Defining an e-newsletter is easy. An e-newsletter is news or upcoming events for your business and industry which you relay to your clients. An e-newsletter is definitely subscription based. If you send out a newsletter without someone subscribing, then it is plain spam. So let’s ask that important question, one which will maybe redefine your business. Does Your E-Newsletter Need a Makeover?
Lets see what a good newsletter looks like. A really good newsletter is regularly distributed for instance, weekly, monthly or quarterly. Your newsletter should also inform your subscribers of latest products or special offers you are running
Your newsletter should be written in such a way that hides your main purpose, and would bring your clients back to your business because you can offer them what they are looking for. It should be a way for you to let your customer know that you are keeping them in mind. You should inspire your clients to invest in services or buy new products. Even better, keep your clients informed of what is happening in your industry. Things like trends or statistics – buying patterns, employment, products, latest regulations and inventory levels are always good topics to write about. Try to keep it industry focused as much as possible. By doing this your business would be seen as a leader and will translate into trust from your clients.
Ask yourself another question. Does your e-newsletter offer tips and tricks of the industry? If your newsletter is industry based you could source many small points like “how to do this..” or include in your newsletter a “problem solver” space. Discuss maybe a real problem with a product, which someone had solved. A true story is always a crowd-pleaser.
Interaction with your clients is so vital to the growth of your business. Quick polls on your newsletter about the industry is always a winner. Give them the results on your next newsletter. This way they feel important and by voicing their opinion they feel they are part of your business. Another way for you to make an impression is if you offer them something funny. A short joke or a cartoon about something in your industry is a good way for them to share it with someone else.
Also look at the length of your newsletter. Do you include hours and hours of reading material? It should be short, factual, interesting, funny and industry related. You will quickly get “unsubscribe” if you bore your clients or give them too much information.
A fantastic add-on is an RSS feed in your newsletter. This will give your clients an opportunity to link to different news items in the industry without having to go search for them. There are a lot of websites on the internet that will give you simple instructions on how to set this up.
A small thing like a subject line could also make or break your e-newsletter venture. Make sure that it attracts attention from the word go. Attention grabbers are: “Top Tips for….” or “10 Successful…” or “Amazing news”. Headings like these would guarantee interest from your clients.
Now we come to that all important question we spoke about earlier on. Does your E-Newsletter Need a Makeover? If you are only doing one thing from the above list, you should seriously rethink your e-newsletter strategy. Good Luck.
Dhruv Patel is a happy DreamHost customer. He has a web site to promote DreamHost. Use the DreamHost coupon to get a discount at DreamHost sign up.
Tags: Email, Email Marketing, Online Marketing