E-zine. E-newsletter. Online newsletter. Whatever you call it, a ‘zine can be an extremely effective marketing tool. With some of the free and low-cost web-based email campaign services out there now, ‘zines can also be simple to produce, even for tech neophytes.

They’re also a commitment of time and energy to make them work for you. Before diving in, take the time to evaluate whether or not an e-zine a good marketing tool for you and your particular market. Consider these five key questions:

1. Have you clearly identified your target market or niche? Try this exercise: Take out a piece of paper or open a text editor in your computer. Then write a list of 10-15 article ideas for your e-zine—be diligent and get a good long list. Done? Now look over your list. Do the topics consistently speak to a particular audience (or could they with some re-working)? If not, then you have work to do before heading down the e-zine road: Either you’ve not narrowed your focus sufficiently or you don’t yet know your intended audience well enough to write effectively for them. Doing this work thoroughly will make a significant difference in the success of your e-zine as a promotional tool.
2. Is your target market wired? How widely accessible is the Internet for your audience and do they use email regularly? There’s still a “digital divide” between information haves and have-nots, the latter group including some minorities, those with certain physical disabilities, the economically poor, and elders in the U.S. (for more information on the digital divide, I recommend the Pew Internet & American Life Project). If your target market is wired, you’ll also want to know if their primary access is dial-up or broadband, since that has implications for the e-zine design you choose.
3. Do you like to write? This one seems obvious, but believe me, if you don’t particularly care for writing or aren’t a decent writer, taking on an e-zine will be a painful task. If you’re not sure, try this exercise: Over the coming week, write one article every day or two (about 250-300 words per article). Have a candid friend or colleague read them. Would they seek out these articles? Do they say something valuable? How easy was the act of sitting down to write under time pressure?
4. Do you have the time and willingness to commit to a regular writing schedule? Sporadic e-zines are ineffective. If you don’t think you have the time or the drive to write one on a regular schedule, it’s probably not the right vehicle for you.
5. Do you have a mailing list or an effective way to build one? While you may not have an extensive e-mailing list at the outset, you’ll need a way to build one, such as a website where you can collect visitors’ email addresses via opt-in forms. Other methods include speaking engagements where you gather business cards, or drawing information from former and current client lists. And remember, to stay in compliance with spam laws, you need to be sure to get permission before adding someone to your e-mailing list.

If an e-zine does look like it would be an effective tool for you, watch for my upcoming review of several web-based e-zine services.