The Newsletter Guide – How to get started and keep it up
A newsletter is a great way to connect with your customers or prospects and it probably sits on your ‘to-do’ list. Here’s a quick guide to help you achieve it.
Who are you sending it to?
Before you start, consider your audience. Talk to them directly, as you would if you saw them in person. Your communication with customers and prospects builds on their relationship with your brand. So be human in your communications with them. The result will not only be more engaging, you are also more likely to send them something that is ‘them focussed’ not ‘you focussed’.
Subject line
This is the first thing your recipient will see, so make sure you are inviting them to open your email. Try to stay away from obvious titles such as ‘July Newsletter’. In fact, emails including the word ‘newsletter’ in the subject line are less likely to be opened. In a email marketing study by Adestra, that compared open rates based on subject line, the emails headed ‘Newsletter’ saw a 40% decrease in click through rate.
Other studies have shown that 35% of email recipients open emails based on the subject line alone. Try a more engaging heading or be clear about the benefit you offer in the email.
Here’s a tip: Use the email content to create a title. Choose the most compelling point of the email and create your heading.
Preview text
Most email inboxes are set up to preview the content of the email. If you add nothing here, your recipients will see the first few of lines of copy which may not make sense. Using digital marketing software will allow you to write up a short preview that your readers will see first. It only needs to be a couple of lines but it gives them a teaser and should convince them to open your email.
The body copy
Break it down into scannable sections. You will find it easier to write and your audience can zero in on the information they are most interested in. Use a template to break up your text with images. If this is your first newsletter, the format you create can be the framework for the next one – making the whole process easier.
Here are some ideas to include in your newsletter:
- Greeting – open the newsletter in a personal way. Keep it short and sweet and don’t be afraid to be different, such as starting with a question or a strong statement.
- Product news – promote and describe the key benefits.
- Special offer – include an offer that is exclusive to these customers.
- Case studies – you could link to a blog on your website showcasing your satisfied and happy customers.
- Stories from your business – Tell them about a cause you support or introduce a new member to the team.
- Lifestyle – a great holiday read, a recipe using your products, tips for work-life balance.
- Important information – Let customers know if your business is closed over a holiday period or advise them of changes to deliveries etc.
- Call to actions and social icons – add a call to action to encourage your recipient to visit your page, buy something or contact you and include links to your social pages to help build your community of followers.
Design and images
Bring your company branding to the fore by including your logo and background colours. Your email is not the same as a print brochure but images do sell. Including images will make your email more engaging to the reader. Don’t overdo it but use a couple to break up the text.
For longer form content you can add a ‘Read More’ button or use a link included in the sentence that directs readers back to a blog or news page on your website.
Follow the rules
If you are sending your email to a large group of contacts make sure you have your contacts’ permission to email them. Your email always needs to include an unsubscribe link in the bottom of the email and it’s also a good idea to tell them why they are receiving it.
Send a test
Finally, before you send it out to your clients and prospects, send a test to yourself and someone in the office. Do a final read through to check grammar and spelling are correct and you are ready to go.
Well done. There is one less thing on your ‘To-do’ list!
BOMA’s easy to use App makes designing your email simple. Choose from our selection of beautiful email templates or design your own using our email editor. BOMA’s emails are mobile responsive ensuring your newsletter is perfectly formatted for whatever device it is read on.
About the Author: Liz Studholme is the Marketing Content Manager at BOMA.
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