When you're ready to take the next step in marketing your small business, an email newsletter is a great idea. It's a simple way to get your name out in front of potential customers. In addition, it sets you up as an expert in your industry as you provide information and services to your customer base. Read on for great tips from the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce regarding why and how to start your own email newsletter.
Why Should You Start a Newsletter?
Marketing is a struggle for many small businesses. Email marketing has the advantage of being inexpensive, and it has the ability to create very targeted messages. Since customers must opt in, these are already warm leads. Sending out an email newsletter gets your brand out in front of potential and past customers, making it more likely they'll purchase products and services from you.
Writing Your Newsletter
Your newsletters shouldn't come so often that people ignore them. When you have important information to share, such as a merger, a sale, or new products, send that message out. But don't make it too wordy. A paragraph or so fits the attention span of most readers. If you have a lot of information to share, try utilizing brief snippets with links back to your website to learn more.
Utilizing Data Visualization
If you have important information to share with your readers, but the data is a bit complex, consider adding graphs or charts to your newsletter. Not only is this a quick way for customers to visualize themselves with your product or service, but it makes you look more professional. Data visualization isn't limited to charts and graphs; add infographics or maps to communicate your information, as well.
Hiring Help
As a small business owner, sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day. The creation of your email newsletter is an easy task to outsource, so you have more time to devote to everyday business. When you outline the information you want to be included or what you're trying to achieve with your newsletter, a freelancer or marketing firm can put it together. Always ask for samples of previous work or references to make sure your styles mesh.
Choosing the Right Tools
When you're determined to do it yourself, many online tools provide guidance for creating a newsletter. Some have templates you just have to fill in; for others, you provide the information, and it pre-populates it for you. In addition, using an address book manager allows you to follow legal requirements for giving subscribers a way to opt out and keeps track of statistics for you.
It is often easier to embed a PDF in your email than manage the formatting directly. But what if you have a great document, but there are only select pages you want to include? Fortunately, there are free online tools that allow you to reorder and easily remove certain PDF pages from your files. Just place the file you want to edit into the drop zone, select the pages you want to delete, and click on the trashcan icon. Those pages will be removed and you can embed the new shortened PDF into your newsletter.
Getting More Readers
If your readership is low, you need more people to see your newsletter. According to RGO, you should start by sourcing genuine leads. Having people sign up to win a giveaway may get you more subscribers, but they won't necessarily be readers. Instead, work on creating a catchy subject line for each message. Considering pain points you're solving, and customer motivation will help get more newsletters opened and read.
Start Your Newsletter Today
Whether you've noticed a lull in new sales or you just want to get more potential customers in your pipeline, it's never too early to start your newsletter. Do it yourself or hire help, but don't delay. And be sure to use a catchy subject line and include quality graphics to keep your readers engaged. Use the tools you have to provide valuable content for your clients, and you may find you have an increasingly growing readership.
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