Should your small business send out a newsletter to your clients? This article explores what you need to get started & to create effective newsletters.
What & Why: The Content
In today’s digital age, connecting with clients is crucial for the growth and success of your small business. While social media platforms offer various ways to engage with your audience, their constantly changing algorithms and filters can limit your reach.
This is where email newsletters come into play, providing a direct and effective way to stay connected with your clients. Let’s explore the benefits of email newsletters and how to get started with creating one for your small business.
Why your small business needs a newsletter
- Build a Targeted List: Create a list of subscribers who genuinely want to hear from you. These are individuals who have opted in to receive your updates, making them more likely to engage with your content.
- Strengthen Client Connections: Regular newsletters help maintain a strong relationship with your clients, keeping them informed and engaged with your business.
- Own Your List: Unlike social media followers, your email list belongs to you. You won’t lose access to your subscribers regardless of changes to social media platforms.
- Stay Top of Mind: Regularly appearing in your clients’ inboxes keeps your business at the forefront of their minds, increasing the likelihood of repeat business.
- Generate Leads and Sales: Newsletters are a powerful tool for driving traffic to your website, promoting products or services, and ultimately increasing sales.
- Gather Feedback: Use your newsletter to solicit feedback on new business ideas or directions, helping you to better understand your clients’ needs and preferences.
- Achieve Better Reach: Emails are more likely to be seen by your audience compared to social media posts, which can be buried in feeds.
The How: Getting Started with Newsletters
Choosing a Newsletter Service
To manage your email list and send out newsletters, you’ll need a reliable email marketing service to manage it for you.
There are loads of different email marketing services on the market.
Some just allow you to send out broadcast emails. This is where you create a newsletter and then email that newsletter to your list.
Others also include an autoresponder or drip feed option, where you can set up a number of pre-prepared emails that are mailed out at certain times or after certain actions (called triggers). For example, thank you emails when someone joins your email list or discount coupons 7 days after a sale.
Other email systems include options for email capture forms you can include in your website, as well as surveys and landing pages.
When getting started, look for a service that has both the newsletter and autoresponder options included as this gives you the most flexibility and room to grow.
Some of the services on the market include GetResponse, AWeber, MailChimp and MadMimi. Remember to check the details of each package, as some packages don’t include autoresponders as a base option.
One advantage of using a reputable email provider is that they automatically comply with some of the provisions of the Spam Act. They require you to include your contact details in emails, and they provide an unsubscribe option on your emails and manage unsubscribes for you.
Managing unsubscribes and email address updates is harder than you realise, and you need to take care with it otherwise you will potentially throw away great subscribers.
Building Your Email List
If you have been in business for a while, you may have already built up a list of emails of past clients in your Outlook system or client database.
The problem is that you can’t simply import their details into your newsletter system and start mailing to them. If you do that you will be in breach of the Spam Act and be liable for some hefty penalties.
Even if you take the risk and do a mail out, you will have a huge bounce rate as people regularly change their email addresses. A significant portion of your list will unsubscribe and report your email to the newsletter service provider as spam.
Get enough of these bounces and complaints (the threshold is exceedingly low), and your service provider can instantly close down your service without warning or issuing you a refund of fees you may have paid.
Don’t do it!
People need to explicitly consent to join your mailing list.
Instead, reach out to your clients and invite them to join your mailing list. For new subscribers, use opt-in forms on your website to ensure a compliant and smooth sign-up process.
Read some great tips on how to grow your email list.
Creat an Enticing Offer
To encourage sign-ups, offer something of value to your potential subscribers. This could be an eBook, a discount coupon, or access to exclusive content. Determine what will appeal most to your audience and incorporate it into your sign-up strategy.
Planning Your Email Sequence
An effective newsletter combines regular updates with automated sequences. Plan the content of your emails to build a connection and achieve your goals. A typical sequence might include a welcome email, a series of informative messages, and occasional promotional emails.
Here is a diagram that outlines a typical sequence when someone joins a newsletter.
Designing Your Newsletter
Your newsletter’s design plays a crucial role in its effectiveness. Ensure your emails are visually appealing, easy to read, and mobile-friendly.
People skim emails, so make sure your text and design is easy to read by skimmers. Too much information crammed into a tight space means people won’t know where to look and will click away.
Keep plenty of white space and attractive imagery. If you add an image, remember to include ALT details on each image to cater for people who have images turned off by default in their email programs.
Remember also that many people read their emails using their smartphones and tablets. Your newsletter needs to be mobile friendly.
Full Text Articles vs. Teasers
Deciding whether to include full articles or just teasers with links back to your website depends on your strategy. Given the increasing length and complexity of good blog posts, a teaser with a link can enhance readability and improve your website’s SEO.
Conclusion
Email newsletters are a powerful tool for small businesses, offering a direct line to your clients and numerous benefits over social media marketing. By choosing the right service, building a compliant email list, creating valuable offers, planning your email sequence, and designing appealing newsletters, you can effectively engage your audience and drive business growth.
