8 Tips For Successful Newsletters
By Andi Enns Many businesses could benefit from using an email newsletter to keep in contact with clients and prospectives. But a badly-written newsletter can hurt you more than help you! This is a primary reason why many small business owners put off creating a newsletter. Use these tips to create a newsletter your audience looks forward to!
1. Be Consistent
Readers like to know when a newsletter is coming to their inbox. Commit to at least a bi-weekly schedule - any less than that and they'll forget they signed up.
2. Send on Tuesdays or Thursdays
In my experience, newsletters sent in the wee hours of Tuesdays and Thursdays get more opens that any other day. And with many email newsletter services, you can schedule your newsletters - write them at your leisure and set them to go out at 3am on Tuesday!
3. Know Your Audience
Who are you sending the newsletter to? If it's all die-hard fans, you don't need to hard-sell them. If it's prospective clients, be sure to mention your free consultations and other new client specials. For every group, be sure to include the vital info: phone number, website, street address, etc.
4. Give Information They Want
Write articles, offer wisdom, record videos - give your readers some free information in every issue. This can be anything from a recipe in a farmer's newsletter to a yoga pose of the week from a studio to clothing care tips from a fashion designer. It doesn't have to be the same every time, but give them something to look forward to. If it becomes a favorite feature of your readers (which it often will), use the title of the content as your email subject.
[Your Local Yoga Place] This week: Sun Salutation video with Jen!
[Your Local Farmer] Yummy Summer Soups
[Your Local Fashion Boutique] How to Care For Alligator Handbags
5. Remember To Tell Them Who You Are!
See those email subject lines above? Remember to put your own business name in the subject line of your emails! Using brackets ("[" and "]" - located under the "backspace" button) is a widely-accepted way to mention who you are! Also include your logo near the top of the newsletter. I like to use the logo in the header.
6. Be Consistent In Design
Don't change your template every time! Readers like regularity. Look at the major magazines at the local bookstore: though Cosmo is a different color every month, their logo is consistently the same font. The layout of headlines is basically the same. Even if it was blue last month and orange this month, it looks like the same magazine. Be the same with your newsletter!
7. Encourage Them To Share
Place a "Forward to a Friend" button in your newsletter, as well as link to join the mailing list (in case your newsletter is forwarded). If you have a presence on social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc), link to those as well.
8. Don't Try To Say Too Much
Know what you are trying to promote with each issue - don't bombard your readers with a list of every service or product. That's a catalog, not a newsletter. Choose one service, product or class and promote that.
[Your Local Yoga Place] This week: Sun Salutation video with Jen! - promotes Jen's new class
[Your Local Farmer] Yummy Summer Soups - promotes this week's pick of summer veggies
[Your Local Fashion Boutique] How to Care For Alligator Handbags - promotes the brand-new handbag
If you link your useful info to the promotion, you'll have more success!
Happy newsletter writing!
Andi Enns is a cutting-edge Public Relations & Marketing Campaign Strategist specializing in small businesses, nonprofits and individuals. She lives in Kansas City, but works with organizations nation-wide. Visit her website at http://andienns.com/ or her blog http://andienns.wordpress.com/ Related articles: How to Make Money With Your Newsletter Newsletter Design Tips |
