10 Secrets of an Effective Email Newsletter

Newsletters can be a powerful marketing tool…if done right.

Newsletters can create a stronger bond between the recipient and the company than a website can. However, usability problems or poor content can create a stronger…but more negative…impact than your website.

Newsletters take time to prepare and require a commitment to providing relevant, timely information. You probably won’t know the readers personally, but they’ll expect you to provide subject matter that’s directly related to them. The newsletter benefit isn’t normally in immediate turnaround in sales, or in increased readership…although that can happen. Newsletters typically build relationship…over time… and the benefits can be exceptional.

Newsletter subscribers spend between 50 and 90 seconds on average reading an email newsletter…if they immediately spot something that interests them. You probably know what that means…keep your message short, clear, and customer-focused.

So here are the 10 crucial secrets I promised that you can use to create a newsletter to help you strengthen the bond with your subscribers:

1. Provide benefits for the reader. Give a lot of thought to how you can give your readers what they don’t already have. A newsletter is not an ad. For example, if you sell health care products, your newsletter could contain summaries of articles, with links to current research on a health issue of specific interest to your email recipient. You could also include useful tips and links for diet and exercise.
2. Pick a template and stick to it. Produce both an HTML and text version and brand your newsletter for consistency with your website. Become the friendly, familiar face they look for when they open their email on the day their newsletter will arrive.
3. Include case studies. Stories about how real people and real companies have resolved real problems can help highlight your customers and your company, and are interesting reading.
4. Include useful, interesting or controversial news. Industry trends or statistics, regulation changes…new or proposed…are generally considered of value.
5. Keep it short. Put your main message at the beginning. Include only three to five articles, two or three paragraphs each. If you have longer articles, consider putting them on your website and create hyperlinks in your email.
6. Make it fun and interactive. Even if it’s about business, newsletters shouldn’t be dry or boring. Include trivia questions, funny quotes, and cartoons. Use a quick poll relating to your website business to get interaction. Everyone loves to be heard, and then see how their peers rated the issue.
7. Talk with them, not to them. Put your personality into your newsletter. Make sure it’s informal and that you’re speaking directly to your reader. Read your newsletter out loud…if possible to someone else. If you’re not comfortable speaking the words you write, it’s unlikely the reader will feel as though you’re having a conversation.
8. Make your subject line relevant…and interesting. To enhance brand identity, include part or all of your newsletter name to the subject line. Include phrases like “Top tactics in…., How to…..Secrets of…., 10 Ways to….and “Trends in…. to gain your readers attention. Many email marketers personalize their subject line by including the recipient’s name in the subject line. With an 80-character maximum, though, you’ll need to decide what’s most likely to gain their attention.
9. Provide email address and phone number. Make sure your email newsletter recipients can tell you what they do…and don’t…find valuable. Encourage their input to evaluate its effectiveness. At the end of your newsletter, include a sentence asking for your readers’ opinion on what they’d like included in the next issue.
10. Minimize technical and usability problems. Consider using a template provided by an email marketing or hosted email service unless you have a very sophisticated (and under worked) Information Technology staff. Maintain consistency by having only one person write and put the newsletter together, or…if there are multiple writers…have one person who assembles the articles and consistently puts everything together. Use graphics…sparingly.

Most of all, just remember to focus on your readers’ needs. The newsletter should be a bit like a good Scotch…with a bite of excitement, but smooth and mellow…something that reduces, not increases, the burden of the inbox.

http://maxkazen.com
Writer…mentored by one of today’s top professional web copywriters, Ray Edwards.
Arsenal of writing skills built from 20 + years of persuasive corporate writing and leadership skills.
Cornell Univ. School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Sharing left and right-brain training and techniques to strengthen your client and prospect relationships.

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Are You Mining For All Your Gold Using an Email Newsletter?

I deal with a fair number of companies being in the business that I am in, (which is web marketing, shameless plug).

Most are small businesses that deal within a specific local area. So even though there are opportunities with SEO, we often also look at the other forms of marketing they use to reach and communicate to both current and prospective clients.

I call it mining. Because, not every person is looking for your service, you need to dig for your client and treat them like gold.

Most small local companies, use the newspaper, radio, maybe television. Some do Direct mail, some do newsletters, some of have a website.

But when I ask them do you have a database of your clients email addresses. I often get blank stares. They’ll spend thousands on all sorts of media, but forget to send and extremely cost effective email newsletter out to their current customers and prospects who have given their permission to receive information.

I understand the problem, there’s a technical barrier here. How to send them out? Am I spamming? What do I write about?

All really good questions, but lets review how any business grows.

1. Sell more products to more people.

2. Increase the amount you sell to the people you already do business with.

3. Increases the transaction value of each sale.

That’s pretty much it.

When you create an email newsletter, or postage newsletter, you’re looking at improving step two. Which is one of the most cost efficient methods to increasing your business. These people already do business with you, they already like you, they already trust you. They are loyal to you and the last thing you want to do is ignore them.

So here’s what you do, start asking for email addresses, in person, on your website, on the phone. Ask Everywhere and build your list.

Use something like Constant Contact or Aweber, both are easy to use, keep you CanSpam compliant and won’t cost an arm or a leg to use.

Then here’s the format I want you to use when mailing.

1. Short message from you.

2. Relevant Article.

3. Item of value, something like a coupon for a restaurant. Make a deal with a local company to include them in your newsletter.

4. Create Offer with a Call to action. Something complimentary to one of your key products or a new product release with a request to call you or go to your website for more info.

That’s it. BOOM, newsletter done. Don’t worry about fancy, worry about implementation, you can make it fancy as you go.

Now get out there and grow!

Tom Lyons invites you to learn more about marketing your small business on the internet. Realtors, Small Businesses, Independent Contractor and Mortgage Brokers can all benefit from the extra business the Internet can create.

Visit our web site for free tips and our Small Business Online Blue Print at http://www.makingyourfindable.com

(c) Copyright -Tom Lyons. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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