Many readers have likely been in the email marketing game for some time — After all, email was the major consumer innovation that allowed marketers to reach individual consumers. Before social media, there was email. Most of you who have been involved with email marketing have used newsletters at some point or another, so it stands to reason that some newsletter techniques have gotten stale over the years. Looking for a way to improve your bulk marketing services with newsletters? Read on…
1. Focus on education – The great thing about newsletters is that they’ve always been about education. Most newsletters give a few updates on the company, point to some interesting stories about the company’s products or services, then have some sort of sales pitch or links to products. It’s more important now than ever to focus on that education component, even if you don’t includes any sales information in your newsletter. You’ve got an email auto responder for that kind of thing, and educational newsletters are far more likely to draw interest than sales-focused ones.
2. Mix it up – If you’ve done a newsletter for a long time, there’s a good chance the format has remained the same. Lots of numbered or bulleted entries with a few links interspersed throughout is a common theme. It’s 2013, so go ahead and mix up the design while keeping your brand’s theme central to the newsletter. Think about using videos, graphics, or long-form articles to help drive interest to your website.
3. Send it regularly – Once a month is probably the best frequency to send a newsletter unless you are time-sensitive with your announcements. Users should expect to receive your newsletter at a specific time, and sending it at the beginning of the week helps alert them to its importance. Monday-Wednesday is a good time to fire up that email blaster program and send your monthly newsletter.