Email Marketing is a fantastic way of keeping in touch with your contacts on a regular basis…and it’s cost effective too! Here are some of In a Pickle’s top tips (and things to avoid!) to ensure your email marketing becomes an important part of your marketing strategy for 2012!
Why newsletters work:
Just keeping in touch.
An email newsletter is a great way of keeping your business contacts and existing clients updated on what you’re up to, new products or services that you are offering, events, special offers…this list is endless. REMEMBER… It’s not their job to remember what you do…it’s your job to keep reminding them! Newsletters remind your potential (AND EXISTING) clients of what products and services you offer, keep them aware of new launches and make sure that when they’re finally ready to make a move, you’re within easy reach.
You can showcase your creativity and personality.
Taking the time to design and write a professional newsletter gives you the chance to make a real impact on your potential clients. They give you an opportunity to really shine and stand out. If you’re great at 1:1s, following up a meeting with a polished, informative newsletter is the perfect way to reinforce your message in the minds of new people on your list. That’s where we can help!
You can reach many people at once.
Imagine if you had to call every person you know to tell them about a new service. Or, what if you relied only on traditional networking meetings for interacting with potential clients. That’s a LOT of time you’re spending “out there”.
Fans make better customers
We only promote our clients to use ‘Permission Based Marketing’ – this means people have to opt in to receive your communications. Very important – you don’t want to be seen as a ‘Spammer’. People are therefore on your list because they want to be there. They (hopefully) look forward to what you have to say, and look to you as an expert of some sort. THOSE are the people that you want to talking too as they have invested time in you already.
Things to put in your newsletter:
• A short and personal introduction – perhaps what you’ve been doing that month (if relevant and interesting of course!)
• Good articles or blog posts – with links so you can track click throughs
• Helpful Tips and Tricks
• Useful information or Industry News
• Links to articles
Things to NOT put in your newsletter:
• Too many promotions (buy! buy! buy! = unsubscribe)
• Spelling mistakes or poor grammar (this is REELLY importint, see how unprofeshional it looks?)
• Unnecessary and irrelevant information
How often should you send out your newsletter?
There is no magic number for how often you should send your newsletter. I’d say not more than biweekly, but don’t let more than a month go by without making some contact with your list. Likewise you don’t want to bombard them with daily or weekly messages – readers will just ‘switch off’ to your messages and unsubscribe!
Make good use of the Subject line
You’ve written your newsletter content, and you have all the articles perfectly laid out. Then you're faced with the task of writing a subject line so irresistible that readers can't help but open and read your email. The key is to make it a real ‘Hook’ – but keep it relevant – you don’t want it to be spammed. Avoid words such as ‘newsletter’, ‘free’, ‘news’, ‘event’, ‘update’. Be clear, be precise and be creative. Perhaps encourage an action or ask a question?
The bottom line is…make your newsletter short, interesting and valuable. It’s a representation of yourself and your business; make sure it’s well written and looks professional. Most important, be consistent and get your message out there. After all, how are they going to know if you don’t tell them?
Want help getting started? Why not give us a call on freefone 0808 108 1436 and we'd be delighted to discuss your requirements!
