Staying Front of Mind
How using an e-newsletter will help your business grow.
Remember the days when you would receive a newsletter from companies you did business with? In the transition from paper to internet marketing, newsletters got left behind in many companies’ marketing strategies. The good news is there are effective online ways to deliver electronic newsletters (e-newsletters) to customers and clients. Some businesses shy away from this strategy, not wanting to become “one more unwanted junk email” in their customers’ inbox. But when an e-news is done properly, it can become a valued and anticipated form of communication. Here’s why:
- 95% of consumers use email.
- 91% of consumers report checking their email at least once a day.
- 44% of email recipients made at least one purchase last year based on a promotoional email.
- In one survey, 7 in 10 people made use of a coupon or discount from a marketing email in the prior week.
- 40% of B2B marketers rated the leads generated by email marketing as high quality.
- Email has a higher click through rate than other marketing channels.
- For every $1 spent on email marketing, there’s an average $44.25 ROI.
How you use your e-news should be specific to your industry and your audience. Here are 6 ways you can use an e-newsletter to stay front of mind with your audience:
HIGHLIGHT PRODUCTS & SERVICES.
Your newsletter can be an excellent way to give your customers more information about the different kinds of products and services you offer. Choose one to highlight each month, especially focusing on new offerings.
DEALS & SPECIALS
Use your e-news to offer exclusive deals and specials to your subscribers. You could offer a discount off your featured service, or a percentage off a specific type of product. Other ideas include doing referral promos, new client specials, and loyalty rewards. The sky’s the limit! Keeping at least some of the discounts you offer exclusive to your e-news subscribers reinforces the value of staying on your list.
EVENTS
If your business frequently puts on events, this is a great place to promote them! Whether it’s an educational class or a client appreciation happy hour, make sure your subscribers know what’s going on! Feature other events your audience would find interesting, too. Promote local networking events, community get-togethers, and even events put on by strategic business partners. It all works to foster community and real-life connectedness with your online audience.
RESOURCES
Share information related to your industry. If you have an active blog on your website, link to informational articles you’ve written. If you aren’t an active blogger (which we highly recommend you become!), find other resources your audience would find valuable. Your e-newsletter is a perfect place to educate your clients and customers about your industry, not just your business.
SOCIAL
Newsletters can help your company connect with your audience better. The first way is by encouraging event attendance, as we’ve already discussed. The second way is by encouraging online community connections on social media. Reference the social media platforms you’re active on, and link to them. For instance, if you had a recent client event, share a few pictures and provide a link to an album on your business Facebook page. Whatever platforms you’re active on, use your newsletter as another gateway to connect.
BUSINESS NEWS
Note that this is listed last! Your newsletter is an appropriate place to share relevant updates and information about your business, but you should avoid making all of your content only about your business. Write about what’s going on in your company, but only to the extent that the information is adding value to your audience.
Identify which of these strategies will resonate with your audience, and just start! Setting up an e-newsletter account is as easy as creating a Facebook page or email account. If you would like help or direction getting started, feel free to contact us to find out how we could help!
