Should the Print Newsletter Die - And Let Ezines Takeover?

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."  Mark Twain said that back in 1897.

Print newsletters have been saying it for the past ten years.

Why? Because many business owners feel...

1.  With the internet, all they have to do is post content online; everyone will flock to their site to read it. Plus it's FREE!

2. Email is king!  Just send an ezine. It's FREE!

3. Postage keeps going up along with printing costs... but email is FREE!

There's no question about it. Print newsletters should have died a long time ago.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the funeral.  The print newsletter suddenly became Lazarus and a resurrection took place. 

5 Reasons Why Print Newsletters Are Still Around

1.  Printed mail gets delivered - It's never blocked or caught in spam filters. 

2. It is proven that the majority of people prefer to hold, touch and feel what they are reading.

3. Studies show online readers retain much less of what they read compared to those reading printed material. So, if you have an offer with a call to action, wouldn't it be nice if it was remembered for more than 30 seconds?

4.  Print newsletters have more perceived value. Think about it. How many companies are willing to do this? Your customers realize you're spending money to do it.

5.  Print newsletters are sticky. They have great 'hang-time'. People keep print newsletters for further or future reading. Not only are they likely to be read from start to finish, they usually get passed around.

Email Newsletter Marketing Has Major Downsides

(By the way - for the record - I love the internet and I love my email. I can't imagine life without it or remember life before it) 

With that being said, email is NOT the 'be all and end all' of modern marketing.
Yes...email is fast, easy and cheap. But who cares about that if it's not effective?

Here's the ugly truth: The vast majority of email lies unopened and untouched in the dark nothingness of cyberspace. Emails are routinely wiped out by the dozen in one fell swoop with the simple push of the delete key.

Even if your name is recognized, you still risk being deleted. Maybe your email got caught in a large chunk of junk mail. Or... maybe they're just having a bad day.

See, today everyone is bombarded by email overload. Spam accounts for about 90% of it. That means 9 out of every 10 emails in your in box is junk.  Do you REALLY think your ezine is being read?

And, if your newsletter gets read, how much attention do you think it gets? A Nielsen Norman Group Report revealed the typical email newsletter gets 51 seconds of your reader's time. That was four years ago. Today, many say its less than 30 seconds.

So, Which One Should You Do: A Print Newsletter or an Ezine?

Now, I'm not suggesting that you stop your email marketing and newsletters.

You may want to do both. Send an email newsletter on a weekly basis. But, send a monthly print newsletter, too.

There is a gold standard to determine which one is best for you.

Simply ask your clients. Survey them to see which one THEY prefer. After all... isn't it all about what our customer wants?