Is it the cumulative effect of so many e-newsletters over so many years? Is it the backlog of pent-up e-newsletters that accumulated in my IN box over the holiday break? Is it my guilt for oversubscribing to so many promising e-newsletters, only to not be able to get to them all?
Whatever it is, I am entering 2008 feeling fed up with all the e-newsletters that pass my way. How about you?
It's an odd feeling since I am the one who argues FOR options and choices. The electronics assembly industry (in which Indium Corporation participates) has been criticized, by some, for having too many trade shows. I feel like a bit of a loner when I suggest that choices are good, and that options benefit us all. Yet, I find myself on the opposite end of the discussion when it comes to e-newsletters. I am now beginning to better understand the trade show critics' perspective!
In my industry, each of the numerous e-newsletters overlaps to some degree, and has its own unique area. The overlap causes some trouble as it makes me feel like saying out loud, "Yeah, I've heard this all before, several times! Yesterday!" And, when it is a slow news day/week, many e-newsletters seem to subscribe to the "weight trumps quality" theorem, and include news-fluff to keep themselves looking buff and beefy.
As I consider the B2B Marcom aspect of the seemingly overabundant competition for my time (when it comes to e-newsletters), I wonder how anyone will ultimately succeed with me as a consumer – and how my company (as an advertiser) can continue succeeding at garnering our target market's attention. I come back to the same simple answer that pops up in virtually ALL B2B Marcom exercises:
BE TIMELY, BE ACCURATE, BE UNIQUE,
BE INTERESTING, BE COMPELLING, BE VALUABLE.
Image: screengrab from industry.cx