Newsletter subscribers are extremely valuable soft leads that, with a simple push and a slight amount of persuading, could end up as customers. Your newsletter is a simple and very effective marketing tool. Whether it be a monthly newsletter or one every once in a while, it will still grab the attention of your subscribers.
A newsletter is an easy way to distribute informational and product-focused content via an emailed letter to a subscriber list that comprises of possible and current customers. Online businesses apply newsletters to keep their brand at the top of the list of customer sales, launching specialists in the space and notifying readers of products that may interest them.
Gauging the success of newsletters depends on what you use in your newsletter. You can view how many subscribers are opening your newsletter and you can also track the number of clicks that your newsletter material is receiving once sent. Like all marketing initiatives, newsletters need to have a measurable influence on the business. To begin with, setting up measurable goals – are you wanting subscribers to follow a link or participate in a survey? These base goals are supplied to various sales campaigns or business initiatives the newsletter could reinforce.
1. Effective newsletters are informing, not completely sales-driven
Email users of every kind are frequently bombarded with offers, sales, and promotions on a daily basis. Most of the time, it’s all just to get customers to open and read a sales pitch. Your newsletter needs to go beyond an attempt to sell products and services. Your content needs to be sincerely and honestly interesting.
Users are much more likely to open your email if it will add value to their lives. You want to create content that is educating or entertaining to the end user. The first step it to accomplish this in the subject line. It is important to keep in mind that click-bait subject lines will only work once if your actual content doesn’t deliver on the promise presented in the subject line.
2. Your promise needs to promote authority and expertise
Newsletters give online businesses an opportunity to prove the authority and expertise surrounding a particular product, service or industry. Let subscribers know why certain materials are better, tell a short story about your brand or tell them something that brings more personality to your brand. This gives readers a reason to trust you and let them know what you are about, without reading much further.
3. Distinguish your brand from the competition
Customers with a specific attachment to a particular company spend more money than any average consumers – people buy brand identity more than they buy products. An effective newsletter is one way to bolster your brand identity and distinguish your brand from the competition. It gives you that edge and that personal touch that attracts customers and keeps them interested in your business.
4. Newsletters are 9/10 simplified information, and only 1/10 sales material
You need to have the right balance on content in your newsletters. Less is always more, and as mentioned before, the educational material will lead to more sales than any product copy will. If you have something more to offer than just your typical product or service information you are more likely to hold onto your subscribers.
5. Use Creative and informed headlines
Subject lines should entice the reader to open the email and it should accurately represent and express its contents. You should not mention something in your subject line just to get them to open the email/newsletter. Do not lure your customers and not deliver on your message. There is nothing worse than taking time out of your day to read something that is irrelevant.
6. Be likeable
A large portion of respondents sign up for your newsletter because they like your brand. Don’t make the newsletter extensive and mundane – people want short, easy to read content that adds value. Attract the client and keep them interested. It is a great opportunity to show your subscribers why they like your brand and what they can expect from their favourite brand in the future.
7. Relevant and consistently scheduled
Information should be precise to your target audience. If you sell several products targeted at different audiences, then create separate lists to target them. You also need to be consistent in your delivery so take the time to see when would be best for you to send your newsletter out. This can be every week, once at the end/beginning of the month, or every time you start supplying a new product or service.
8. You need a strong call to action
Every newsletter should have an anticipated action to be performed by the reader. Once your subscribers are done reading, you need to make sure they don’t just close the email. Keep them involved by giving them an all intensive task. This allows you to easily stay in touch with potentials and regular customers that showed an interest in the past.
9. Unclutter the format
Keep it simple, attractive and entertaining. If your soft and hard leads are confused or overwhelmed by the formatting, they are more likely to unsubscribe or be detached from your brand throughout the newsletter.
10. Take it a step further and keep it mobile friendly
Mobile responsiveness is essential to newsletters as most customers read their emails on the run. It is busy out there in the real world, you need to keep that in mind! More and more people are using mobile devices to check their emails and do a lot of their shopping online. Companies need to make sure their newsletters are adjusted and compatible with tablets and smartphones for the best results.
11. Give people the option to unsubscribe
This may sound strange to you, why get them to subscribe and then you give them the option to unsubscribe? The answer is easy – businesses with a subscriber list, want to keep leads as happy as possible, even if that means losing their subscription to a newsletter. It does not mean you lose business from that client it just means they do not want to be receiving reminders or updates on your brand. Most people are not patient enough to be receiving constant reminders as it clusters their mailbox. Subscribe and unsubscribe forms must be visible for potential or present customers to sign up or sign out.
It’s Time To Increase Subscribers
The potentials are all there waiting to join. If your current leads are happy then why not reach out to more. They may not be forwarding your newsletter, but they would be talking about you. Make sure you are being helpful in your newsletter. Answer the common questions they will be asking from the get-go, answer before they have a chance to ask. Make sure to share valuable and useful content. Reach out, make and keep connections. If your newsletter is informative and beneficial for clients, it sure is going to be beneficial to your business. Send out your newsletter today.
