Never sent a newsletter to your customers? You’re missing out. Read on to find out how a monthly email newsletter can give your marketing a bit of a boost.
Every good content strategy includes email campaigns. Why? Because emails continue to be an excellent way to put your business in front of customers.
Indeed, research carried out by SendInBlue in 2021 revealed that email continues to be the preferred brand communication channel for all generations barring Gen Z (they are far more interested in social channels such as Instagram).
Maximising your email campaigns is therefore a surefire way to improve your business’ performance. Newsletters are a key part of this.
What is a newsletter?
A newsletter is a form of communication used by businesses and organisations. It is used to create a regular touchpoint with a target audience, as well as to drive traffic to your website and boost sales.
It does this by providing useful, timely and relevant information to customers, prospects and your wider network. This information could include news stories, details about new products or upcoming sales promotions.
In addition to written copy, a successful business newsletter will also have eye-catching imagery and clear calls to action (CTAs).
It can be sent as a physical mailout or an email newsletter.
What are the benefits of a company newsletter?
A business newsletter is great to have as part of your content strategy because it is an affordable and easy way to engage with your customers and prospects.
An enewsletter gives you direct access to your customers’ inboxes, giving you the opportunity to develop that all-important customer relationship and increase brand awareness.
Newsletters are also highly measurable, which means you can gain some important data to refine your marketing. Metrics such as open rates, click-through rates (CTRs), delivery numbers, bounce rates and unsubscribed numbers are all useful for working out what gets your audience’s attention – and what causes them to switch off and vanish from your subscription lists.
What makes a successful newsletter?
A successful online newsletter will deliver on three important pillars: content, design and value.
Content: Content in a newsletter needs to be interesting, but it also needs to be concise and easy to read. After all, no one wants to trawl through an essay each month. It should also be made more skimmable with headings and subtitles.
Design: A flat, dull design won’t do you any favours. It needs to be attractive, eye-catching and laid out your content so that it is readable and CTAs are prominent. Imagery should also be a key consideration. Remember to include your logo, brand colours and fonts. Also, create a responsive format so that users of all mobile devices will be able to open and read your content.
Value: Newsletters must offer something valuable to readers. Out-of-date information that doesn’t reflect their interests or needs is a surefire way to ramp up the number of unsubscribes you receive. Audience segmentation, according to specific characteristics, can help you to send out targeted messages.
What is the structure of a newsletter?
If you’re not sure how to structure a newsletter or lay it out, there are loads of free templates available that you can adapt to suit your brand and business. To help you on your way, you should also think about the following…
Subject line
Every good email newsletter needs an attention-grabbing subject line. This is probably the most important part of a newsletter as it will be the driving force behind your recipients’ decision to open your email. Keep them short and punchy, perhaps with an emoji if that suits your brand. Use it as a teaser that piques curiosity. If you have a couple of options and aren’t sure what works best, do some A/B testing to find out.
Heading
Once your newsletter is opened, your newsletter structure will need to begin with a headline. This could be as simple as ‘Welcome to September’s Newsletter!’ but it is also beneficial to have something stronger. A subtitle beneath the header can give an indication of what the rest of the email will contain. This should all be supported by an attractive image.
Introduction
It’s always nice to include a little welcome message to your readers. If possible, personalise this so that your recipient is mentioned by name.
Main body
This can be structured in many different ways, but this is the ‘meaty’ part of your newsletter and should contain summaries of news stories, products and promotions. Keep these summaries snappy, include a good image and make sure your CTAs are easy to see i.e. Read more, buy online etc.
Sign off
Sign off your newsletter with a friendly message and provide some contact details for easy reference. Below this, make sure your unsubscribe message is included.
Want to include newsletters in your content strategy?
If you’d like to give newsletters a go but need a helping hand, get in touch! We’d love to discuss your email marketing needs with you. Simply drop us a line at hello@methodmarketing.org.