5 ways to make the most of email newsletters

by | Apr 9, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Research

Are you spending your day browsing email newsletters? No, me neither. So, let’s assume the readers of your newsletter are just like you and me. What would make them pay more attention? Follow these top tips to give your newsletters greater stand out:

Test, trial and no error: Email marketing software such as Mailchimp is a great tool. You can see how simple it is to drop content into the template, add a spreadsheet of mailing details and create a newsletter. Sadly, it’s also easy to make a mistake – which explains those times you open up the email to be greeted by ‘Main headline’, as the headline. Always test before sending – check everything works and you don’t have broken links.

Better still, use A/B testing – send out two versions of your newsletter, and see which gets the best results. The beauty of digital is that you can quickly test in real time with real people. It makes it easier to see what works, adjust and refine.

Improve email open rates: How receptive are you to being chased down the street by a stranger waving a clipboard? Don’t do it online. Only send to those who have requested the newsletter or those you already have contact with – we’re more likely to open an email if we recognise the name or are familiar with the brand. Win the trust of a prospect with an ongoing dialogue, not a random spam.

Get to the point: It’s been a long winter, and everyone’s looking forward to spring and the first signs of growth bringing with it new business opportunities blah blah blah…why are you telling me this? You need to reward interruption with valuable content. Longer copy can sit on your website – invite recipients to take a look, but first you need to use clear, concise, compelling content in the newsletter to persuade them to invest the time.

Take advantage of survey tools such as Surveymonkey: Find out what recipients want to read about. Use the insight to shape your content.

Follow up fast: The best time to contact a prospect is when they are still warm. With most newsletter campaign tools it’s easy to send an automated follow up email when a subscriber opens up your email or lands on a particular web page.

But what do you think?