E-mail Fatigue… What About Content Fatigue?
Trade media has offset lost print ad revenue by offering advertisers more online opportunities including a growing number of sponsorships. One of the more popular offerings is “e-newsletter” sponsorships which target their circulation with guaranteed distribution numbers to advertisers. Typically the cost of these e-news letter sponsorships range between $2,500 to $6,000 or more depending on the size of the email blast and the profile of the audience. This cost is significantly higher than passive web advertising in the form of banner ads or print especially when considering the size of the “real-estate” the sponsor purchases in the email.
Many marketing watchdogs and consulting groups have warned about email fatigue attributed to the frequency of these email blasts and how the open rates are affected by increasing traffic to inboxes to the point were these emails are no longer soliciting the interest from their readers as compared to when they first subscribed. What has surprised me was an article we distributed in 2005 was recently repurposed in a “e-newsletter” blast to marketing professionals. Don’t get me wrong publicity is good- however what is alarming is that a release that is upwards of two years old could be considered as fresh content in a weekly blast.
Publications, to keep up with the demand that “e-news” have generated as far as a revenue stream from sold sponsorships, may be reaching deep into the well to provide content for these e-blasts. As they have increased the frequency of these e-blasts which contribute to email fatigue, they themselves may be pushing out content that is not only dated but worse- out dated or no longer relevant.
I am sure most editors are carefully reviewing news items that are included in these online newsletters to be sure they meet the interest of their readers. And I am quite confident that our repurposed article held value to their e-mail subscribers. It is disheartening however to learn that what is being sold as a sponsorship opportunity to be a part of a “newsletter” informing subscribers of current events in their industry may be in fact- yesterday’s news.