According to recent data from the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs, e-newsletters rank near the top of digital marketers’ list for content marketing tactics. Whether your small business is a service, manufacturing or retail operation, an e-newsletter helps keep your company top-of-mind for your customers.
When compiling your email marketing list, make sure you get permission from your customers to send the newsletter. If your customers opt-in, you know they want to hear from you and your newsletters won’t languish in their junk folders.
So, how much and what do your customers want to read about in your e-newsletter? Here are some ideas:
- What’s new? Keep your customers updated on the latest changes in your business, whether it’s a new product, service or new key employee. Think about what’s new in your company that affects your customers. With the holidays and the end of the year coming up you may have lots to announce, such as Black Friday or year-end specials or your new plans for 2014.
- Be engaging. If you’re not a good writer, you’re better off outsourcing to a freelancer or marketing copywriter to create your e-newsletter. No one wants to read boring copy no matter who it’s from. The design should also be engaging to capture your customers’ attention and keep them reading. Look for an email marketing solution from a third-party provider; email marketing services have lots of professional and attractive template designs to choose from.
- Think mobile. There’s a good chance your customer will be reading your e-newsletter on his or her mobile device, so make sure your design is readable on popular smartphones and tablets and that the messages are not too long. If there are links in your content (and there should be), make sure the links go to a mobile-friendly website, too—otherwise, readers will get frustrated and give up reading.