What makes a good newsletter?
What elements do successful newsletters have that make people actually want to read them? Whether you’re an email marketing pro or you’ve just opened up your first template, it’s important to consider what kind of content you’re putting into your e-newsletter.
Successful, readable, interesting newsletters can work wonders for your digital marketing plan as well as generating new leads and driving traffic to your website.
Here are 7 tips for creating a successful email newsletter.
Know Your Audience
Always take into consideration who will be reading your email newsletter. Do a little research on your customers and prospects to discover what their interests are and what kind of information is important to them.
Before you put your email together, consider the following questions. Why did this person subscribe to my email list? What topics is he interested in? What’s her background? What do these people expect from this newsletter?
The chances of people opening your emails and actually clicking through the content increases significantly if you understand your audience. And, the higher the clickthroughs, the higher your conversions.
Create Interesting, Customer-Focused Content
The content you put in your newsletters may be interesting to you, but what about your customers? Take the focus off of your company and consider what issues your customers may be having, and then create content that will provide a solution. Do your clients have specific interests? Address these.
It can be a challenge to come up with relevant content, but like many other areas of digital marketing, it’s important to know your audience. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Tips and lists. Lists and tips are extremely easy to read and generally prompt readers to take action with titles such as “5 ways to…” or “10 tips for…”
- Industry News and Trends. Create content that highlights new developments or advances in your industry as well as new “hot” products or services. Make sure to include reasons why this matters to your readers and how they can benefit.
- Problems and Solutions. Identify problems your readers might have and provide solutions.
- Case Studies. Let your readers know how other’s have benefited from your services or products. Have they improved their business, efficiency, or their lives in general? Include details and measurable results.
Use Creative Subject Lines
Remember when creating a successful email the first thing your readers are going to see is the subject line, so make sure it’s catchy or interesting. Don’t just use your company’s name and expect people to get excited, change you subject line for every email, even if you send one out every month. Lastly, your subject line should hint at the newsletter’s content in a fun and creative way.
Start A Conversation With Your Readers
It’s generally best to use a conversational tone in your newsletters. When you’re writing your content, pretend like you are writing to one person, and write in a casual, friendly manner. Nobody wants to wade through a technical article or feel like they are reading text written by a robot. Let your personality shine through.
Send your e-newsletters on a consistent basis to keep the conversation going. This will not only remind customers and prospects that you exist, but it will increase engagement and help you develop a stronger relationship with your clients.
Design Matters
Create templates and designs that reflect your business. Consistent branding is important, so be sure to include your logo, company colors, and your company’s font style if possible.
Choose or create a template that will display all of your content in an organized fashion, and don’t try to pack too much inside of one newsletter. Instead, focus on one idea or theme per email.
Do use images. If you’re featuring products, include pictures, visuals go a long way in creating sales. If you provide other services such as legal advice or financial planning, choose images that represent your brand or complement your articles.
Lastly, save your templates. Many email marketing services such as Constant Contact and MailChimp allow you to save your templates. After the initial template is created, you can easily change out content and images without losing your design.
Make Your Emails Mobile-Friendly
Mobile optimization is a must. Around 75% of people use their smartphones to check their email, don’t miss out on potential sales by failing to send mobile-friendly emails.
Call To Action
Every newsletter should end with a call to action (CTA). This could be an eye catching button or a simple link, either way, a CTA makes it easy for customers to take action. Some examples of call to actions may be for your clients to share your content, to follow you on social media, participate in a contest, or to get a free trial.
Successful email newsletters are interesting, relevant, and easy to read. Use these emails to engage with your customers, share fun and informative content, and to feature your products and services.
Too busy running your business to put together an e-newsletter? Blindspot Advisors can help you design and create your emails to ensure you are staying in touch with your customers. Contact us today to get started creating a successful email.