Are you having alove affair” with your customer? Having a relationship, and actually building that relationship to begin with, should be one of the most important tasks for your business.
Creating a regular email newsletter or ezine is one way to create and, more importantly, keep in touch with your customers or potential customers. You get to constantly remind them that you’re out there and that you offer good value for money, because you’re going to be offering advice and information for free. You can’t get a better deal than that!
So here are 8 key elements of a newsletter that should keep your readers happy, and more importantly, come back to you when they’re ready to buy.
Be personal.
Even though you can send to many, you should write as if you are really only talking to one of your customers. Write in a simple conversational style so your newsletter is easy to understand. Use bullet points and short sentences.
Offer value.
Your newsletter must consist of at least one lead (and obviously useful) article that will be the backbone of the piece and then your readers will feel that they have value.
The article can be in a variety of formats: most common include “how to” articles, lists of top tips or resources, reviews of products or services of interest to your readers; etc
Use an introduction.
While you offer a useful lead article, you can of course precede it with an introduction where you can give them a taste of your personality and let readers know what’s going on with you and your business.
You have more leeway to be direct and self-promote in this section because it is NOT your main content but a personal message from you to them.
Highlight your experience.
Have a small section with links to related articles you’ve written or been featured in, where applicable. This is a great opportunity for you to demonstrate your credibility and expertise, while also being an additional useful resource for your reader.
Promote only after the main article.
Hopefully, once someone has read your lead article and is impressed, they will be open to learning what else you have to offer on the subject: like reports, ebooks, courses, etc.
A good introduction to this is: “Did you like today’s article? If so, check out my… [report, e-book, course, etc.]…”
Show testimonials.
Obviously, if you can, add a customer testimonial to give further proof of credibility and make them feel comfortable trying your products or services. Whatever you do, don’t make it up! That’s not honest and probably illegal!
Remind them who you are.
At the end of your newsletter, it’s quite acceptable to tell your reader a bit more about yourself. You can give a brief description of yourself and what you have to offer to your general readers.
For example, a fictional newsletter publisher might write the following…
Marketing consultant John A. Smith, “The Newsletter Man” has been writing newsletters and helping others do the same for 10 years and is the author of “Boost Your Business With News: 99 Secrets to Publishing and Promoting an e-Mail Newsletter That Get results.
“It’s a step-by-step manual that walks you through the entire process. It’s available, along with many free articles online, at: [give your website here].”
Make special promotional announcements only occasionally.
Occasionally you may send a purely promotional email to your reader list. However, don’t blatantly abuse this privilege by sending out announcements every other day about the latest and greatest. Keep them to a minimum and be selective.
Promote only what you truly believe is newsworthy or beneficial to your readers. Perhaps one of your special offers is coming to an end, you need the “help” of your readers, or you are offering a last-minute workshop and need to fill seats.
It is important to continue to include your standard greeting, contact information, and unsubscribe information in your promotional emails; That way, your readers will be familiar with the format and won’t mistake them for spam.
So there you have it: the right way to structure and put together a newsletter that will engage your readers and allow you to build and maintain a long-term relationship with them.