E-zines Vs. Conventional Newsletters

For the purpose of this section, we will clearly define an e-zine and a conventional newsletter. An e-zine is an online newsletter, which is written in text or HTML format and then emailed; in contrast, a conventional newsletter is composed with computers, copied, and then mailed out.

There are many important advantages to using e-zines vs. conventional newsletters. One of the most important advantages is that an e-zine does not require you to stock up on paper and ink. While maintaining a conventional newsletter could easily cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in ink and paper alone each mailing, an e-zine is almost completely cost free.

Another important advantage of e-zines vs. conventional newsletters is that e-zines are not labor intensive. Once you have created the text for your newsletter, all you have to do is fill it into an autoresponder slot or “broadcast” it to your list subscribers. In contrast, with a conventional newsletter, you have to print or copy each individual copy, put it in an envelope, address it, stamp it, and mail it. This can take a considerable amount of time and effort.

Another big advantage of e-zines vs. conventional newsletters is that e-zines can be mailed instantly. Regardless of how many subscribers you have or where in the world they live, you can react them in a matter of seconds, rather than in weeks or even months. This is especially important if you have to contact your subscribers for something time-sensitive, such as a sale.

The last major advantage of e-zines vs. contentional newsletters is that e-zines can automatically track results. For instance, if you use HTML mailings, you can determine how many people looked at each mailing. You can also determine who actually clicked the link in your mailing and went to your site. This makes it considerably easier to test your marketing efforts to make sure that you are targeting the right groups and producing the most wanted results.