Newsletters Provide Cost-Effective,
Direct Means to Communicate Organization’s Message

Newsletters are emerging as today’s most cost-effective and direct method to communicate an organization’s message to specific targeted audiences.

They vary in format, frequency, size, and distribution, depending on organizational goals and the audience, but all successful newsletters have two things in common: they are directed toward specific publics and designed to achieve measurable objectives.

Who are your publics? And what are you trying to achieve? These two factors will have the greatest role in determining what type of newsletter will work for you. Here are just a few examples:

Professional service organizations that once went out of their way to avoid any hint of sales or marketing have found that they must market aggressively today just to be competitive. A high quality client newsletter provides an effective way for service organizations to develop the firm’s professional image, build relationships with clients that lead to increased business, solicit referrals, and showcase the firm’s depth of expertise
and range of services.

For example, a newsletter created for one of our accounting firm clients contributed to a significant increase in client perception of the firm’s full service capability, as measured in client surveys. Another publication developed with an international consulting firm nearly a decade ago and published regularly has helped the firm gain recognition for its position of leadership serving the needs of retailing industries worldwide.

The value of a client newsletter can be extended by distributing it to other audiences—client prospects, for example. In addition, client newsletters can add a dimension to relationships with suppliers, business contacts, and other vital referral sources.

Companies of all sizes rely on employee newsletters to generate corporate pride, reinforce the corporate philosophy, build cohesive work teams, acknowledge employee achievements and success, emphasize quality and safety concerns, highlight company benefits, promote events, and communicate goals and objectives. When done well, these newsletters keep management in touch with employees and avoid development of a "we/they" mentality that may erode quality and performance.

Once communication vehicles that only the largest corporations could afford, technology has now made these newsletters practical for small business.

Customer/industry newsletters help to increase a firm’s sales and profitability in very competitive markets by making quality products, services and capabilities stand out from the crowd. A well-targeted newsletter provides a forum for pertinent commentary on industry issues, features new products or services, stimulates add-on sales, helps bridge the gap between initial contact with new customers and closure, builds on the customer base, establishes expertise, and reports industry news.

The key to success in a customer newsletter is to draw on company expertise to offer customers information they want to know; for example, fashion tips from a ladies’ dress shop, setup tips for machine tool operators, planting advice from a garden center, home decor trends from an interior designer. Properly done, customer newsletters promote specific business expertise and increase sales by developing customer loyalty and suggesting, discreetly, reasons for increased patronage.

Manufacturers who distribute their product lines through dealers and distributors may use newsletters to promote cooperation and communication among dealers and between dealers and the manufacturer. With a focus on enhancing dealer businesses, the manufacturer may provide sales and marketing tips, share successes of individual dealers, offer product information, suggest new or unique product applications that enhance dealers’ knowledge of the product line, provide updates on industry events or news, and feature expert business advice from internal and external experts.

America is a nation of associations, and newsletters are the lifeblood of any association. It is hard to imagine how an association could exist without a newsletter. And yet many association newsletters lack the vim and creativity that will keep members involved.

Professional associations and other membership organizations may use newsletters to develop and reinforce a sense of belonging to the group, communicate organizational news, promote new programs or membership activities, encourage membership referrals, and stimulate greater participation.