e-Magazine vs. e-Newsletter
Rich content keeps customers engaged
Customer e-newsletters have become popular for all kinds of businesses. Unfortunately, e-newsletters often fall short on providing the kind of depth needed to retain customer interest and generate commerce.
Solution: An "e-magazine" that includes rich content and relevant promotions.
The kind of rich content found in e-magazines dramatically increases customer attention span and web traffic—the holy grails of web marketing and advertising programs.
Whereas flat content may hold reader attention for a few seconds, rich content found in e-magazines grabs and retains customer attention for as long as several minutes. That's an eternity in the world of branding.
"Rich" content
Generally, articles within e-newsletters display a photo and text of a story. There are no links that draw readers deeper into the subject or related subjects. Customers are restricted to a single page or subject and must use the "back" arrow or an index sidebar to escape. Such content is considered "flat."
In contrast, an e-magazine is like a river with several streams to explore and a variety of views. Links are embedded within stories, and customers can view other relevant content. It "cross-pollinates" the information on a single subject or multiple subjects. This type content is considered "rich."
As an example, an article about a new car may be linked to an on-line brochure. Or information about washing a vehicle may use embedded links to information about interior care. You may want to link a story about proper car care to promotions for wheel cleaning products.
Search Engine Optimization
Moreover, you can use e-magazines to steer customers to your website through popular search engines such as Yahoo! or Google. The engines use complex search algorithms to determine ranking. When the criteria are met, your web page is ranked higher. The more rich content your e-magazine has, the higher it ranks when potential customers search with related words.
For instance, say a potential customer searches for "Toyota coupons" or new "Nissan, "Auburn." An e-magazine such as Sensible Driver consistently ranks in the Top 10 when potential customers perform searches at Yahoo! or Google.
Here are some of the important differences offered by an e-magazine and why they matter:
- Maximize time customers see your brand. By offering "content within content," customers can click on other articles in a "layered" hierarchy.
- Allow customers to navigate to related content within articles. The "content rich" nature of an e-magazine has links embedded within the article. Customers click from one topic to another related topic.
- Helps improve Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Prospects can find your information easier in search engine sites such as Google and Yahoo. Search engines give high rankings to the kind of heavy content and integrated links found on an e-magazine site. In other words, your e-magazine is search engine friendly.
- Supports web features that draw customer "eyeballs." Items such as animated files offer an effective way to grab attention.
- Make it easier for your customers to do business with you. For instance, information from a coupon can be automatically transferred to a customer order form.
- Supports "subdomains" that make it easy to find your information. For instance, the Sensible Driver program creates subdomains for every dealer who participates in the program. A subdomain such as "maitatoyota.sensibledriver.com" gives your business a unique identifier.
- Future-proofs your investment. Your e-magazine can be enhanced with items such as randomly rotating photos, sales or service order forms and automated e-mail replies. The only limit is your creativity.
