Use a Newsletter to Build Loyalty & Give Back
By now, you know that email newsletters are indeed a 21st century thing, and they make a great marketing tool. Chances are, you have one in your inbox right now.
The next step involves understanding how to use a newsletter effectively so that it entices readers to visit your website, gives them something to chew on throughout the week, and keeps your brand top-of-mind. Just like blog writing, you can’t just throw up an ad, or copy-and-paste what another business already wrote and expect readers to continue clicking to open your newsletter when it arrives.
It Begins with Knowing Your Readers
Newsletters are an ideal way to reach clients and potential customers without having to rely on chance. When you use a newsletter as an effective marketing tool, you must know who your readers are. Everything that goes into your newsletter should align with your business plan and engage your target market.
If you don’t have a clear picture of your audience, then learning how to use a newsletter is a waste of your time. If your email list is disparate and disorganized, your newsletter may end up being nothing more than a deleted annoyance that readers eventually unsubscribe from. So clean up your email list while continuing to add valuable contacts.
Prove You Care
Now that you’ve identified your ideal targets and created an email list of those desirables, you have to capture their attention. In his book How to Make Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie famously wrote:
“You can make more friends in two months
by becoming interested in other people
than you can in two years
by trying to get other people interested in you.”
A newsletter, much like the pages on your website and your blog posts, shouldn’t be about you. Sure, it’s great you hit a new milestone, had your best year ever or landed a big new contract. But readers are always asking: “What’s in it for me?”
Too many newsletters do little more than brag. Your mission statement or company values may preach that you care about serving your customers, but when your marketing message is all about you, it appears that what you really care most about is — you. Rule #1: Remember, when you use a newsletter to communicate — IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU.
Ads Are Ads
Advertising certainly plays a role in the marketing plan of any business. You want to let customers know when you have a big sale, a special offer or a new line. But these kinds of pronouncements, when viewed month after month in the form of a newsletter, leave readers feeling tricked and used. If your newsletter goes out monthly, which is the most common timeline to use a newsletter appropriately, a good rule of thumb is to never make it about a special sale more than once a year.
In fact, an annual special, created just for your loyal newsletter readers is a great way to reward them for not unsubscribing. When you use a newsletter to make that offer, lead off with a headline that says something like: “As a thank you for remaining a loyal newsletter reader, we’re offering a one-time special created just for you.” Of course, you’ll also want to add the many benefits your customer receives by taking advantage of the offer. The most effective ads are those that provide value to your customers.
The Best Newsletter Topics
Now comes the most difficult task for many small business owners — and even for larger companies that have a marketing staff. Coming up with new topics each and every month that keep readers coming back and serve as the ultimate marketing tool isn’t always easy. Avoiding clichés is another difficult task for many newsletter writers.
For example, a majority of newsletters start out with “Now that winter is here and it’s cold outside…” Does that kind of lead-in inspire you to read on? Instead, shoot for relevance and originality right from the first sentence. Capture the reader with topics that provoke an emotional response and lead the reader to forward it to all their friends and contacts. Choose topics that:
- Inform
- Entertain
- Inspire
- Educate
- Wow
Use a newsletter to provide valuable information that your readers can actually use. Take the opportunity to share about the latest trends to help them make more informed decisions or that give them something to talk about before a meeting starts or at a social gathering — fresh, new information that makes your readers look smart. Make them laugh out loud. Open their minds to fresh ideas. Give them appetizing bits so that when they do chew on them, they enjoy the taste.
A Few More Newsletter Tips
Sometimes, when you use a newsletter to bulk up your marketing efforts, advice like what you’re reading in this blog seems easier said than done. Here are seven specific tips to help you get your monthly newsletter noticed, read and passed around:
- Keep it short. A good target is 350 to 400 words.
- Provide clickable links to your website instead of rehashing what’s readily available
- Add links to relevant blogs you’ve posted before
- Create a quarterly or annual calendar of topics that comes from a brainstorming session with your staff, partners or creatives you know
- Send out your newsletter on the same day every month, week or quarter
- Include at least one relevant graphic
- Get at least one other person to read it before you send it
If your business doesn’t use a newsletter to bump up your marketing efforts and keep your name in front of people, start one now. It’s never too late. In addition to your blog, it’s one of the most inexpensive marketing moves you can make. And even if you hire a professional newsletter writing team, the small investment should come back to you in new orders and new customers. But you not only create new business, you build goodwill — and that’s priceless.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.