If you’re thinking newsletters are old school, think again. Now upgraded to an easy-to-consume digital format, these communications are an important element of branding. Enewsletters provide a unique opportunity to connect with your customers on a very personal level, delivering content that they believe is worth their time and attention, and that (hopefully) keeps them coming back.
With that opportunity, comes responsibility. You want to get it right, using this subscriber-driven platform to provide real value and strengthen your customer relationships.
Here are some enewsletter tips to help guide you in the right direction.
Make it brand-specific.
Your enewsletter design should reflect your brand so that readers easily identify the content as a seamless extension of your other branded content, from your social media channels to your website. This will help make your business more recognizable and build your brand presence.
Make it short and concise.
Keep copy brief—many people are reading on their mobile devices. Give enough information to make it valuable but not so much content that makes it too overwhelming to tackle.
Make it approachable.
Use a natural, conversational tone to connect with your reader—but again, be true to your brand voice.
Make it easy to navigate.
Many of us skim e-newsletters for content, read what grabs our attention, and then move on; so be sure to engage your reader using a well-organized layout for easy scan-ability with easy-to-read headlines and clear CTAs.
Make it visually appealing.
Use graphics—photos, charts, videos—to add visual interest and/or to help explain or support content. But always, in moderation: too many graphics can be distracting.
Make your preview count.
Only the top 200-300 pixels of your message are shown first in an email. Be sure you have the important parts of your email newsletter fall into this preview range.
Make it valuable.
It should be easy for readers to glean important details from your articles. Add links to websites, articles or other resources that readers can reference for more information.
Make it relevant.
Beyond being educational or informative, also be timely. Use your newsletter to advertise and promote a new product or service within your brand, provide special/exclusive offers for subscribers or preview a new promotion.
Make it interesting.
It’s important to give your audience content they actually want to read. This Entrepreneur Magazine article offers 20 newsletter article ideas to help you identify the high-interest topics that can help promote your brand or educate prospects.
Make it sharable.
Including a “forward to a friend” CTA at the bottom of your newsletter opens more opportunities to expand your brand’s email list.
Make it consistent.
Commit to creating and sharing your newsletter on a regular basis—monthly, weekly, etc. Your readers know to expect and look forward to receiving your content.
When used as part of an integrated marketing strategy, email newsletters can be very effective at engaging your customers and can help drive interaction with your brand that extends far beyond the newsletter itself. If you’re interested in brainstorming ideas for your enewsletter, email me at emoriarty@shamrockcompanies.net.
