How to create the best newsletter for your customer base
A newsletter can sound like a simple and effective way of maintaining customers’ interest, encouraging them to make more purchases or alerting them to new products and services. However, in the modern world, many people are bombarded with information every day. Therefore if you are going to spend time creating and sending a newsletter, you need to make sure it is one that grabs the attention of your intended readers. These days most newsletters are emailed, and here are ways to make sure your e-newsletter has a high positive impact.
Get Focused
Be clear about what kind of newsletter you are sending and why. Be specific and try not to clutter the newsletter with random information. Be aware that your readers may be short of time, so keep it concise and to the point. Align the newsletter with one clear outcome if you can, and if in doubt, then leave it out. Apply this to the design of the newsletter too, keeping it clean, minimal and easily understood.
Don’t Bombard Customers
Just because people sign up to get newsletters from you does not mean they want five emails a day all containing the same material. Restrain yourself, and don’t annoy customers by sending them emails constantly. Make each one count.
Education and Entertainment
Offer some useful news or tips in your newsletter. Customers will quickly stop reading if all they ever say is buy this or buy that. Mix it up a bit. If you have an exciting development or announcement to report, then lead with that. Imagine yourself receiving one of these newsletters – what would you want to read?
Manage Expectations
If customers sign up for your newsletter on your website, then inform them what kind of material they will be receiving, along with how often (because you will have already worked this out when you were getting focused on the newsletter’s content and aims). Customers are not stupid, they will appreciate an honest description of what you are providing. Then, of course, you must deliver.
Avoid Boring Your Readers
Where possible make your newsletters lively and entertaining. This isn’t always easy, but if the major content is fairly sombre, you could be a little creative with the subject of your email. Aim to write a title that captures attention and makes the recipients want to find out more.
Make it Worth Their While
Motivate your readership with offers and promotions that are only available to those who subscribe to your newsletter. This could not only drive up the number of subscribers, but boost sales. The offers could be part of a rewards programme for loyal customers. Just make sure you come up with genuinely great incentives that anyone would be pleased to receive in their inbox.
Personalised Content
The trend in marketing is towards the customised and bespoke. If you can, target content to the customer and include their name. This may require a more sophisticated set up where customers are coded according to their preferences and purchases. It may also require different versions of your newsletter, or even different newsletters to different groups of customers at different times. This is more work, but if customers feel like you are paying attention to what they need, they will welcome your newsletters more warmly.