Politics, Glossy Words, and Your E-zine: How to score votes and customers

"If the point is sharp and the arrow is swift, it can pierce through the dust, no matter how thick." - Bob Dylan

In the ongoing Bush & Kerry war of words,
both candidates for president of the United States offer
e-mail newsletters. With content to excite supporters, each shares miserable subscription rates. And several other usability* problems.

Hmm. Ever had $300 million to spend over a few months on your promotional campaign? Now, broadcast may cost a ton of money, but how many people change their vote on the basis of a TV commercial? E-mail newsletters offer a direct line to every-day influencers around the country. Naturally. They’re words of a trusted friend.

These gentlemen have millions of subscribers to their e-mail newsletters (2 and 1 reportedly). Yet neither treats them as a power-full strategic resource.

George and John could be doing better. In the battle for inbox attention (the same one you have with media journalists), their erratic publication is baffling. Confusion kills.

Moreover, the newsletters’ sender and subject lines don’t tote the line. Who’s not going to open e-mail from Arnold? But what about Ed Gillespie, Todd Cranney or Terry Nelson? (Who?) Just using various sender names keeps Bush’s e-zine unrecognizable. Does Kerry’s sender’s name (Mary Beth Cahill) stand out in your crowded inbox? Bottom line, unless your newsletter is written by a famous personality (a great idea), keep the “from line” standardized.

How do these subject lines grab you? “Tonight.” “Don’t stop now,” and “Deadline almost here.” I know you’re not using these! John Kerry does. (Pass the spam.) Bush fared a little better. But not much with “Kerry’s Flip Flop Olympics,” and “Brace Yourselves”.

The newsletter pair expends significant word count haunting readers to volunteer and donate money. A political campaign payoff to be sure. And repeated requests can be daunting. Kerry risked donor fatigue and unsubscribes by sending out two fundraising emails in a single day (August 31).

Tia’s tact: Sending an e-zine (or writing one for your clients) is an excellent way to build your brand and expand your success.

Think: What people need – and what really works – is to win your customers’ trust and loyalty.

You can do this by:

1. Flaunting your passionate intensity. Being opinionated. Your readers want more than just "content" or facts. They want leadership.
   
2. Being personal and intimate. Telling stories one-on-one. Just like you would if you were talking to a friend.
   
3. Reeking of authority and credibility. And naturally the more you write, the more you will.
   
4. Feeling real to your reader. Experts include personal details – good and bad.
   
5. Realiability and consistency. Your reader gives you her trust with each e-mail double-click opening. Don’t be sporadic with your timed delivery. Or erratic in your content POV.
   
6. Expressing rich density. Feed your audience’s complexity.
   
7. Immediacy. What’s new, what’s possible, what’s now? Not just news… new news.
   
8. Saying it better than anyone else. (A copywriter can help with this.)

In a world where cities, wars, CEOs, politicians and highways are branded (emoting + evoking certain emotions by a product's behaviours), you need to think about yourself and your clients in the same terms. So build and nurture your brand. An e-zine is a simple step. Leading you along one clear path to success.

In 1996, Clinton heeded usability criticism. Dole did not. Let me know how it grows.

Want to know where e-zine readers come from? Go to tiadobi.com and email Tia with this in the subject line: How can I beef up my e-zine list?

* 127 design guidelines for subscription interfaces, newsletter content and account maintenance based on user research (Cooking.com, The Economist, Entertainment Weekly, Handspring and MSNBC are among 10 more closely scrutinized e-mail newsletters. 111 total.)