Newsletters that Sell: Content and Design

By Anna Precht Traylor

When it comes to small business marketing tools, none can match the email newsletter for the amount of information it can hold, the branding possibilities, and the low cost. By regularly delivering a variety of key content and products directly to your customers’ inbox, you establish your credibility, improve site traffic, cultivate a relationship with your audience and build your customer base.

First-Rate Newsletter Content

Target your audience with information that will interest them and that shows you are an expert in your field.

Your first priority in planning content for your customer newsletter is sending information relevant to your business and/or product. Target your audience with information that will interest them and that shows you are an expert in your field. If you have more than one distinct segment of customers, create and send different versions of your newsletter. The better you know your audience, the better you can send them what they’ll be most likely gravitate towards.

Not sure how you can apply business-relevant information to the customer newsletter format? Consider including these sections:

• Product introductions: Give your new product or service the fanfare it deserves with prime placement in your newsletter. Your customers will get a proper introduction to the product and see firsthand your investment in promoting it.
• Informative articles: Link to new content on your site or offer exclusive articles for your subscribers so they get the added value of information and tips that are important to their interests.
• Product reviews: Review or recommend new products on the market that complement your own.
• How-to or advice: Whether it’s a craft, recipe, or financial tips, provide some information your readers can put to use.
• Promotions: Grab your readers’ attention with exclusive savings and seasonal deals.
• Surveys: Never miss a chance to learn more about your customer. Even just one question can go a long way.
• Contact information: Include your business’ name, mailing and email addresses, and phone number.
• Unsubscribe: Whether it’s a link or an email address, provide a method (with simple instructions) for readers to unsubscribe from your list. Forget to put it in, and you’re moving in risky spam territory.

Attention to detail and an attractive design can make a powerful impression.

As all restaurant-diners know, the old cliché has its roots in truth: Presentation can make the meal. It goes for your newsletter too: Attention to detail and an attractive design can make a powerful impression. From basic layout to the copy, outstanding creative paves the way for skyrocketing response rates. Take into account these important factors:

Copy
You can write your own content or hire a freelance writer, which can cost you $150 and up per article. To save yourself the time and to lessen the blow to your budget, consider finding content elsewhere. Ask permission from relevant Web sites for use of their articles. Fellow business owners in your community, as well as clients and customers, may also be interested in writing for your newsletter in exchange for placement. Regardless of where you get the copy, make sure that the tone is in-line with your business. For instance, if you run a surfboard site, your style and tone will need to be different than if you are an accounting consultant.

Subject Line
When writing copy for your newsletter, you need to keep an eye out for urgency. On your Web site, you keep your wording direct and compelling. If your visitor isn’t engaged in a matter of seconds, they’ll simply leave. Likewise with your newsletter, but you’re even further reduced. If just your subject line doesn’t grab your recipient, your message risks a quick trip to the deleted folder. Always use subject lines that highlight the most compelling portion of your newsletter and include a strong call to action, informing the reader what to do (“Save…”, “Get the latest…”). Keep your line short (so it won’t be truncated by email providers) and to the point.

Format

According to The Direct Marketing Association, nearly eighty percent of email newsletters are sent in plain text.

According to The Direct Marketing Association, nearly eighty percent of email newsletters are sent in plain text. This is largely because most email marketers don’t know whether or not their subscribers can view HTML mail, and they play it safe. HTML messages, however, are much more attractive, grab a reader’s attention faster, and tend to draw higher response rates. What to do? Ask your customers what they want! Give them the option when they sign up to receive your newsletter in either text or HTML mail. You’ll have to do a little more work in designing and sending, but it will be worth it.

Layout
As you begin to design your newsletter template, be sure to include a standard heading across the top that includes your company name and logo, the date the mail is sent, and a link back to your site. This will make you easily recognizable in the short term and build your brand in the long term. In fact, you can, over time, build your newsletter’s brand as well. By giving your newsletter its own name and using distinct and consistent images, it will grow from a marketing venue to a product in its own right. Once you’ve created your template, avoid making major changes to it.

A customer newsletter can be an excellent tool for promoting your products, providing customers with news about your business and building strong customer relationships. Start drafting your newsletter today by following the content and design points discussed in this article and you’ll start reaping the benefits of keeping in close communications with your customers.