Search, Articles & Blogs Drive Traffic and E-newsletter Subscriptions
I’ve been watching my e-newsletter new subscriber stats for a while now, mostly because the number of subscribers had been increasing even though e-newsletter open rates have been declining — according to most industry reports.
In the last year, the number of people who subscribe to my e-newsletter on a daily / monthly basis has doubled, as has the overall number on the list.
The number of subscribers started increasing when I added my e-newsletter subscription form to this blog — which generates more traffic now than my DH Communications, Inc. Website.
Because I have a field on my subscription form that asks people how they found me, I’m able to see which marketing tactics generate the most subscribers.
Hands down, “search” is the number one method of driving traffic and subscribers. Over 89% of new visitors to the blog came through Google organic search alone (for the period 1/1/09 to 6/15/2009).
For the time period cited, approximately 25% of all newsletter subscribers came via search.
Writing articles for other blogs, portals, and e-newsletters is the second best way to drive traffic and subscriptions. For example, an article I wrote for Jill Whalen’s High Rankings Newsletter netted over 100 new subscribers in 24 hours.
And today (June 25), MarketingProfs featured my blog post about “Plug & Play Website Templates” in their Get to the Point e-newsletter — which is driving e-newsletter subscribers even as I write!
What has surprised me the most, however, is the number of subscribers who come in from *comments* I’ve left on blogs — as well as links to this blog from other bloggers.
I’m surprised for two reasons: I didn’t really think people followed blog links, and two, blogs were supposed to supplant e-newsletters when in fact, it’s blogs driving the traffic — and subscriptions.
I’m not quite sure what ideas or analysis I can derive from my numbers except for this:
Despite the number of blogs to which I’m subscribed and don’t have time to read, I always seem to find time for e-newsletters and this is because the e-newsletter arrives in my inbox — whereas I have to open my blog reader to access new blog posts, something I don’t do often enough.
An e-newsletter is like a good sandwich — quick and easy to digest.
Done well, e-newsletters give me a quick tip or two I can use. Most important, they arrive in my inbox without me having to do much of anything — except subscribe once.
If you read still subscribe to and read e-newsletters, please tell me why. I’d love to know.
June 26th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
This is really interesting information about where your traffic comes from. I am suprised to hear that you are more likely to read a newsletter than a blog post. I am just the opposite. If my computer is on my RSS reader is open and I can access it from my phone as well, so although I can’t always keep up with the volume, I am still more likely to read a blog than a newsletter. Plus, I haver recently unsubscribed to several newsletters that I knew I could also get an RSS feed for. It’s fascinating to see how each handle the social media tools differently.
June 26th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Dianna,
Your experience illustrates how important it is to view marcom as an intregrated whole instead of focusing on individual communication channels. Even seasoned marketing managers often look at a blog, Facebook page, webinar, white paper or SEO project as the end product — something they can report as an accomplishment at the end of the quarter. But what you’ve just described is a perfect example of how to view these communication tools as an ensemble which has to be continually monitored and tweaked to find the right combination.
This is a great lesson. Thanks!
June 26th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Michael,
To be honest, my newsletter subscription rate was in decline for a very long time. I had more bad addresses each month than I did subscribers.
All of that changed once I added the subscription to this blog.
The other piece of data that I’ve found interesting is that the open and click through rates have remained the same . . . no matter the number of subscribers.
Becky — The other take-away, at least for me, is that you have to communicate with your audience using various channels. Not everyone reads blogs. And not everyone reads e-newsletters. And personally, I use Twitter to find good blog posts moreso than my blog reader.
June 30th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Dianna,
I’m also more of an e-zine reader than a blog reader, though there are a few favorites I do follow. One thing for me is the fewer steps I have to take to get the information, the better. So when certain blogs only show a couple of sentences in the feed reader and I’m supposed to click through to ‘read more’- I tend to not go further. I like the blog posts that show the full article right away.
I’m always ready to give an ezine a chance, so I do sign up for new ones that look interesting. Many are one big pitch fest and after 3-4 messages of that I unsubscribe. Other times people think they have to blast my inbox daily to get my attention. It does get my attention – straight to the delete file. But others are satisfying, thought provoking and informative. Those are the ones I’m on the look out for. And the kind I aim to write myself.
June 30th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Hi Dianna,
This is an interesting analysis! I have to say, most of my blog traffic comes from organic Google searches and Twitter. If I had just a website, I think I’d be a bit nervous about the traffic stats for it versus my blog.
“What has surprised me the most, however, is the number of subscribers who come in from *comments* I’ve left on blogs — as well as links to this blog from other bloggers.”
It’s been found that one of the best ways to drive traffic to a blog is to leave it. Mack Collier offers some great advice in this area (www.theviralgarden.com). Yes, people actually do read comments. And smart comments often lead people wanting to know more about the commenter… Something for B2B marcom folks to consider when venturing into blogging.
So glad that MarketingProfs picked you up in Get to the Po!nt and that you saw some increase traffic and subscribers. It’s great to hear feedback!
Beth Harte
Community Manager, MarketingProfs
@bethharte
July 1st, 2009 at 8:19 am
Beth and Linda — Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.
I agree with Linda about blog readers — if the blog post has only a few sentences, I tend not to click through. I like reading the full post in the reader.
I’ll have to check out Mack’s blog.
July 6th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Dianna,
These are great insights. I fight this battle on a daily basis with my clients. They always want to replace one option for the other, without realizing that it is the aggregated mix that provides the most value. It’s nice to see someone tracking your success in this way and sharing it. Great inspiration for a Monday morning.
Sarah Johnson
@sarah_johnson28
July 6th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Love e-newsletters. Thoughtful and easy to read.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Sarah — thank you for the nice words!
July 9th, 2009 at 1:13 am
Hi Dianna
I think you’ve highlighted that we shouldn’t be swept away by generalised reports that one ‘method’ is usurping any other method – we should watch the stats because that’s the story that matters. What I find interesting here is the inbound v outbound debate. Some would claim email newsletters (even when subscribed) are interruptive, outbound marketing, whereas blogs are clearly only read by those who actively choose to do so at that time, hence inbound. And in this great new web 2.0 (3? 4?) world, interruptions are supposed to be the devil’s work.
Your stats clearly show that it is more complex than this, and that following industry generalisations can be dangerous. We should look at our own metrics and make our own minds up. Great reading, thanks.
John
July 9th, 2009 at 6:58 am
John,
I agree with you. I have never considered my e-newsletter to be “interruption” marketing. The only people who get it are those who subscribe to it , it’s filled with high-value content that people can use, and it comes out once a month. And, people email me to thank me for sending it.
Plus, it still nets me new gigs.
December 4th, 2009 at 9:59 am
John,
I agree with you. I have never considered my e-newsletter to be “interruption” marketing. The only people who get it are those who subscribe to it , it’s filled with high-value content that people can use, and it comes out once a month. And, people email me to thank me for sending it.
December 29th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
[...] (You can also read a blog post I wrote in July, “Search, Articles and Blogs Drive Traffic and E-Newsletter Subscriptions.”) [...]