5 simple steps to a successful email newsletter
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Follow my five simple steps and you'll have the tools you need to create a successful email newsletter. Impress your customers and prospects with content they'll want to share and build an audience that'll look forward to your next communication.
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5 simple steps to a successful email newsletter
- 1. FIVE STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL EMAIL NEWSLETTER Diane Nowell Copywritten www.copywritten.co.uk Copywritten: putting words to work
- 2. 1. WHY? What benefits do you think an email newsletter would bring to your business? What would you like to achieve?
- 3. DESIRED OUTCOMES SalesDrive traffic to website Promote products and services Inform and educate Reinforce brand values Create communications channel Develop community Build a sell-to list Establish authority
- 4. 2. WHAT? Let’s take a closer look at the content your newsletter could and should be delivering.
- 5. 5 CENTRAL PRINCIPLES • Deliverable1 • Interesting2 • Engaging3 • Simple4 • Customer-focused5
- 6. DO THE MATHS If you’re writing about a topic your readers find valuable and interesting, you can quickly build an audience. And subscribers may turn into clients. Useful information Engaging style Customer connections
- 7. STUCK FOR IDEAS? events reviews tips infographicsblog posts stories trends
- 8. ALWAYS INCLUDE An intriguing subject line Great content Links to your website Pinnable imagery Concise headings A clear call to action Social sharing buttons
- 9. 3. HOW? How can you transform ideas into action?
- 10. MAILCHIMP.COM MailChimp is free if you’re sending no more than 12,000 emails a month to up to 2,000 recipients. You can choose from HTML templates or build your own, and take advantage of list segmentation options and comprehensive analytics tools.
- 11. 4. WHO? How do you build an audience that will benefit your business?
- 12. WHO CAN YOU SEND E-NEWSLETTERS TO? Yes Someone who’s signed up for email communications on your website Someone who’s completed a paper entry permitting email correspondence Existing customers who have bought similar products or services from you in the past year No Email addresses copied from websites without permission Anyone you haven’t contacted in the last two years Anyone who hasn’t expressly given their permission
- 13. TARGET YOUR COMMUNICATIONS It’s only good for your business if you market to those who will be responsive to your message otherwise you’re wasting your time and energy www.ico.org.uk
- 14. 5. WHEN? How often should you distribute your newsletter?
- 15. WEEKLY? MONTHLY? QUARTERLY? The quantity and quality of your content will dictate how often you distribute your newsletter. Don’t risk switching customers off with communications that simply aren’t up to scratch. product review news update blog post
- 16. ALLOCATEYOURRESOURCES The regularity of your newsletter cycle will also depend on resource allocation. You’ll need to make sure you set aside time and resources for essential tasks: Agreeing, writing and compiling content Commissioning and selecting images Managing your subscriber list Laying out the newsletter and testing links Alternatively, outsource it to a professional who can manage the process for you. newsletter images content layout list curation
- 17. IN SUMMARY Share content with value and personality Keep it concise – link to longer articles on web and blog Stick to a style formula but make each issue stand out Build relationships and you’ll inspire trust Listen to feedback and act on it Make your e-newsletter smartphone-friendly Avoid the hard sell if you want to keep audience interest Test before you send – check spelling, grammar and links Be consistent with your mailings and your message Deliver on your promises and your readers may become customers
Editor's Notes
- Activity:Take 5 minutes to jot down the outcomes you desire. (flipchart results)
- You need to put time and energy into making your communications entertaining and informative so you have the opportunity to sell to your customers. Think 80% educational to 20% promotional – you could even save your sales messages for a separate outing.
- Deliverable – you have to maintain a regular schedule once you begin. It could be every week, month or quarter but make sure you have the time and resources (internal or external) to do it and meet your deadlines. Aim to deliver 3-5 stories.Interesting – it needs to have original content that’s of real interest to your customers. Just sending them a list of what you want to sell this week just won’t do.Engaging – Share engaging authentic stories and your customers will want to share them, too. Develop a style that suits your organisation and stick to it. Make sure it’s well written.Simple – Develop a format and keep it simple and easy to digest with plenty of relevant pictures and infographics. Vary colourways and such but make sure it’s identifiably you each time.Customer-focused – it’s not all about you. Find out what your customers want and give it to them. Consider their journey and you’ll begin to understand what information they need to make a buying decision.
- Activity – 5 minutes to jot down 3 non-sales stories you think could connect with your customers (flipchart)
- An intriguing subject line. Make your customers really want to open itGreat content. Once they’ve opened it, engage your customers.Links to articles and features on your website. You want people to explore more when they’ve read your news.Pinnable imagery (50/50). More from Glynis later, but it makes sense to use images people will want to share on their social networks.Concise headings that make it easy for your readers to go straight to those things that interest them.A clear call to action. Read more, watch this, discover more.Social sharing buttons to encourage propagation of content.
- Free if you’re sending no more than 12,000 emails a month to up to 2,000 recipientsHTML templates or build-your-ownSegmentation optionsComprehensive analytics toolsAweber from $19 per month. Enhanced tools.
- Activity general brainstorming session – suggestions (flipchart)
- You must include a return email address, a company name and address and a clear unsubscribe option. Remember, it’s only good for your business if you market to those who will be responsive to your message otherwise you’re wasting your time and energy. Ico.org.uk Information commissioner’s office.
- Information commissioner’s office.
- Deliver content with value and personality. Create content your audience wants to read and imbue it with personality. Make it engaging.Keep it concise. You can link to longer articles on your website or to blogs.Stick to a style formula. Create a newsletter template so that your audience recognises it. Change photos and Colourways to make each newsletter stand out.Build relationships. Think of it as the long game.Listen to feedback and act on it. If you get input from your audience, use it to refine your output.Make your e-newsletter smartphone-friendly. It’s likely that a good slice of your audience will access your newsletter on a mobile device, so make it fit.Avoid the hard sell. This is about adding value and building trust.Test before you send. Check your spelling, grammar, pics and links.Be consistent. Make sure you have the resources to send your newsletter regularly.Deliver on your promises. If you say you’re going to offer tips, advice and features, do it.