Sending out a monthly email newsletter (or eNewsletter) is one of many ways to draw traffic to your Web site. This article is designed as a beginner’s guide to setting up an email newsletter. Here are 5 steps you can take today to take a newsletter from dream to reality:
1.Select a vendor to help send out the email newsletter. Using a vendor helps make sure your message looks professional and is less likely to be marked as spam. They also handle the task of removing people from the list when the ask to unsubscribe. We highly recommend Constant Contact, as we send out our own newsletter using their service. It is easy to use, relatively inexpensive and very popular. I’m sure other people have other services they recommend, perhaps they will mention them in the comments below.
2. Select or Create a Template. If you are using Constant Contact or another vendor, you can often choose from a series of pre-existing templates. This is a great choice, as long as you customize them to look like other marketing materials your company provides. Other people hire a professional to create a look that precisely matches other marketing materials. They key is to have blocks of content that will be filled in every month. We recommend 3 sections — one for some industry information (trends or new types of products), one for some information about your company (example: a new employee or service), and a free tip related to your industry (example: a plumber might have a tip on how to avoid leaks).
3. Compile your email list. You can start from your existing list of clients and people that you know. Make sure you have permission from those folks before you start emailing them — otherwise you may be subject to complaints, and (if you are very egregious) termination of your email newsletter, web hosting and even your Internet service. Ask anyone who you have contact with if they would like to be added to your free once-a-month email list, that means adding a form to your Web site and making it a part of your business process. Most people will say yes. Be sure not to buy, rent or otherwise acquire email lists.
4. Create your content. It is important to set aside a specific every month to compile your email newsletter, otherwise it won’t get done. Feel free to repurpose other marketing materials you create. For example, if you wrote an article for an industry magazine, try rewriting it to fit in your newsletter format. That way, you can save time and get the most benefit every time you prepare something. The key is creating a system that you can execute every month.
5. Send it. Even though this is for beginners, here’s an advanced tip; Make sure to send your email on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning . Emails sent on those days are more likely to be read. With Constant Contact, you can schedule this in advance. With other services, you can do this by scheduling or by preparing the email and then pressing send on those days.
Follow those five steps and you’ll create an engaging newsletter is likely to keep clients and customer focused on your business.
#1 by Laura Wynn on June 2, 2009 - 5:29 pm
These are wonderful tips. As a freelance writer working in viral marketing, I can comfortably share with your audience that you covered the basic to creating an effective piece. Follow these 5 steps and be consistent and you are sure to see results.
Well done! Thanks.
#2 by Kent Schneider on June 3, 2009 - 8:09 am
Hi Jason,
This is great primer article. We started our newsletter about a year and a half ago when we find that it is a great contact tool for us. I had a few tips that worked for us that I thought might be worth sharing.
- I agree that using someone to manage your mailer (like Constant Contact) is essential. But try to take the time at set up to either create your own template or have one professionally made. It shows and it makes a difference.
-Make the templates as media rich as you can and use good newsletter titles. Early on I sent out newsletters that had the title of “Newsletter” or the like thinking it didn’t matter. I was wrong. I usually include one in depth article per newsletter and try to give it a catchy title. Then I make my newsletter reflect that with a teaser title.
-Make sure you have something to say. Sending out an ad for your business every month or week is pointless as you will get unsubscribed to pretty quick. Provide useful news and fun links. I try to keep my special offers in our newsletter to a minimum (I do have them though) so as not to make it look too much like an ad. What seems to work for us is creating a branding piece that associates us with a certain theme. In our case quality furniture and floor coverings.
-Try to find a voice and stick with it. The tone of our newsletter is a bit whimsical. We try not to take ourselves to seriously which works for us but may not for a doctors office. The point being, decide what tone works and stick with it.
-Sending the email out mid week seems to get the best open and click through rates for us. Experts in the field may have a better feel for when the optimal time to send one out is but I like to send my pieces out on a Wednesday or Thursday right before or around lunch. My logic was that people are into the work week and may be paying attention rather than groggy from the weekend or thinking about the next…I may be wrong about why they are looking but those times seem to work best for us.
-Building you list is important. If you have a storefront, put out a sign up. It sounds simple but it really works. One trick we use is to always fill in the first few blanks on the sign up sheet. For some reason people don’t want to be the first but once they see that others have signed on they go for it.
-If you are good with web design, I recommend coordinating your site with your newsletter. Every time we send out a newsletter I change the look of our website to coordinate with the new color scheme and alter the homepage. That way when people click over they are seeing something new and are more likely to look around. Which they do.
-Again if you are good with web design it is good to create a section on your website that has all your articles and link back to it. This will give you additional content for your website which may help for SEO purposes. I only do this with actual articles though…not blurbs or promo pieces. Also, if your articles are good, consider trying to publish them on ezinearticles.com or some other free online ezine. If they get accepted you can create a back link to your site which again may help with SEO efforts…but you may wish to consult with a SEO expert to confirm this.
I hope this helps
Kent Schneider
Verde Home
#3 by Alex Sass on June 5, 2009 - 4:09 am
Hiya, wanted to add that some great email marketing research data was released yesterday. For people considering building their newsletter email camapaign it’s worth a look. The report summary is at http://www.renegademedia.net/Latest/email-marketing.html (and a download will be there later).
Highlights from the study (the biggest so far), include:
Email delivers high Call to Action rates
The results show a very strong call to action, resulting in online and offline purchases, click through to a website (73%) or watching a video clip (44%).
Upon opening permission-based email:
· 46% purchase online
· 43% purchase offline at retail store
· 29% purchase over the phone
* 73% click on a website
* Watch a video clip – 44%
Coupon redemption is high with half of respondents using coupons to purchase online:
· 50% use coupons to purchase online
· 42% use coupons to purchase offline
Being in the market for the product or service has the highest impact on the likelihood of the recipient to respond (80%), followed by special offers and discounts 69%
Open Rates and what compels people to open email
· Nearly a quarter of respondents open 91-100% of permission based emails (PBE)
· “From” line is more important than “Subject Line” with 66% finding content of the “From” line most influential in compelling them to open against 29% for subject line length
· Free product offers and discount offers are the most compelling subject lines, followed by a familiar brand name:
o 62% Free product offer
o 55% Discount offer
o 41% Contains familiar brand name
o 37% Breaking news/info
o 34% New product
o 34% Contains recent purchase info
* “Offers not attractive enough” cited by nearly half of respondents (46%) as reason to not interact with an email. Followed by “security” at 43% and “Emails too long” at 26%.
Hope that was useful,
Alex
Renegade Media