10 tips to get your e-newsletters read
Regardless of how many new communication tools are available via social media, the most popular form of written communication continues to be email. And don’t we know it.
What happened before the advent of e-comm? Oh yes, we posted letters and newsletters to our clients' mailboxes!
Just as there were special ways to write letters and newsletters to achieve the best results, it was a rare thing for most people to receive more than 10 pieces of mail a day, but now it’s a rarity not to receive at least 10 emails an hour! So how do you make your emails (or in this case, e-newsletters) get the attention they deserve?
You can use social media to refer people to your latest news on your website or Facebook page, but in this article we’re going to focus on sending e-newsletters to update your clients and attract new business from potential clients.
1. Always make your e-communication as personalised as possible. When building your database through your website, include specific fields on your online forms to obtain the right information from your visitors. Request a business name and a phone number to help to confirm any details or make a personal follow-up call.
2. Segment your lists so you can send tailored versions to each list. For example: clients, potential clients, COIs, etc. This will help to ensure your messages are relevant and potentially interesting to the reader.
3. Don’t abuse the people on your list by sending unnecessary or untargeted emails which will only annoy them and force them to unsubscribe. Use your e-news to share helpful information. Also don’t drown your poor readers in too much information. A monthly e-news consisting of one or two articles, or a quarterly edition with 4-5 articles is more than sufficient.
4. Always send your e-news from your own email address and make sure your name is displayed as the sender. This not only helps to overcome any potential spamming problems, but your readers can reply to you personally.
5. Use an interesting and relevant subject line. Be mindful of using certain words that are automatic sp*m targets (we won’t quote any sp*mmable words here just in case this e-news gets sp*mmed!).
6. Make your e-news visually appealing. If you want your messages to be read (and your readers to act), entice them with a well-designed newsletter that has colourful images and easily read fonts.
7. Ask for feedback. Even though you might never receive any, always provide an option to hear from the other side. (Hint: I love receiving feedback – it gives me a great feeling knowing that my skills and experience have helped others!)
8. We highly recommend testing and measuring your e-communication and this can be easily done when using a professional e-marketing program. Send your newsletter on different days at varying times then compare the results (the readership statistics will show you). See what works best for your readers - don’t just go by what the ‘experts’ tell you is the best day/time.
9. All e-newsletters or e-marketing tools must have an unsubscribe function. And make sure it’s a simple process and effective immediately. Don't forget to remove their details from your other databases too.
10. And finally, never spam. Never. Ever. And never promote your services through someone else’s website. We’ve been receiving unsolicited emails via our website’s contact form trying to sell us SEO services. In my opinion, that is the height of bad business.
None of this is rocket science but even these days I regularly witness some awful attempts at e-communication. I hope these tips help you make yours more enjoyable and effective.
