Many years ago, people could check their inboxes and not be concerned with the constant parade of spam and irrelevant advertisements that have since become so commonplace. For many people, being connected voluntarily with businesses, brands, and charities allowed them to glean important information about upcoming events, sales, and other relevant news items. In particular, the prevalence of newsletters was substantial, as it was an easy way for people and brands to absorb and distribute information.
As the internet became more competitive and flooded with unsolicited emails and advertising, newsletters faded from popularity. In many respects, platforms such as social media helped replace this once-vital component of brand outreach and marketing - but much like podcasts, newsletters are once again making a comeback.
As a result, let's dive into the reasons why newsletters are becoming trendy again and why they can produce benefits for virtually any brand or business.
More People Are Reading Their Emails
Newsletter popularity is on the rise for several reasons, but perhaps the most important reason behind this trend is due to more people reading more of their emails - and reading them more regularly. Fifteen years ago, most people did not have access to their email while on-the-go; while some people were fortunate enough to own Blackberry smartphones and other mobile devices, most people only checked their email when they were at home or in front of a desktop computer. By following the link to SendinBlue's blog, you can find out how to create an effective newsletter.
With virtually every mobile device on the face of the planet now offering seamless email integration, the average person is checking their emails much more often. Rather than checking their emails once or twice per day, most people report checking their emails anywhere from four to six times per day. The end result is that each email received is more likely to be seen - and opened - shortly after it is received. Since end-users are now engaging with their inboxes more than ever, brands have added incentive to build newsletter mailing lists and distribute regular updates as a result.
Improved Tech is Leading to Better Quality
As computers and mobile devices, in particular, have become more powerful, the media that can be enjoyed on them has improved as well. It wasn't that long ago that most newsletters and other forms of email marketing were subject to basic formatting: not exactly the most eye-grabbing or motivational of content offerings. However, with the rise of mobile computing power, virtually any brand can produce aesthetically pleasing, content-rich newsletter solutions via dynamic email designs that audiences will find appealing.
Not only can newsletters be improved from a sheer visual or aesthetics standpoint, but fully integrating rich multimedia elements such as video embeds and podcasts is now fully possible, too. In many respects, newsletters can be made to resemble web pages - which substantially improves the marketing value of each newsletter and helps convince more recipients to engage in-depth with each newsletter sent to them.
Info Supersaturation is Making Newsletters Appealing
Twenty years ago, feeling overwhelmed by the contents of the internet wasn't easily or commonly experienced. As more people become integrated with one another via the internet and more brands compete for its precious real estate, its users are being saturated with more information and marketing than ever. This may sound like a good development, but it has many notable down-sides.
One of the primary reasons why newsletters are becoming more popular once again is due to a desire for information simplification. For example, many news websites offer daily roundups of the most important stories and deliver them straight to users' inboxes. By simplifying the information process for audiences, many brands are finding that there is an inherent desire for newsletters once again. By taking advantage of this natural desire, savvy businesses and brands are reaping substantial rewards.
Attention Spans Are Getting Shorter
As mentioned above, the sheer pummeling of users with information has led to a desire for simplification. While users may want to filter out the noise in terms of the sheer volume of news, promotions, and information they're being presented with, many are also dealing with this dynamic in another way: by developing shorter attention spans.
The end result is that newsletters can be a great way to summarize specific events, news items, offerings and other forms of information while still providing users with everything they need to know. Not only can newsletters streamline what users see with regard to each particular topic or event, but they can simplify the process even further by providing brief descriptions of each news item rather than an extended summary.
Newsletters have definitely seen a resurgence - and with good reason. Due to the shortening of attention spans, the bombardment of users with excessive information, the prevalence of better technology allowing richer email experiences and an increasing reliance on email, brands can benefit immensely by re-adopting this age-old tactic and using it to promote their products, services, events, and offerings.
