Want To Join the Bandwagon? Be Sure It Has Wheels!

Here are two to-the-point questions recently posed by several association magazine publishers: "When is it time to launch an electronic newsletter?" and "Just because everyone's doing it, does that make it right for us?"

These are just the types of questions that should be asked by associations and businesses seeking to maximize contact with members, prospects or current customers. The trick is to generate the processes that will allow you to arrive at the right answer for your circumstance.

Take an association that currently publishes two magazines and a quarterly print newsletter. The organization has laid the groundwork (surveys and polls) to ascertain that the information that needs to get into members' hands is getting there through these means (on top of use of an up-to-date website). In this case, an e-newsletter may not be the smart move. Would its content be all that different from what already appears in the print publications? What advantages would the electronic distribution channel offer (more timely stories, smaller production staff) that meet a specific need in terms of information distribution?

For companies that advertise in the Sunday newspaper or on television, the question is whether a direct channel to their most valued customers necessarily generates higher sales or more loyalty. Is the technology appropriate for the audience these companies want to reach (i.e., the ones familiar with computers and e-mail)? And would the ROI merit executing the project in-house or outsourcing to a custom publisher?

A newsletter, regardless of its format, is a potent tool in the marketing arsenal. But there must be an underlying, compelling rationale for undertaking such an endeavor ? a reason for the newsletter to exist as it supports the organization's overall mission.

For the previously described association, until a case could be made that a newsletter would offer information of a different or new nature to members in a timely manner (how to improve business practices, recent court cases that could affect the industry) there is no need to jump on the bandwagon. For a consulting firm seeking to demonstrate thought leadership without making a direct sales pitch, however, a newsletter fits the bill quite nicely. Either way, the key is to have the purpose, goal and role of the e-newsletter firmly established before plans to move forward on the project begin.

Chris Scott heads Hodge Media Group, the custom publishing arm of Hodge Communications, Inc. Hodge specializes in strategic public relations and marketing communications for businesses, entrepreneurs and professional associations. Formerly an award-winning journalist, he brings over 20 years of experience to client engagements. Subscribe today to ommunic@te! our free bimonthly e- newsletter and get a free special report: "Using Buzz To Create a Groundswell For Your Business."

Visit http://www.hodgecommunications.com

---

Managers: Heres a PR Template for You

Let's start out with a caution for business, non-profit and... Read More

Lets Blow The Lid Off Public Relations

And show it for what it is - a humdinger... Read More

What Many PR Users Ignore

Simply that the behaviors of their most important outside audiences... Read More

How to Generate Free Publicity for Your Product, Service, or Cause

One of the most misunderstood and most underutilized promotional tools... Read More

Managers Who Leave PR to Others

You're a business, non-profit or association manager who needs to... Read More

Smashing the Myth of the Press Release

A musician spends years honing his craft. He writes world-class... Read More

How to Get More Mileage Out of Your Media Coverage

Maybe it played for Kevin Costner in "Field of Dreams,"... Read More

Managers and PR Genius

The real public relations geniuses might be managers. You know,... Read More

Publicity - Tips on Dealing With the Media

You thought of it, you researched it, you wrote it.... Read More

Doubt PRs Clout? Dont!

Done right, it helps modify the behaviors of your most... Read More

Financial Planners, Want Free Marketing and Publicity? The Key is Understanding the Media

The media need you. Need the information and expertise you... Read More

Levines Laws For Pitching With Panache

Excerpted from "Selling Goodness- The Guerrilla PR Guide To Promoting... Read More

Watch Your Attitude

So many restaurants spend money on publicity and then practically... Read More

The MOST Powerful Marketing and Advertising on the Planet!

It sounds too simple to be true, but it really... Read More

10 Tips to Give Your Press Release The Edge It Needs to Make the News

Writing a press (or media) release is quite an art... Read More

Community Based Marketing Strategies

As small businesses we have an opportunity and an obligation... Read More

Financial Planners Publicity - Dont Wait, Media Folks Want Your Free Publicity

Looking to get your name into a magazine? You need... Read More

Managers, Which PR Is Right For You?

An effort built around a string of print and broadcast... Read More

Is The Traditional Press Review Still A Business Tool Of The Future?

Press reviews are a common and basic feature for surveying... Read More

For Financial Planners, Marketing and Publicity Is About You

For financial planners, getting publicity, in the end, isn't about... Read More

Public Relations

The wind of changes...The digital world has changed the form... Read More

Cross Cultural Communication & PR

The Public Relations (PR) industry is responsible for creating and... Read More

Media Training: Exposing Reporter Tricks -- Three Tactics Designed to Get You

A reporter's job is to get the most accurate and... Read More

Financial Planners, Make Sure Reporters Comprehend Your Topic

Don't assume that a reporter understands financial planning. If anything,... Read More

Advertising Is Dead. Long Live PR

Although I still believe there is a place for advertising... Read More

When Tactics Are Not Enough

Your public relations people are busy. The buzz is all... Read More

A Well-Oiled Strategy Machine

Yes, that's what public relations really is when it tracks... Read More

Make Your PR Budget Work Harder

Do it by restructuring your business, non-profit or association public... Read More

Forget The Story Youre Promoting ? Heres What Journalists Really Want From PR People

Although it seems less common these days, there are still... Read More

Managers Need Basic PR

True, because department, division or subsidiary managers for a business,... Read More

Public Relations Primer, Part II: Five Dos

1) Package your story. Two critical elements will help you... Read More

There Is No Such Thing as Competition

A wise friend of mine has often said, "There is... Read More

PR: Advice You Didnt Ask For

Although, as a business, non-profit or association manager, you may... Read More