How To Create An Effective NewsletterNelson Tan
April 21, 2009
The typical form of newsletter is a one-way communication where you
provide information to customers, such as product updates and
announcements. Creating a successful newsletter can be extremely
rewarding. Subscribers and customers respond with glowing feedback,
online sales jump and your customer relationships and brand loyalty
deepens. Here are some useful tips that might help in creating a
successful newsletter. Define Success
Ask
yourself "What is the purpose of your newsletter?" A newsletter is a
substantial investment of company resources in terms of time and
energy, and you need to define in as tangible terms as possible the
purpose of your Newsletter.
Voice and Personality
Establish
a voice or editorial personality—whether newsy, serious, gossipy or
funny—that is synergistic with the image you want to portray and
connects with your audience. Remember that e-mail newsletters aren't
e-mail promotions designed to stimulate immediate action. Sales and
promotional copy don't suit e-newsletters. Nor does the traditional
tone of broadcast corporate communications. Think of your newsletter as
a one-on-one conversation. Just imagine sitting in a coffee shop
talking informally with a customer. That's the starting point for your
approach—a more personable and appropriate "human" voice will come
naturally. Drop the jargon, drop the sales pitch, be as honest as you
can, and talk like a human being. You can have as much or as little
personality as is appropriate. Consider adding a brief editorial, a
comment or two, an editor's note, a couple of lines of commentary, a
touch of opinion; adding a little human element here and there. Sign
editorials, give authors a byline, or list some names down in the
administrative section of each issue to which your readers can relate
to.
"From" Line
Whether it's a person's name, name
of the newsletter or company name, determine what will resonate best
with your readers and stay with it.
"Subject" Line
"Vol.
1, Issue #8" or "Company News" are not enticing subject lines. They are
certainly consistent and simple, but they don't tell your readers
anything that will motivate them to open your e-mail. Your subject line
is your calling card—entice your readers with the most interesting or
intriguing information in your Newsletter. Use attractive headlines as
a means to summarize a section of content.
Style/Format
Establish
a format and layout of your Newsletter that is clean and simple, with
elements of the Newsletter (table of contents, "Tips", subscription
information, etc. located in the same spot each issue).
Content and Relevancy
Figure
out what your readers want and give it to them. Seek continuous
improvement by obtaining reader feedback and monitoring click-through
rates to determine what types of articles are most popular. Another
dilemma that we all confront is too much information and too little
time. The newsletter's job is to keep readers on top of trends and the
latest developments in the industry. Aim for articles and feature
stories to meet one of the following criteria by including either:
major industry occurrences, forward thinking industry ideas, education
on issues or new techniques, or business opportunities.
Whether
your customers work out of a corporate or home office, or employees
need answers to questions and tips for improving business activities,
e-newsletters provide you with an opportunity to point out work
inefficiencies, and share relevant best practice. When you create a
newsletter, try changing your focus from selling products and services
to solving your customers' problems. Think about what they need and
give options they don't know exist.
The greatest thing about the
electronic medium is that you can quickly add new hyperlinks and
include updates on old material should new information surface without
incurring another round of cost for a new issue (that happens in the
real world).
Don't Wait Till the Last Minute
Begin
compiling newsletter information in advance. Ask fellow marketers to
contribute articles. One great source of information is none other than
your inbox where you can quickly search for worthy nuggets from the
past week and relay the same essence in your own words.
Quality Sources
Where can you get quality content for your newsletter?
1.
Article directories like ezinearticles.com or findarticles.com. Also
get articles from yahoogroups. The downside to this is that you need to
include the author's signature or resource box.
2. Forums. One
of the most dynamic and updated places on the Internet is where people
write off the cuff and in real-time. Thread after thread, reply after
reply of the latest information comes off the minds of forum
participants. Combine interesting topics and reword them into an
original article.
3. Again, your own inbox right under your
nose. Whatever other marketers are writing or selling about, use them
to your own advantage and recreate them as your own.
4. Your own
insights are really your best resources. When you have passion, you
will never stop talking about what you know. Be consistent at no. 4 and
soon enough you will find a way to mold yourself into an expert.
Continue to expand your knowledge database and add value to it.
Graphics
Use
graphics that print well on your printer. Using a good mix of
photographs and art work makes for interesting copy. Too many graphics
can leave the newsletter looking cluttered.
Frequency
Determine
how frequently your readers want to hear from you/receive your
newsletter—and what you can commit to. As a rule, a weekly newsletter
is ideal. However, don't launch a weekly newsletter if you are not
absolutely certain that you can distribute a quality Newsletter every
week. A fortnightly newsletter is a good option too.
Length
A
newsletter should be a quick read. Readers expect to finish reading it
in 4 to 5 minutes. Short articles increase the probability that your
reader will find something of interest to them.
Timing
Test
and pick a day and time that works best...and stick to it. Readers
should almost be able to set their watches by the receipt time of your
Newsletter.
Penetration
You have the option of
formatting your e-mail by including colorized text and a variety of
fonts, but not all e-mail software supports HTML mail. Consider writing
your newsletter in plain text or offer two mailing lists—one for plain
text mailings and the other for HTML e-mail.
Make it Viral
Provide
information readers can act on or that stimulates reaction—forwarding
it to friends and peers, stimulating purchases or requests for
additional information. Make it easy for readers to forward articles
and information to peers and friends. Provide a "Tell a Friend" link
that enables readers to forward the Newsletter with a personalized note.
Search
Make
it easy to find articles of interest and back issues. Provide a table
of contents and links to articles within the newsletter and to
resources and past articles on your site.
Printability
If
you want to give readers an option to print, consider providing
"printer-friendly formats" on your website. Make sure your newsletter
is physically readable. Avoid anything less than 12 point fonts for the
article text. Fancy fonts may look good but can be hard to read when
printed. Heading and text fonts should be consistent throughout the
newsletter.
If you lack experience in print media, seek out
assistance if you know someone in the field. If not, don't worry—the
abovementioned basic principles apply. Plan to research your material
thoroughly and avoid factual or editing errors, as they will make you
seem less credible.
Personalize
At the very least,
address the reader by name. The most successful newsletters have a
human being associated with them...and a personality. If possible, your
Newsletter should be "written by a person" at your company...not the
company.
Language
Not everyone has the range and
depth of vocabulary as teachers and linguists do. Use words that are
easy to understand, and if you do use technical terms, provide a
definition that people can relate to. There is nothing more frustrating
then a definition that makes less sense than the word itself. Just
write in layman terms and keep it short, simple and straightforward.
Spelling and Grammar Check
Sending
out copy with numerous errors creates a negative image to your readers.
Aside from using a spell checker, have an outsider edit your final copy
for readability, grammar and content.
Test and Track
Test
the Newsletter on few e-mail addresses to check for errors and other
issues before sending to the entire distribution list. Keep track of
results and reactions to your newsletter to come to an understanding
for further tweaks and corrections.
Lastly, to summarize the key fundamental features of an e-newsletter, make sure you include:
* Table of Contents * Hyperlinks for customers who want more information for a featured topic * Exciting secrets or tips related to your product or service * Contact information
E-newsletters
can take up a good amount of time if not managed correctly. The use of
a list server (a piece of software that runs on your Internet
provider's computer or on your own web server) is a good option. It
will automatically manage a list of e-mail addresses. Once you send
your newsletter to the list server, it distributes the letter to the
stored addresses. For more information on list servers, contact your
Internet service provider. If you opt to use another method, make sure
you have a plan for handling incoming and outgoing mail when your
customer base increases.
In conclusion, your newsletter can
serve as an extension of your business that will reach out to your
customers. It will allow you to maintain regular contact with them and
serve as an effective and rewarding addition to your marketing arsenal.
These tips should help you put it all together and help you create an
exceptional newsletter.
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