This morning I received a rare treat in the post – a Company newsletter. At first I was confused, were they being fashionably retro? Sadly not, this was a genuine attempt at marketing. I sat and read said Company newsletter to see what could be so enthralling that it needed to be printed and posted but I was met by a host of stories that made me consider going to back to bed. It’s not all bad news however, this unexpected piece of post has promoted me to put together a few pointers about how to create an effective newsletter for your Company.
To begin with send your newsletter by email (called an e-zine these days), printing, postage, stuffing envelopes all a waste of time and money. Plus by sending your news to the masses via email you can see its outreach through the reporting system that any good email marketing software comes with. Sending out regular e-zines is a brilliant, cheap way to stay in touch with customers and at the front of prospective clients’ minds. These used to be an opportunity to relentlessly sell your business but this tact will quickly see you in the trash, now it’s a chance to educate about your area of expertise. Your e-zine is free to subscribe to so you must give it a value through the content - if it’s easy to get, it’s easy to get rid of.
All of this is well and good but if you are not going to write about the acquisition of a new scanner then what else is there? I often blab on about positioning yourself as an expert in your field, but this does help build trust and entices people to want more. One of our client makes wildlife products so they could write about when you should be putting out your hedgehog nesters or tips on how to make your garden more appealing to hedgehogs. No doubt you keep up with news from your industry so how about commenting on a news story that you have recently read. With a bit of imagination you will soon realise that Bob’s award for being the tallest man on the street is not of interest to your followers.
Tone is important and should be kept informal, you don’t want reading your e-z
ine to feel like a chore. People receive so many emails you want to make sure yours does not add to stress levels. Sentences should be short and easy to read, don’t go including any words of the day from dictionary.com. Make it as personal as possible, nobody wants to feel although they are being addressed as part of a crowd. An important housekeeping rule is to remember that readers have opted in so can opt out, ensure your e-zine has a one click unsubscribe button. Equally put a subscribe option for those that have been forwarded your e-zine and may want to receive future releases. Although writing a successful e-zine is challenging don’t be disheartened by low percentages of people opening or clicking through. Stick to it, make sure you write regularly otherwise readers will associate your business with not sticking to promises. Finally make sure there are no typos! I counted seven on the newsletter I just put in the bin.
Tags: e-zine, newsletter, scanner, writing
