Visuals. Images. I know what you’re thinking – those don’t belong in newsletters, right? Wrong. Creating a great newsletter with just your handy word processor is nearly impossible. I’m speaking from experience here, too. Most marketers have tried – and failed – to get a nearly-text-only newsletter off the ground. And with today’s need for a high delivery rate email service that’s actually easy to provide, graphically-oriented newsletters just make sense. Here’s why (and how) to get going on image-based newsletters…
1. Images are engaging – Research shows that posts with images are at least twice as engaging as text-only posts. The old “picture” adage really is true here. And why wouldn’t it be? Consumers who can get their information in graphic form can save time and be more engaged. No wonder images work so well.
2. You can embed links – Images are great ways to get readers to your website. Putting a small or partial image in your mass emails is good link-bait. People who like the images or are intrigued by their message will click and be taken to your website. Sure, you can do this with text too, but would an image be easier?
3. It’s cheap – Compared to hiring the kind of writing team that you’ll need to get a text-only newsletter off the ground, hiring a great photographer and graphic designer (this can be the same person) is inexpensive and can yield huge results. A great artist can engage your readers with a series of well-places images and will save you writing time in the process.
4. It keeps things fresh – If your bulk emails are starting to feel the same, it’s probably because they’re the same. It’s hard to keep coming up with creative writing ideas at least every week, but images, colors, and email arrangement can make your newsletters seem completely fresh week in and week out.