Newsletters remain one of the most powerful mediums for engaging potential customers. However, as a business owner it can be a little overwhelming pulling together a newsletter that doesn’t take up too much time but offers worthwhile results. Here are our top tips on how to create an email newsletter people will read.
Use an attention-grabbing subject line
Don’t underestimate the importance of an eye-catching subject line. Think of it this way, your header needs to capture the attention of a busy individual who could be receiving up to 100 emails a day from people trying to sell them something.
A well-thought-out subject line will result in a higher open rate, which of course gives you the best possible chance to communicate with your audience.
Here are some things to consider:
- Get specific with the topic
- Include a hook
- Make it directly relevant to your audience
- Create some FOMO
- Personalisation (i.e. James, cleaning not your thing? Good news, it’s ours!)
Send a test email to yourself prior to broadcasting. In addition to checking the content, consider how the subject line stands out in your inbox. Ask yourself – would I open this email? Or better yet, would my ideal client?
Start with the end
Too often busy business owners make the mistake of sending a newsletter without a real goal or objective other than to “stay in touch”. If you take this approach, your newsletter will lack substance, relevance, and purpose. The result? Your audience is less likely to read your next piece of communication.
Whenever you communicate with a client (marketing or otherwise), your number one goal should be to respond to the question, “How can I serve my customer?”. Start with service and then set the business goal. For example: Offering a free phone consultation (service), generates 10 bookings. 5 convert into an upcoming paid workshop (business goal).
Have ONE call to action (CTA)
This ties in with the above tip, as you need to be clear on your messaging and what action you want the reader to take. Chances are, if you ask too much of your reader, they will feel overwhelmed and take no action at all. Limit yourself to one call to action (CTA).
Here are some examples of an appropriate CTA:
- Visit the website
- Click to book
- Purchase here
- Learn more on our blog
- Click to download
Your CTA should also be quite obvious, in the form of a link or a button, as your goal is to get the reader to the next step in the process.
Consider your frequency
Once you’ve built up a large enough database to send out a newsletter, think about how much time and resources you can spare to compile something that will be of value to customers. How much meaningful content do you have to share? Are there times of the year where a newsletter would be more useful (for example, holiday sales)?
There’s no magic number when it comes to sending out emails, but we would encourage you to try and stay consistent with your frequency, whether you choose weekly, monthly or even quarterly newsletters.
After sending out a few newsletters, track your open rates and click-through rates to see if you’re getting the results you want.
Not sure how to set all this up? We’re happy to help!
If you have any questions, comments, or additional suggestions to add to this list, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you. Check out our Blog for other marketing tips; or Contact us.
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