We know that the periodic publishing of newsletters is very important. They increase awareness and keep you in touch with your prospects and customers, they help you build your reputation and of course, improve your search position. The biggest challenge is actually getting the newsletter out. It is certainly a lot of work to publish a newsletter in a timely way. Not only do you have to select and write the articles, you also have to manage the mailing list and decide when and how to send it.
How to Get Content for Your Newsletter – Without Using a Robot
What is the best way to get the content for your newsletter? There are a number of solutions including using your own staff, purchasing articles from freelance writers, and using a managed newsletter publishing service. Here is a review of the pros and cons, including some estimates of how much it could cost you:
Self Publishing Your Newsletter
The benefit of using your own staff, is that they are already on the payroll, and hopefully they know your products. Of course, if they are very busy, this won’t work. If you can find a person who is under utilized, knows how to write, and understands the marketing message – you’re in luck.
Finding the right person in your organization could be challenging. Many employees may be good at their primary job, but not good at writing. Also, they may not understand how content should be written to improve your search position, or even attract the reader’s attention.
There is a definite expense associated with writing content in-house although it may not be as directly visible to you. You may have to hire someone for this specific purpose. In the worst case scenario, you have added another employee (plus benefits) which can cost your company from $30K to 65K/ year. If you can find a person who can write and who is already on the payroll, then consider it can take about 14 to 16 hours to write an article. If you decide to write 2 articles per month, then you will need about 30 hours per month from that person. Given the average cost of an employee the salary cost for this work could be $500 to $1,500 for two articles per month (not including benefits and other “hidden” employee expenses).
Purchasing Newsletter Content
It sounds like an easy solution since you only pay for the article rather than the overhead of a person on your staff. Unfortunately, you need to make an investment with outside people so that they can understand your product line and the benefits your company provides. You will also need to set aside time for oversight and proofreading. Someone needs to define the subjects for the writers and provide guidance for each article before and during the writing process. This is part of the hidden cost of outsourcing your content writing.
Costs for the production of original articles can vary from $50 per article to over $1,000 per article. The price depends on how many words will be contained in the article and how much research time will be required. Finding a writer who knows your marketplace can be more cost effective since they already know the subject matter and the language you speak. Writers often charge by the word, 25 cents to a dollar per word is a common range.You will soon realize that the cost and quality are definitely related.
Managed Newsletter Content and Publishing
A managed service does more than just provide the right content for your newsletter, it also manages your email list, makes sure it gets sent on time each month, and provides reports on the effectiveness of each article. Using a service that provides end-to-end content services, is a great way to maximize the effectiveness of your newsletters. A full service managed marketing program should provide the following:
Review Your Objectives
The managed service reviews your business requirements and objectives for the newsletter. Do you want to improve your search position, do you want to build your reputation, or do you need to increase awareness of your products and services? The service also reviews your targeted email list, and when the newsletter should be published.
Provide Custom Written Articles
The service provides articles that include your targeted keyword and phrases. It also writes interesting articles that explain your product and services, and builds your reputation. This can include articles that promote engagement. Working with a content marketing service removes the need to separately find writers, negotiate their price, and then manage the writing process.
Publish Newsletters on Schedule
Newsletters can be sent to specific targeted groups in your mail list or to everyone. They should be published at a certain time of the day to maximize when your readers are more likely to read the newsletter.
What is the Best Way to Publish Your Email Newsletter?
The best way to publish email newsletters depends on your objectives and the resources you have available. Using your own staff is one way of publishing, or you can use outside writers to help with the content. Using a managed publishing service takes the burden off your staff and provides an easy way to regularly publish your newsletters. No matter how you do it, the result will be worth the effort. It will more than pay for itself in increased sales.