1. Why do I need a videogame e-newsletter?

2. Why should I ask someone else to create it for me?

3. Is there a way to measure my e-newsletter's success?

4. What's the best way to get started?

FAQ

1. Why do I need a videogame e-newsletter?

Lots of reasons. Whether you're a publisher, a developer, a PR agency, or a company servicing gamers, you surely have a need to stay in touch with your customers on a regular, ongoing basis. Take a second to consider some of the reasons why:

• Make connections!
  How many prospects have visited your site since it first opened for business? 1,000? 10,000? 100,000? 1,000,000? How many of those could you get in touch with today if you wanted to? If you don't have some way to capture visitors' addresses and communicate with them, you've let them slip through your fingers. What a waste!


• Stay "top of mind"!
  Once someone has left your site, they're likely to forget about you. That's where an e-newsletter comes in. It regularly brings your business to the front of their minds. Every time they hear from you, the chances increase that they'll remember to come back to your site.


• Build trust!
  Your voice and manner in an e-newsletter become familiar to your customers. Your ongoing conversations build trust -- and trust is at the heart of doing business on the Web. When your
  e-newsletter offers readers something of value time after time, you and your business become like trusted friends.


• Establish a reputation or brand!
  Closely related to trust is a reputation for excellence. When you're trying to choose between a brand name and the "identical" store brand, which do you trust more? The brand name, of course! Their advertising has been building a reputation in your head for years. Is the product any better than the store brand? Perhaps not, but it has a reputation for quality in your mind. Is the business person who publishes an e-newsletter more competent than a less-vocal expert? Perhaps not, but they've built a reputation for specialized knowledge in the minds of their readers by providing that knowledge. That's what sets their
  e-newsletter apart from junk mail.


• Promote your products and services!
  An e-newsletter also helps you to tell subscribers about your products and services. So long as you're offering them information of value in your e-newsletter, they'll take a look at what you have to sell. When you have a special sale or promotion, the e-newsletter gives you a ready vehicle to inform your very best prospects.

2. Why should I ask someone else to create it for me?

You’ve thought about starting an e-newsletter, haven’t you? Maybe you’ve even written an issue or two. But you’ve never been successful at coming out with a regular, monthly, quality e-newsletter that meets your needs and that you’re proud of, have you? And why is that? Mainly because e-newsletters aren’t your company’s core competency. You have other fish to fry and all your resources are directed towards increasing profits.

When you turn to an e-newsletter expert, you engage a company that spends 100% of its time creating quality e-newsletters. They know how to design, write, deliver and track e-newsletters on a regular basis, never missing an issue, and minimizing whatever effort you need to provide to get the job done. It’s called outsourcing and if you believe that outsourcing works in other areas, surely you recognize that’s why it’s necessary to outsource your e-newsletter.

3. Is there a way to measure my e-newsletter's success?

That's the best part!

When you create your own e-newsletter -- after you send it out -- you cross your fingers and hope that it's read. Is there any way to know for sure? Probably not.

But when OpenMoves/Games! delivers your e-newsletters, our technology keeps track of who opens it, what links they click on, and to whom your readers forward it (see example). You'll receive a monthly report from us … or you can access the stats yourself, 24/7. Is that cool -- or what?

4. What's the best way to get started?

At OpenMoves/Games! we begin with a "discovery session" where -- together -- we discuss and define the ultimate goal of your
e-newsletter. Then we translate your business needs into an editorial structure and, ultimately a "text prototype." When that gets your approval, our award-winning design department (see our extensive portfolio of gaming and non-gaming e-newsletters) creates a "comp" for you to review. Meanwhile, we're building your online database and importing your list of e-mail addresses. Within an average of 4-6 weeks, your first e-newsletter is ready to ship.

If creating your own e-newsletter sounds like a good strategy for your company, call Paul Hyman, our editor-in-chief and in-house videogames expert, at 516-773-3685 or e-mail him and schedule a free discovery session. You can learn more about Paul here.