Did your company jump on the e-newsletter bandwagon without pre-defined goals and objectives? Or perhaps you had a strategy, but you're wondering if it's time for an e-newsletter makeover.

When more and more print communications started converting to digital delivery, many time-strapped and understaffed businesses simply transferred the content from their print newsletter to their online edition. That's a prescription for bad digital communications because Web readers have very short attention spans, and want information that they can consume quickly and easily.

If you haven't defined your goals, or if you're not getting much response to your current e-newsletter, it may be just the right time to step back and analyze what's working and what's not. Here are five tips to get you started down the road to better digital communications.

Analyze: If you're not regularly checking the analytics of your e-newsletter, you should be. Don't just send it and forget about it. Don't use Outlook or your regular email to send your e-newsletter. To avoid SPAM filters and for reliable tracking reports, be sure you're using email marketing software that offers analytics.

What's your open rate? What links are readers clicking on? If you're sending out your e-newsletter and no one is opening it, it's definitely time to rethink your strategy. Targeted email messaging is still a strong online form of communication for businesses, despite the growth in social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. So check your analytics and be prepared to make changes depending on your findings.

Define your goals: What is the larger purpose for sending out your e-newsletter? How does your business define a conversion? Are you hoping to sell a product or service? Are you trying to educate your readers? If you're major goal is to sell widgets and your analytics reveal that no one is clicking on your product page link in your email, you'll need to evaluate why. Perhaps your link is buried at the bottom of the email, or your content isn't clear.

Target: The companies that have the most success with email marketing target their communications. Instead of sending one generic mass email to your entire list, a better strategy is to divide and conquer. That means not sending the same message to previous buyers that you send to new customers - those are two different audiences. One has been engaged with your company and the other has not. Targeting might mean that your email list needs to be cleaned up and filtered, but the effort will be worth it.

Inform Readers: Read your latest e-newsletter and honestly evaluate the content. Send it to a trusted colleague or friend and get their honest opinion. Is it informative? How does it help your readers? If your e-newsletter is nothing more than a boring list of your products and services, it's time to revamp your copy! Customers today are seeking valuable information that they can use in their own lives and work. Become that trusted source of information for your readers, and you'll have their attention week after week, or month after month.

Tweak It: After you've analyzed, defined your goals, targeted your efforts, and changed the content (to be customer-focused), it's time to test your messages and make adjustments. Try using a catchy subject line each time you send your e-newsletter, or switch out the day of the week you send it.

Successful e-newsletters take trial and error. You'll get there if you consistently evaluate and make adjustments along the way.