3 Alternatives to Email Newsletters

You should absolutely be using email for your career.

That being said, I’m not really a fan of personal email newsletters! They’re hard to do well. Consider the offline snail-mail equivalent. Would you be more likely to open/read/accept an invitation that was a mass-printed brochure or a personal hand-written note? It’s subjective, but I think the personal hand-written note will always win.

For personal brands (such as actors, singers, choreographers, conductors, etc.), I believe that personal emails are always going to be better than personalized email marketing! While social media is highly effective, it’s not always seen by the entire audience you’ve gathered. Email has a more promising reach. People rarely change their address and are always checking their inbox.

And while it saves you time to send out one mass message, it reads as marketing to the hundreds or thousands of individual recipients. Many people don’t even open email newsletters! They may be filtered to folders, junk, or go into the trash right away.

Today, I want to campaign that you (re)consider how you’re using email for your career. If email marketing/newsletters are working for you (as in getting responses from the VIPs on your list and/or creating offline results), keep on doing what you’re doing. Otherwise, I’d like to propose three alternatives to the email newsletter.

Newsletter Alternative #1 = Email @ Your Name

Your email address is a part of your brand. Having email set up at your domain helps remind people of the website you’ve spent so much time, energy, and money creating. Audiences are more likely to visit your .com after seeing repeated impressions. Seeing email@yourname.com on a contact sheet may cause a large amount of people to research you before you even walk into the room!

Always keep your website up-to-date and people will know to go there for your latest and greatest! It’s easy for you in interviews and conversations to point people there, too!

📲 Click here to easily set up email@yourname.com.

 

Newsletter Alternative #2 = Custom Email Signature

“Sent from my iPhone” is a lost opportunity. It is literally a headline advertising Apple!

Apple has enough money. If you’ve invested time, energy, and money into your web presence…invite people there! Set yourself up with a simple and professional email signature that serves as a constant invitation to connect with you further. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can literally just be your website address.

Sent via TonyHowell.co

My favorite formula for an email signature? Your favorite emoji and a clickable link.

📲 TonyHowell.co

Just like scrolling on Instagram, Playbill, or The New York Times, the emoji catches your eye. Curiosity compels you to click on the headline.

While you could get fancy and add photos, graphics, or social icons, you run the risk of having “technical difficulties.” The last thing you want is having your headshot attached to every email. It gets annoying—and some email providers don’t show images until authorized.

K.I.S.S. = Keep it simple, sister!

💃 YourName.com

 

Newsletter Alternative #3 = Personal(ized) Emails + Attachments

Collecting VIPs’ email and sending periodic messages should definitely be a part of your marketing plan. However, I believe in context over consistency. Rather than sending out an email newsletter, what if you sent an attachment from your personal email with the details of whatever you’re promoting?

You don’t have to use an attachment, but I’m trying to save you time and money! For example, perhaps you’ve invested in having postcards or posters designed to promote your latest concert? Attach the front of the postcard or your poster (in web size) to a personal and direct email!

While it still reads as marketing, it’s not as aggressive as sending an unsolicited newsletter. You remain my friend who clearly wants me to know about something and share a special moment with you, rather than just another recipient on your email list. Alternatively, send a very personalized group message and list all of your contacts in the BCC field.

The trick here is to keep the email short and personal. If it’s overwhelming with crazy fonts, colors, and heaps of information, your audience is going to get overwhelmed and not want to show up. With an attachment (that’s beautifully designed), you’re making it super easy to know what’s going on because you’re showing me (visually), not just telling me (with lots of text).

If you want (or need) to save some time, create an email template that you copy, paste, and personalize for each recipient. Gmail has something called “canned responses” that you can use to give yourself a customizable template.

If you’re going to use email marketing (such as MailChimp), my advice is to hire a professional to write and design your communications. This is very much like hiring a professional to do your hair, photos, or website. Once everything is set up, you should be able to take their work and “run with it.”

Design is important. Design isn’t just about making things beautiful, it’s making them work beautifully, too! Hopefully this blog helped take away some of the stress of email marketing. Keep it simple and sexy! 

Email Excellence

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Every day you're sending and receiving messages. Email is very personal, yet most people don't think about it—as evidenced by "Sent from my iPhone" on EVERY message. Don’t forsake this powerful pillar of your online presence!

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