Email newsletters how to
What are Email newsletters and how to best manage them and make them work for your business?.
Newsletters sent by email is the best way to keep a form of customer contact over time.
The newsletters are designed with your brand in mind and to keep your customers or potential customers up to date with the latest products, ideas and even staff news.
This form of communication has been around for a long time but unfortunately, in many cases, they have little chance of success.
Most people or businesses use them randomly, usually when looking for something to do and try to sell a product or service to an unsupported crowd.
Newsletter consistency is necessary
Even I find it hard to remember the newsletter sending on a regular basis. That is why you need a plan and a template. Work out in advance what you are going to send and then fill in the blanks along the way.
A customer of mine is a Sign-writer. He posts pictures of his best job every month and just tells the story. What they set out to achieve and a result. Gets me in every time.
Not everyone is going to rush in to buy today but guess how you will feel when someone calls and says something along the lines of “you know that building on Main Street you did, well I want something like that” Pow, a $10 grand job at such a small cost.
Manage your newsletters
Properly managed newsletters are a wonderful resource that will generate great returns for little outgoing or even time commitment. You can even outsource the demands for a small payment.
For you, the hardest part is constructing a list and maintaining it in a current manner.
Emails can be obtained from sales sources, billing lists, enquirer forms, staff requests, web pages, lead pages, referrals. In fact just about anywhere you have obtained the details legally in the course of your business.
The form of Newsletter sending
Now, this gets interesting, it can be done as a general email message or a template message that is constructed around your branding.
I use templates almost exclusively because I believe they typify a business newsletter and can be recognized quickly.
Know like and trust
Customers open mail from people they know and trust. Being consistent with your template, logo and layout is essential overtime
Newsletters have an informative view and term commitment.
Don’t oversell in Newsletters, they are there to inform, entertain and keep you at top of mind
Keep them relatively short with a good headline and all your normal details.
Yes have a call me option or call to action but no big buy me buttons.
Links that can be clicked
Newsletters need to have clickable links so you can gauge readers interest and act on that interest.
If I posted, for instance, the best deals on I-phones and Android phones I would probably get a 50/50 split. You can then segregate your audience into two separate streams for those products.
More on emails
Segregating your list can achieve greater results
Not everyone has the same interests and you can have lists within lists. I have an overall list and then break them down into categories for special mailing.
Reviewing your list
In conclusion, it is important to regularly review your list and delete those uninterested parties. If they don’t open a mail over a few tries flick them and move on
Who do I use for newsletters
Finally, I use Constant contact because it is where I add my lists. There is a cost but that is often forgotten with results. If you search the web there will be many opportunities to send a branded email
Peter Hanley
