The digital space has been expanding, growing, and evolving for decades. The additions of new technology, software, and devices have led to a significant shift in the marketing landscape as well.
Nowadays, digital website advertisements tend to be one of the biggest forms of marketing. However, just because the landscape has evolved, this doesn’t mean some of the longstanding marketing methods are invalid. Newsletters are a major example of this, as these can still be an incredibly effective form of email marketing. Keep reading below to learn more about the power of newsletters and how to master using them effectively in marketing strategies.
Effective Email Marketing: The Power of a Newsletter
Before going any further, it is important to understand just how effective email marketing can be. While it can sound like an outdated or old-hat method of marketing, email continues to maintain a huge ROI over other forms. According to a litmus survey of 2,000 marketers, email marketing averages a return of $36 for every dollar spent.
So, how do you create a newsletter that will achieve this kind of return? Well, several key strategies can help ensure a newsletter really captures attention and converts. Here are some things to consider.
Understand Your Audience
The first step to any effective marketing strategy, including newsletters, is to understand the audience. Any business should use the customer data at their disposal to understand their audience’s:
- Demographics
- Behavior and purchase habits
- Interests
- Engagement statistics
- Industry
By leveraging this data, any business can gain an insight into what their average customer and audience is like. This helps to determine what they prefer in marketing, what they respond or react to, and more. Moreover, it helps to determine preferences and pain points, which can be used to craft the ideal newsletter for the audience.
Personalization of Content
Now that the audience is understood, these insights can be used to create personalized content. Personalized marketing is one of the major keys to efforts that truly convert. In fact, according to Campaign Monitor, “studies show that personalized emails have 2.5 times higher click-through rates, and are 6 times more likely to drive a conversion. Additionally, 73% of consumers report they’d rather do business with brands that use personal information to increase the relevancy of their experiences.”
The reality is that businesses can only really connect with a customer through personalized content — and connection is what converts. By launching newsletter campaigns with separate blocks relevant to particular audiences, they may be more likely to read and visit the site.
For instance, those with a particular interest in a product can receive a newsletter detailing a new launch. On the other hand, those who show interest in the industry as a whole can receive industry blurbs or news. These examples may not apply to every business, but they serve to demonstrate the point.
High-Impact Content
Of course, the bottom line is that a newsletter won’t be effective without well-written and impactful content. Businesses can’t simply hop on an AI bot and hope it will write the perfect converting content for them. Instead, the content should be concise, well-written, and communicate something of value.
Moreover, it should strike a balance between entertaining and educational to actually engage the reader. Otherwise, they can easily lose interest and close out of the email. A couple of tips for content are to include things like:
- Surveys
- Quizzes
- Multimedia
- Visually appealing images
- Storytelling
- Relatable narratives
Aside from just writing, there is the matter of visual design as well. The newsletter should be expertly designed, including an easy-to-read layout, clear fonts, and design elements that hook the reader. Don’t forget to add a little bit of blank space in between walls of text to give readers a place to rest their eyes. Overall, it should be a good balance of interesting written content and related visuals.
Timing and Frequency Strategy
Another important step in newsletter strategy is determining the right timing and frequency to send it out. This step can take a bit of trial and error to determine the right answers. The best way to do it is to base it around open-rate analytics. However, this is where it is a bit difficult, as this information may not be known until a few newsletter cycles have been sent out. Businesses should try a couple of different times of the day to see which slot obtains the best open rate and then stick to that.
As far as frequency, this can vary depending on the particular industry and audience, but a monthly newsletter can be a good place to start. If the audience continues to maintain high interest, a weekly option can be offered as well. Of course, this is provided the business has the resources to complete a high-quality newsletter once a week. Newsletter frequency is all about finding a balance of high visibility without overwhelming or annoying the audience.
Testing and Optimization
The next step comes after the initial launch of the newsletter, which is the testing and optimization phase. This is where tweaks are made and changes to strategy for anything that is showing to be ineffective. For instance, maybe the email headline needs to be changed for a better open rate or this is where different time slots are tried. It could also mean changing CTAs, content, and more.
At the end of the day, the most important prerequisite to testing and optimization is to track all relevant metrics. This includes open rates, click rates, conversion, and purchases. All of this data helps give insight into how effective the newsletter is. If these statistics are poor performing or declining, then make gradual tweaks to the newsletter to optimize performance. Keep a close eye on any changes and how they affect performance. Then, repeat the process by testing, tracking, and optimizing.
Try Newsletter Templates
A great way to get an initial boost on creating a quality newsletter is by using newsletter templates. There are many of these available online, but be diligent in picking a well-designed one. Many of them may simply be put together without consideration for design layout and engagement. If you do shop third-party sites, be sure to browse reviews of templates to see if other customers have been happy with the results of the template.
Graphem Solutions: Your Partner in Newsletter Management
If you are looking to launch a newsletter for your business, Graphem Solutions can help. We make it easy to create and launch your own newsletter through well-crafted templates. Moreover, our tools can help to manage and optimize your newsletter once it is live. We also offer list management and campaign management to ensure your newsletter reaches everyone it should.
Not to mention, you can count on our professional team to answer any of your questions. We will work with you to find the right newsletter template, as well as tools to help you smoothly manage its distribution. If you’re ready to learn more about our newsletter offerings, check out our services web page or give us a call at 1-800-590-0175. We look forward to helping you reach new heights through newsletter creation and marketing!
