I personally e-mail my newsletters if possible.  The very few I have on my SOI who do not have e-mail I will snail mail them a copy of it.  I do monthly newsletters.  I've received many e-mails back thanking me for sending them the e-mails or updates...I know that some probably toss them as junk but I also know that many read them.

I've been doing bulk mail for almost a year...haven't had much success...but it cost alot!

I'm not sending out one yet, but when I do, it will be snail mail, for a couple of reasons.

One, snail mail newsletters hang around longer. 

Two, about half the folks online are on dial-up still, for a variety of reasons.  Having only recently gotten off of dial-up myself (when you live in the boonies, your options are limited), I still remember how very annoying it was to have someone send me an enormous file that locked up my email program and caused me to have to call my ISP to get things sorted out.  Hacking off my potential clients is not my goal. 

Three, I'll carry a newsletter around with me in my vehicle after picking it up from the mailbox and may read it while I'm waiting in line at the bank or something (compulsive, read-the-back-of-the-cereal-box person here).  If it's on my computer, not so likely to happen.

Four, a hard copy newsletter is more likely to be handed on to someone else

Five, I delete email newsletters that are sent to me - don't have time to sit at the computer reading them, when I'm at the computer I've got way too many other things competing for my interest. 

Email is getting to hard to deal with, so much spam every day and it seems to keep getting worse, I do one from http://www.myhomemanagementclub.com, I am starting a snail mail campaign, not a newsletter though, marketing data sometimes, newletter others. Hope it works

New technology is actually helping old school techniques stand out. We recently self addressed a mailer and used non metered postage. The results were better. Now I know you can't always do this, but it gets you thinking.

I think there is a need for both but I find myself using e-mail way more than US snail mail.

I mail to my farming areas, and I email to my sphere of influence.

I receive so much email, that I delete most without opening. It is better to use snail mail, because they will glance at it and if they like it they will save it.Ofcourse I make sure I read Real Estate related email from clients and regarding my transactions.

Yeah, I'm thinking snail mail would have a better chance of being read.  I too delete more of my emails than the ones that I actually open and read.  If I even think it's a solicitation, it gets junked. 

Peter, this question was good because it made me realize which route to take also.  Thanks for asking it.  :)

I send my newsletter via email and I use snail mail for my farm areas and those I do not have email addresses for.  I may rethink my approach.  This was a good point of view.

Peter, I encourage you to try and capture buyer prospects through your website with an automatic email auto-responder. Clients need to be dripped on 7-10 times minimum. During this process you are constantly soft pre-selling your clients while building rapport and posturing yourself as the professional. The beauty is once you load your auto-responder with pre-written messages, everything is done on auto pilot. It is a beautiful thing. Consider giving your current mailed newsletter clients something for free when they log-into your website and subscribe to your automated newsletter. Your costs will go down significantly. You can build the HTML newsletters with the $34.95 software I recommend on my real estate training-marketing material website. The site is a project that I have been working on to help other REALTORS and industry professionals further their online marketing. All info is complimentary. More great content on the horizon. Good Luck, Rick!

GREAT ADVICE.  Thanks to each of you!

When I first got into the business I emailed them.  But for the past 3 years I have mailed them. I got a much better response when I mailed them.  IF you do email them make sure they are made in word and not publisher because most everyone has word but not everyone has publisher. That was a problem that I had, as was my newsletter going to junk mail.

One more thing, I do not mail my newsletters to a farm just to my sphere of influence (Friends, family, church family, past clients, business associates, etc.).