A newsletter can keep your customers informed on your company’s products or services. Newsletters can deliver other information that will keep new and existing customers engaged.
Before you send that first newsletter, you’ll need to figure out how to grow your list and engage people with your content in the first place. Let’s take a closer look at what a newsletter is, how to get people interested, and how to grow your newsletter list.
What’s a Newsletter?
A newsletter is a communication asset sent to your email list that contains information your customers want to hear. Depending on what type of business you’re in, this can vary between:
- News about your product or service
- Updates within your industry
- Offers for discounts or deals
- Educational information
And the list doesn’t end there. You can include just about anything you want in a newsletter. For a small business, you should focus on information that delivers value to your reader and persuades them to purchase a product or service from your company.
In years past, company newsletters were sent via direct mail. Today, they’re primarily an email-based communication asset.
Benefits of Newsletters
So why should you create a newsletter for your business? Here are a few reasons:
- It’s going to your targeted email list. Since it’s going to your already developed email list, the newsletter recipients are people who are already interested in what you have to offer.
- It increases viewership. Email is one of the most popular communication channels with over 4 billion daily users and 306 billion emails sent and received each day. Sending a newsletter email means you’re meeting your customer or prospect somewhere they’re almost guaranteed to check.
- It’s versatile. Newsletters are flexible—you can use them to tell stories, inform, or entertain readers.
- It’s customizable. Newsletters can be tailored for different audiences.
From a marketing standpoint, newsletters can have a tremendous impact. You’re creating a connection with your reader, keeping them apprised of your product or service or other information that they may need or want.
When crafting a newsletter, it’s critical to understand that you need to create content for different audiences. For example, the emails you send to prospects won’t read the same as those you send to customers who have already done business with you. Emails to prospects should encourage them to make a purchase or contact you about a contract, while emails to existing customers should focus on retaining their business.
How To Get People To Sign up for Your Newsletter
Think of the interaction from the reader’s perspective to figure out how to get people to sign up for your newsletter. Many small businesses think of using their marketing tactics to put their story front and center. While this can be a valuable strategy, the best way to get people interested in your product or service is to appeal to their self-interests.
Apply this mindset to your newsletter, and you come away with this inescapable reality: in an attention economy, you have a finite amount of time to capture your readers’ interest. To best do this, you’ll want to promise and deliver value to them.
Every time your readers open your newsletter, you want them to be excited. To do this, you’ll want to load your newsletter with valuable content that matters to them.
What your reader identifies as valuable will depend on if they’re a new or existing customer and what industry you find yourself in. By consistently delivering reliable, actionable content, you condition your reader to expect high-quality content from your emails.
Suppose you want to know how to get more email newsletter subscribers. In that case, you need to prominently advertise the newsletter’s existence on your website, social media channels, and anywhere else you engage with your customers. Demonstrate value and craft emails that deliver on that promise so when they sign up, they’ll be happy they did.
Newsletter Content That Attracts Readers
Here is a list of sample content ideas for getting people interested in your newsletter:
- Deals. As mentioned above, offering discounts or other email-only deals is a great way to get your readers invested in your emails.
- Email list-only products. If you have an e-book or other information product prospects will find helpful, you can offer it to your email list. You can also advertise it on your website and prompt visitors to sign up for your email list to receive it. In terms of growing your newsletter list, this will help supercharge your subscriber count.
- User testimonials. Prospects are instantly drawn in when they hear that other people like your product. Highlight stories from satisfied customers as a form of social proof.
- Relevant personal stories. Informing your readers is good, but sometimes they want entertainment. If you can share funny stories or talk about a lighthearted news story in an engaging way, your readers will appreciate that.
- React to a news story. If there’s a news story in the national conversation, use that to your advantage. Write newsletter copy that showcases a unique angle on the story. This will build authority in the reader’s eyes and position your company as a thought leader.
Simply put, when it comes to creating exciting content, you have to pull the reader in by offering them something in return. What that something is will depend on the specific audience you’re speaking to at the time.
By promoting your newsletter signup and offering great content within the newsletter itself, you’ll create an expectation from your readers that will leave them wanting to buy from you and hear from you more consistently.
When you’re ready to maximize your newsletter email marketing campaign, contact the marketing experts at Sapper Consulting!
