In the last blog post, I wrote about the factors you should consider before choosing an E-newsletter. In this blog post, I want to examine the factors of a print newsletter and whether to send one to your customers. I’ll start with the pros, the cons, and present my final thoughts at the end. The end might surprise you!

The Pros Of A Print Newsletter

Pro #1: It’s tangible. I love my Amazon Kindle. It stores thousands of books, lets me read in the dark, and each page is crisp. But I miss real books: the smooth page, using my thumb and forefinger to turn from one page to the next. Real books engage my senses and involve me at a deeper level.

It’s the same for print newsletters. Like books, you flip through pages to read the content. And you can’t beat the way they feel in the hand. Plus, with all the different paper types available today, you can get really creative with your newsletters.

Pro #2: Less competition. How many emails did you have in your inbox this morning? Over ten? I bet so. And that’s nothing compared to what many others receive. Combine personal with professional email, and you create a recipe for chaos. Your E-newsletter enters that maelstrom and mixes with a jumble of other emails. What are the chances your customer will read your E-newsletter?

Compare that with direct mail. I receive three or four mail pieces a day. Then, I pull them from the mailbox, sift through them, read the ones that interest me, and the others I toss them into the waste bin. I don’t feel rushed or overwhelmed like I do with email. At that moment, each piece has my sole focus for at least a few seconds.

Pro #3: Perceived value. Everyone knows email is cheap. So when your customer receives your E-newsletter, will they believe you're cheap or they’re not worth sending a print newsletter to? It’s something to think about. Because while it’s convenient and affordable to send E-newsletters the upfront cost of a print newsletter might lead to higher sales in the end.

Find out the other factors you need to take into consideration with your newsletter.

The Cons Of A Print Newsletter

Con #1: Cost. Print newsletters cost more. Not only do you need to hire a graphic designer to design them or a copywriter to write them, but you have to pay for the print and mailing. Doing this monthly can get pricey.

That said -- while the print newsletter does have a high upfront cost, in the long run it might not matter. What’s important is to look at the benefit of sending a print newsletter as a whole. If it’s converting more leads, then you might make enough profit to offset the cost of printing and delivery.

Con #2: Delivery speed. The print newsletter must travel to its target by good ol’ direct mail, which can take up to 10 days to deliver, depending on the postage attached. If you send your newsletter with plenty of time to deliver, then there’s no issue. But if you’re delayed in designing or writing your newsletter, you can’t afford it to take half a month to finally mail.

Con #3: No linking and tracking. You aren’t able to embed links to other content or track customer engagement.  While, you can see they’ve mailed, you can’t track metrics like words read, links clicked, and how long. You also can’t link a call to action, which might decrease the chance to turn leads into sales.

So what do you think? Is a print newsletter or E-newsletter better for your business? If you want my opinion – send both! This way you’ll reach all your customers, no matter where they are. In fact, take it a step further. Once you complete your newsletter, create social media posts with links to your newsletter. The more you share the better.