By Gina Cuclis

The other day I received an unsolicited e-newsletter from a public organization whose operating budget is subsidized by a voter approved local tax. I scanned to see if there was an introductory statement inviting me to sign up for future issues. There wasn't. The newsletter contained only one article, which was about an individual I had already read about in the newspaper. So I hit the delete key. That was faster than trying to find the opt-out link.

Two E-Newsletter Fundamentals

Besides the political reason why this uninvited e-newsletter was questionable, the sender made two fundamental e-newsletter mistakes:

1) Failing to seek permission before putting individuals on its mailing list. Spam laws and etiquette call for this. Besides, few people read what they haven't requested. They'll react to a newsletter they didn't ask for as if it's junk mail.

2) Failing to provide information of direct benefit to your customers. The point of publishing an e-newsletter is to stay in touch with your customers and prospects by providing them with information they can use. People read e-newsletters when the content is relevant to their lives. For example, I receive an e-newsletter from the financial services company that has my IRA. It contains articles on investing and taxes. I also receive e-newsletters from charities I donate to, keeping me informed of how my contributions are helping people. I want to receive these e-newsletters because the information is personally relevant to me.

Taxpayers' Perceptions

As a professional communicator, who has consulted for public agencies in political situations, it's necessary to consider the public's perceptions with selecting your communications tactics. Top of mind should be the question, "What will the taxpayers' or our constituents think?" The organization that sent me that e-newsletter has frequently been embroiled in controversy, and therefore, should be particularly sensitive to how it presents itself. After I deleted its e-newsletter, I felt a sense that my tax dollars were being wasted. If I had requested the e-newsletter, or if it had contained useful information — such as telling me what the organization's plan is so that it won't continue to need a taxpayer subsidy — I probably would have felt differently.

A Better Idea

An e-newsletter is an inefficient communications channel for a taxpayer supported organization whose customers are the entire community. E-newsletters are closed systems. Any information in a public agency's e-newsletter should be accessible on its web site. Modern communicators design websites to include news pages and blogs with syndication capabilities. This allows customers who want information sent to their in boxes to sign up for RSS feeds when new information is posted. This prevents expending resources on e-mail campaigns and maintaining a mailing list.

E-newsletters are a valuable marketing tool for many types of businesses. But taxpayer supported organizations are better off considering other digital tactics.