Pros and Cons of Newsletters

Newsletters are a great way for websites to provide current and relevant information to their members and visitors. Quality newsletters take substantial effort and research, which can be time consuming. However, these business owners are well rewarded with satisfied, returning customers who then refer others to their product or service.

Unfortunately, there are also very poor quality newsletters out there that do nothing but discourage a return visit. Signing up (or not) to receive the latest information on a particular topic, results in e-mails loaded with a pot-pourri of quotes, jokes of the day, did you knows and a bombardment of advertising.

These annoying letters are thrown together with a little of “this and that” and sent out too frequently making consumers feel more like they are receiving spam than anything else. To make matters worse, trying to remove yourself from their mailing list is like jumping through hoops. Letters such as this, intended to “keep the customers coming” seems to have the complete opposite affect. Consumers question the credibility of the company and go elsewhere.

Some companies provide excellent information and should be commended for their efforts. For example, one newsletter we receive regularly and will continue to subscribe to is WebProNews. They provide up to date, relevant information on our topics of interest and great articles.

Bottom line. If you’re going to provide your customers with a newsletter, better make it a good one.