Because
of their low cost,
attractive full-color
designs and quick
production turnaround
time, online Internet
and Intranet newsletters
have quickly become one
of the fastest growing
segments of company
newsletter publishing.
Whether you're planning
on publishing an
Internet newsletter to
attract new customers or
an Intranet newsletter
to keep employees up to
date on company
happenings, online
newsletters can be a
very effective tool for
your business - if done
properly.
Here
are some tips to make
sure your online
newsletter is
successful:
Use a
multi-column layout.
Lines of text that
stretch from one edge of
the screen to the other
are not only boring to
look at, they're more
difficult to read.
Shorter text lines make
it easier for readers to
keep their place when
following text from the
end of one line to the
start of the next line.
That's why newspapers
and magazines, in both
their printed and online
versions, always break
up a page's text into
multiple columns.
Follow the lead of the
professionals and do the
same with your online
newsletter.
In
the online newsletters
that my company
produces, we prefer to
use a design that breaks
a Web page into two
columns.
Use graphics,
but don't overdo them.
Photos, artwork and
other graphics will make
your newsletter more
eye-catching. However,
these graphics are a
double-edged sword
because the more you
use, the longer it'll
take for your pages to
load on your readers'
browsers.
If a
Web page takes too long
to load, viewers will
get impatient and move
on without reading your
pages. Here are some
ideas for using graphics
effectively:
When deciding
whether to run a
graphic large or
small, go for the
smaller size -
unless there's
important detail in
the graphic that
will be lost when
it's reduced to a
smaller size.
Minimize the
download time of
your graphics by
limiting the
resolution to 72 DPI
(dots per inch).
Most computer
monitors can't
display any higher
than 72 DPI, so
there is no need to
make Web page
graphics with a
resolution that is
any higher. A 300
DPI graphic won't
look any better on a
computer monitor -
it'll just have a
much greater file
size and take much
longer to load on a
browser.
Instead of
over-using graphics,
use fancier text
elements to dress up
your pages. Colored
drop caps (the large
first letter of an
article, like at the
beginning of this
story), pull quotes
(for example, see
the gray box with
purple lettering
farther down in this
article) and
reverses (the "OUR
SERVICES" box in the
left column is a
sample) can all be
done without adding
independent graphics
to your Web page.
These fancier text
elements can all be
programmed into your
Web page without
adding significantly
to the file size.
Before putting
your completed
newsletter online, be
sure to view it in
multiple browsers and
monitors.
Unfortunately, a Web
page will look different
depending on the kind of
browser used. That's why
it's a good idea to
proof your newsletter in
multiple browsers.
Most
Internet surfers use
either Netscape
Navigator or Microsoft
Explorer. These browsers
can be downloaded free
from their company's
respective Web sites, so
be sure to get a copy of
each. Then, proof your
newsletter separately in
each browser.
Your
Web pages may also
appear differently
depending on the user's
computer monitor
settings (VGA vs. SVGA,
256 color vs. true
color, etc.). The
current standard is an
SVGA monitor operating
in true color.
However, if you're
creating an online
employee newsletter and
you know that many
people in your company
have the older, smaller
VGA monitors that
operate in 256-color
mode, you better proof
your online newsletter
with one of those
monitors, too. Chances
are, the newsletter will
look drastically
different.
Increase
readership by submitting
the Web address of each
newsletter issue to the
major search engines for
indexing.
If your goal is to use
your online newsletter
to promote your
company's products and
services, be sure to
submit each new issue of
your publication to the
major search engines.
These search engines
have the potential to
send a lot of viewers to
your online newsletter.
Send an e-mail
to your subscribers to
announce each new issue.
One drawback of an
online newsletter is
that readers forget to
check for new issues.
It's not like a printed
newsletter, which is
more visible to readers
because they see each
new issue when it
arrives in their
mailbox. That's why it's
important to maintain a
database of your
subscribers' e-mail
addresses. Then when
each new issue is
available online, send
your subscribers an
e-mail telling them the
Internet address where
they can find the new
issue, as well as a
brief description of the
articles that are
featured.
Don't
have any subscribers?
You can build a list of
subscribers by putting a
message in your online
newsletter saying,
"Don't miss future
issues! Send us your
e-mail address and we'll
notify you when each new
issue comes out."
Archive your
back issues and add
search features to your
Web site.
Don't replace the
previous issue of your
newsletter with the
newest version. Instead,
make an online archive
of your newsletter's
back issues. Your
newsletter archive would
not only be a great
resource for your
readers, it would also
make your Web site
deeper in content. And
the more useful content
your Web site has, the
more traffic that will
be sent to your online
newsletter from the
search engines.
Once
you have about a half
dozen issues in your
archive, make it a
searchable archive.
Internal search engines
allow users to search
your Web site
internally, for specific
words and terms. This
makes it easy for your
regular readers to
search back issues for
specific information.
Monitor the
readership of your
online newsletter with a
Web statistics program.
If your Webmaster
installs a statistics
program on your online
newsletter's server, you
can get invaluable
feedback about your
publication and its
readers.
For
instance, typical Web
statistics programs let
you see how many people
have viewed your
newsletter; which Web
pages within your
newsletter are most
popular; how much time
the average viewer
spends on each page; and
which external Web sites
and search engines
referred viewers to your
newsletter (in other
words, which Web sites
have links to your
newsletter).
A
good Web statistics
program is the next best
thing to a readership
survey. |