistakes happen. Humans run the newsletter.

An eNewsletter Journal reader asks about templates. If you can help and submit a response, your name goes into a drawing for a pair of Garmin Rino MP3 GPS. You can also ask a question of your own about online marketing, newsletters, and content. Here’s the question.

My new job as a communications manager includes creating a monthly newsletter for distribution to our global business offices and agents. The newsletter will contain graphs, pictures and AutoCad layouts. I need a simple, efficient template that can handle these requirements. How do you choose the right template, and can a newsletter be put on a SharePoint site?