With the economy in the crapper, all sorts of people are spouting off advice that either boils down to or precisely repeats the clich “think outside the box.” But at least one person believes you should think inside the box - the mailbox, that is - by printing newsletters and sending them through the Post Office.

David Gruttadaurio argues that email newsletters are incredibly easy to ignore, and may receive minimal attention even when people choose not to mark them as spam. Folks can’t filter out physical mail, and are more likely to look it over a little bit when it arrives.

True enough, so far. Then Gruttadaurio continues, “Print newsletters offer convenient and comfortable reading . . . Printed newsletters are much easier on the eyes. Reading articles of any length on a computer screen is uncomfortable and often inconvenient.”

Also, “Print newsletters stand out and get noticed . . . By using color, logos and a familiar return address, a print newsletter is easy to spot. With an inbox filled with subject lines, every message looks the same.”

So if you choose to stick with email newsletters (which are wonderfully cheap and have all other sorts of benefits, after all), perhaps just try to start imitating these advantages when you can.

Use fonts and colors that are extremely legible without heading off into the land of look-alikes, for example. Make sure your email address is closely associated with your company, and perhaps use a shared word or phrase in every subject line to help them stand out.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 2:53 pm and is filed under Newsletters, Print, Tips, Tools. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

About the Author: Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news.