Company newsletters are nothing new. But it has only been in recent years that they've really grown in prominence as an incredibly important aspect of digital marketing. There are many, many great company newsletters out there--and there are some major duds. Often times, businesses start newsletters without having a plan in place or knowing what to do to ensure that their newsletter provides value to their subscribers.
At the end of the day, that's what a newsletter should be about: providing value regarding your business to your customers. Whether you're B2B or B2C, there are lots of ways to provide value. It doesn't have to mean "giving away information for free" (especially if your business is selling a service). But it means offering just enough information to help customers make a decision.
We believe there are 4 important elements to newsletters that help add value. Here they are.
All email marketing should be short. Long emails generally don't convert in any niche, but especially in company newsletters. Short newsletters that provide immediate value to your subscribers are not only more likely to be opened, but they're also more likely to be read and clicked. Keeping your newsletter short shows that you respect your subscribers' time; you know they probably don't have 10 minutes to read your email, but they do have less than 5. So you want to provide value up front (in the subject line and first sentences) and keep it as short as possible.
Newsletters that have a responsive element--such a poll question--tend to have higher response rates. While asking subscribers to do something might seem counter-intuitive to providing value, this actually isn't the case. When you ask them for their expertise, you're showing that you care about what they say--and that their voice is valuable. Responsive newsletters will also give you a good idea of what your subscribers want from newsletters, depending on what you ask and what responses you get.
It goes without saying: for your newsletter to be valuable to subscribers, it needs to be, well, valuable. You need to give subscribers a takeaway, expertise, information. If your newsletters don't answer a question for them, then it isn't valuable. Period. End of story.
Many businesses worry about "giving away too much for free"--you don't want to share too much information before a customer makes a purchase of a product or service. The truth is: if you sell a service, you do have to be careful about not giving too much information. But that doesn't mean you can't educate your potential customers in a newsletter; helping them make decisions, learning about the services you sell, and providing them with much-needed context for why your product or service matters goes a long way towards adding value.
"But Michelle!" I can hear you saying, "how can I drive potential customers to my website if I don't send just my own content?"
Because sometimes providing value means providing them with other voices about your services, products, or niche. If it helps them make a decision, then you've provided them with value. Value doesn't always mean ensuring that you are the perfect match for them--you might not be! But helping them make a decision is incredibly valuable.
Want to learn more about email marketing for your business? Send us a note here. We'd love to talk!