You don't want to limit your business emails to promotions and specials. A newsletter is the way to go if you want to reach out further to your customers.
Even with social media marketing and SMS marketing, email marketing remains one of the top ways to promote any type of business. Experts predict that 4.3 billion people will be using email by 2023. In 2021, close to 300 billion emails were sent daily. More importantly to marketers, the expected return-on-investment for each email campaign is roughly $42 for every $1 spent.
The benefits of sending marketing emails are clear. But you don’t want to limit your emails to promotions and specials, although using emails to promote sales is certainly beneficial.
You want your mailing list recipients to open your emails expecting something important, informative and maybe even exciting. That’s where a newsletter for your business comes in.
Although your business newsletter will include some of the same elements as any other marketing email, it should focus on delivering value and education rather than simply promoting products or services.
Before you begin sending out newsletters, you’ll need to choose an email platform, set it up and populate it with your customers’ names. Most customer relationship management (CRM) software platforms allow you to export data as a spreadsheet. Then, you can import that data to your mailing list software.
If you use a platform like Hubspot or Zoho, your email software will be incorporated into your CRM and social media management, making it easy to reach your customers and prospects through multiple channels. Or, depending on the size of your company and your mailing list, you can choose a lower-cost email marketing platform like Mailchimp or Constant Contact.
Once you’ve imported the names and email addresses into the platform of your choice, you’ll want to select a template for your newsletter. Using the same template every time you send a newsletter makes setting up the emails easy and sets up expectations for readers each time they receive a newsletter from you.
When you’re first starting out, you’ll want to do some A/B testing by sending the same newsletter content designed on two different templates to separate groups to see which layout performs better. It could take some time to find the design that resonates best with your audience, but once you do, you can continue using that template until you notice click-through rates starting to drop.
Once you’ve selected a template, make sure to customize it with your company logo and colors to be consistent with the rest of your branding, including your social media profiles and website. By doing this, you’ll convey consistency that helps build trust and generate brand recognition.
Once you’ve decided on a template, you’ll need to populate each section with content. But what should you write? After personalizing the greeting, start with a warm welcome. You can tie this into company news—if it shows an obvious benefit to your readers—or industry news or events.
The rest of your newsletter can include short segments covering the following:
Choose three to five items to keep your newsletter interesting, but make sure to keep each section short. Most importantly, focus on providing information that will help your readers rather than just place your company in the spotlight. For instance, an automotive mechanic may send out tips on how to winterize your car for the cold months ahead, along with a few testimonials from satisfied local customers.
As with any marketing email, beginning with a strong subject line can boost open rates and improve your overall campaign results. Again, don’t be afraid to experiment with different subject lines to see what types perform best. Stick with industry best practices, which include keeping subject lines short and enticing. Give people a reason to open your email instead of the million other messages they see in their inbox.
Include at least one compelling image to capture your readers’ eyes. This can be a product photo, people in your company or a stock image that is relevant to your content.
Finally, always end with a call-to-action. Do you want your readers to visit your website, make a purchase, follow you on social media or view your latest webinar on demand? Whatever it is, make it clear and include a call-to-action button so it’s easy for people to take the next step.
A company newsletter is an easy way to stay in touch with your customers and prospects regularly without bombarding them with sales and promotions. It can help you connect with your target market and make them feel closer to your business. That’s why personal tidbits or interesting company news are welcome in your newsletter, as long as you make sure to focus on delivering value to your readers.
By following the tips above and focusing on sharing useful content on a regular basis, you’ll stay front-of-mind for your market and build brand loyalty.
Writer : Dawn Allcot - Contributor of U.S. Chamber of Commerce
