Use
Newsletters to Increase Traffic on Web Sites and Intranets
A good, old-fashioned internal or external newsletter may be just the tool you
need to get more people cruising to your organization's shiny new web site and
Intranet offerings.
Here are a few ways of using your newsletter to "get more hits":
Show Off Your URLs
Include the URL of your web site in the nameplate, masthead, folios,
and other prominent locations.
Report on the Number of Hits Your Site Received Recently
The more the better. Readers will want to see for themselves what
all the excitement is about. Again, don't forget to include the URL.
Keep Readers Informed about On-Line Changes
Whenever you update your web site, report it in your newsletter.
Don't go into detail. Just provide a brief overview of the site update
and why readers will
benefit from the change. URL ... URL ... U ... get the idea.
Profile Your Webmaster
Knowing more about the person or people responsible for creating
and updating your site will make the site less intimidating for some
readers — particularly
for the less technically oriented members of your audience. Readers who identify
with a person who maintains your site will also have a greater personal interest
in visiting the site often.
Reward Readers On-Line
Create special offers for newsletter readers (discounts, special
privileges, or other incentives), which are only mentioned in the
publication. For example,
get your webmaster to create a "readers-only" page without any special
firewalls, but only print the specific URL of that page and the offer in an ad
in your newsletter. The better the offer, the more readers will value the publication
and look forward to future issues.
In addition to boosting the traffic, promoting your web and Intranet
sites in your newsletter can provide valuable information about
the effectiveness of your
publication.
If more people begin visiting a site after the URL becomes part of
the nameplate, you'll know that the newsletter is indeed increasing
overall awareness about
your site. If more employees begin accessing information about retirement benefits
after you feature the 401(k) section of the Intranet site in your publication,
you'll have concrete proof that employees are reading the company newsletter.
Likewise, nonprofit organizations will know their newsletter is successful
if on-line contributions go up after a newsletter reports on
how people can make
pledges on-line. The more customers who take advantage of your "readers-only" discounts
or other offers, the better you can judge how many people are reading.
And so on, and so on. back
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