On the face of it, newsletter marketing should be fairly straight forward.
By sending out regular communications to your customers, you’re making sure your company name remains firmly lodged in their minds so when they’re ready to buy, they will (hopefully) come to you.
But many companies are misusing their newsletters. Are you?
The wrong way
A lot of companies use newsletters to tell their customers what’s been happening in their world.
To them, the fact they’ve just bought a new fleet of vans, or just landed a huge contract, is the most interesting thing they’ve read. But to their customers it’s about as interesting as an inbox full of spam.
Basically, your newsletter should not be about you, it should be all about your customers.
The right way
The reason you send newsletters is to keep in touch and build relationships with your customers.
The only way you’ll build those relationships (and not risk an influx of opt out requests) is by filling it with advice, tips and information your customers will find useful.
The way the information is set out is also important. A good way to boost engagement is to use a consistent structure. That way your readers become familiar with it and it will be like slipping on their favourite pair of slippers every time a new issue lands in their in box.
Start of with an introductory paragraph (and a personalised greeting) that outlines the theme of the newsletter and what they can expect to find as they read on.
To encourage them to visit your website, why not included a teaser to a blog article or case study along with a link to the full article?
Then provide tips, how tos, a thought for the day, book recommendation etc., – something they’ll find useful, though provoking or that they can share with others.
Only when you have given them something of value should you toss in a piece about your latest offer, product or service. By the time they reach that they’ll be feeling pretty good because you’ve already given them something they value.
You see, newsletters aren’t there to transmit news about your company. They exist as an extension to your customer service. They are a cheap and quick way to add value to blossoming relationships, but only if done right.
Before you send out your next issue think carefully about your content.
Are you giving your customers something of value?