Do you have a signup form on your website?
I bet you do.
I bet you said ‘Sign up to our mailing list to receive tips, discounts and all the latest news?’ or something like that, maybe ‘and more…’
How often do you send your newsletter?
Whaaaaat?!
You have a mailing list of people who signed up because they wanted to (maybe with an incentive or maybe they are the competition watching you) anyway, you’ve got to give the people what they want!
We all get a lot of emails, so it had better be good.
Keep these customers, previous customers and potentials warm!
These sign-ups may also be from people who like what you do and the way you do it, they may pass business your way or invite you to deliver or collaborate, the beauty of the digital age is that we can find out everything about someone before we do business with them.
Anyway, you promised a newsletter, email update or something super to this audience, so get cracking.
My newsletter top tips:
1. Establish a routine
Set a schedule of how often you plan to send something and stick to it, that way we all know where we stand. Could be weekly, monthly, or quarterly, that’s up to you, but keep it regular in its pattern. Equally, don’t go overboard. Remember that time you signed up to an email challenge, then went to bed, 5 reminder emails later, then the next day and the next day? There is such a thing as overkill. I have a newsletter that arrives every Monday at 10am, I know my favourite podcast comes out every Tuesday and Friday, my favourite marketing podcast lands every Friday. Be part of your audience’s routine.
2. Do it properly
Use a piece of email software, my favourites include Mailerlite and Mailchimp.
This way you get help to be GDPR compliant (the software will guide you when you set up your list and send your campaigns), you can make the email look nice and you can see who does and doesn’t open it, what they click on (so you can follow up) or what parts of your newsletter no-one cares about as they don’t click and you can improve your content for next time.
3. PR people will tell you to KEEP IT NEWSWORTHY, and they’d be right.
Just as easily as people can subscribe, they can unsubscribe. So your hard work to get them on your list will be fruitless if you send a newsletter which doesn’t satisfy what they wanted to see and if you just sell, sell, selling. Make sure there is something in there for them. Give them the VIP treatment, make them feel part of something, give them a gift, first to know, early bird offers, reward them for them letting you invade their inbox.
4. Content planning and re-purposing.
Scott Fitzgerald said “You don’t write something because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.”
I take this to mean, if you haven’t got much to say, don’t send a newsletter full of rubbish, it will not add value.
Plan your content, look back, you might have some great throwback content, repurpose what you already have, opening line to a blog, then some read more… are you speaking at an event? You might think that’s run of the mill, your audience might be impressed or looking for speakers. You might have an event or new product coming soon, or some exciting news you can tease with a date for when booking will open.
5. Don’t get spammed.
Watch what you say, take heed, your subject line could send your email on a diversion straight to the junk filter never to be seen again.
Here are 100 words for you to avoid, good luck! https://www.simplycast.com/blog/100-top-email-spam-trigger-words-and-phrases-to-avoid/#post
6. Cross-sell
Think about what is going in there, you don’t only sell one product or service – so those reading your newsletter may have bought something, more than one something? Maybe they need what you’re selling again? Maybe they didn’t know you offer it? Maybe they’d like to see how others have used it or benefitted from it (case study, testimonial) to tip them over the edge of the enquiry/purchasing cliff. Some say keep your email to one subject, but if you sign up to receive their emails, they’re not doing it either. Tip: look at your analytics – who is opening what, clicking on what etc then you’ll be able to determine what your audience is responding to and will want more of.
7. User-generated content
Do not underestimate this! Do any of your clients send you photos? Of your product in place, the difference you’ve made, funny photos, maybe of a gift you gave them in situ or a piece of branded merch? Share it! Ask them first, some people love to see themselves featured! You could even run a little contest, could be anything, have you ever seen the Innocent stapler? It became a big deal.
That’s it from me
There is plenty more, you could probably find 1000’s of articles on the matter, but you must receive newsletters, check out those you love and those you hate.
What are the clever clogs of email marketing doing? Are they adding a P.S. and a P.P.S. at the end? Probably.
If you haven’t got time for all that, writing is not your thing, email software is not your thing, you already have plenty to do, talk to me I am sure I can help, I have been doing this for longer than I would like to tell you.
If you are on the lookout for email software, I am still a fan of Mailerlite as the free email automation it offers for my little-sized biz is fab. I am a regular user of Active Campaign and of course, Mailchimp, who isn’t?!
Image: Daria Nepriakhina 