There are a myriad of responses as to what is an electronic
newsletter. Everyone will have a different opinion regarding
what a newsletter personally means. Therefore, I went to the experts:
Merriam Webster's Dictionary. Here is the definition:

            Function: noun
            : a small publication (as a leaflet or newspaper)
            containing news of interest chiefly to a special
            group
          
Unfortunately, because eZine is not yet in the dictionary, Merriam couldn't help this time around. I did, however, surf around to find the best and most logical definition of an eZine. Here is what I found.

            Definition
            An electronic magazine, whether delivered via a
            Web site or an email.
           
So, the two basically are very different, but can serve the same purpose: repeat visitors to your site.

But is publishing your own newsletter or eZine worth the time or the effort for you? At the risk of saving you hundreds of dollars on software and subscriptions you may not need, the answer may quite possibly be no.

If you run your own business, which most on-line retailers and web service providers do, the time dedicated to your eZine can take away from marketing your products/services. It can also be an essential tool. Whew. Quite the conundrum.

    Publishing a newsletter or an eZine is extremely time consuming. You want to put out only the most recent, best, most helpful information on the 'net in your publication. If you publish a newsletter, you also want to keep your visitors abreast of what is going on with your business.

So, what are your options? What can you do to attract people to sign up for your mailing list, but not be tied down to a newsletter?

1. eBooks- Offer your customers a free eBook when they sign up for your mailing list. If you sell body lotions on your site, offer them a free aromatherapy eBook.

2.Drawings- This is one of the best ways to attract repeat visitors and get them to sign up for your newsletter! Who **wouldn't** want a free piece of jewelry, lotion, service just for signing up to get updates from a site?

3.On-line Tools- I'm not talking about a virtual hammer here. I'm talking about something useful! If you are a real estate firm, offer them a free mortgage calculator. If you own an on-line business offer them a free sales calculator. They'll be able to figure out shipping and sales tax without having to go through the shopping cart all the time.

4.Consolidate- Nope, not your loans or credit card bills. Find a complimentary service or business. Once you have found a couple services or businesses that you are interested in, e-mail/call/write them and ask if they would like to merge the two newsletters. If so, you can then divide everything. You select one article, she/he another. If you have 6 advertisments per newsletter, you contribute 3 and she/he 3. It will save you a lot of time and resources in doing it on your own.

5.Outsource- What? Outsource? But, that costs money! And your time doesn't? Think of all the other things you can be doing to advance your web business by eliminating the time you spend on your newsletter.

Therefore, you need to evaluate why you need a newsletter and why you are publishing one. Is the time you spend on your newsletter taking time from your clients and services? Would you benefit from consolidating or outsourcing?

There are a few very viable alternatives to publishing your own newsletter. Whatever your decision, good luck!