How (And Why) To Add an Email Newsletter to Your Marketing Mix

An email newsletter is a valuable addition to your digital marketing plan, for one key reason: control. On many channels, including social media, you're at the mercy of the platform — administrators can take away your account or shut down the service at any time. With email, you have complete ownership.

Business Benefits of Email Newsletters

A loyal customer base can help your business stay viable in the long term. Email newsletters can help cultivate an audience by building brand awareness and establishing your company as an authority. Other business benefits are: 

• Creating a relationship with customers

• Encouraging engagement and sales

• Putting products and services in front of a warm audience

Tips for Writing Newsletters That Get Results

Modern consumers face a daily onslaught of messaging. To get the highest ROI, you need a newsletter that stands out from competitors. With the right mix of informative, entertaining, and useful content, you can encourage readers to take the next step. Some tips include:

• Keep it concise and focused

• Use a friendly, engaging tone

• Break up text with headlines and images

• Limit direct sales pitches

• Offer occasional subscriber discounts to boost sales

• Create an attractive, branded design

How To Improve Newsletter Open Rates

The open rate is the percentage of recipients who open your newsletter. A higher rate means that more people are seeing your message. Some ways to boost the open rate:

• Use subject lines that spark curiosity, emotion, or excitement
   

• Test different times to see when subscribers are most likely to open emails

• Ensure that every newsletter is packed with fun, valuable content

Using Data Visualization To Improve Newsletters

Do your newsletters contain statistics and numbers? Data visualization — representing information in a visual form — can make your content more compelling. It's a great way to help readers understand complex data at a glance.

Examples of data visualization:

• Infographics

• Maps

• Charts, tables, and graphs

• Animations

• Timelines

Useful Tools for Business Email Newsletters

The most important tool for your newsletter is an email marketing platform. Most traditional email programs have limits on the number of recipients. Programs like MailChimp and AWeber make it easy to design, edit, and automate email newsletters. They also include marketing analytics to track performance and an unsubscribe function to help you stay compliant with CAN-SPAM regulations.

If you're imagining a booklet- or magazine-style newsletter, a PDF can be a convenient file format. Simply build it in your favorite design program, drag and drop the file and convert PDFs online. That way, you have a file that's both secure and easy to send.

Get Help With Your Newsletter

Don't have time to create a professional newsletter on a regular basis? Consider outsourcing all or part of the work. Some professionals who can help include:

• Graphic designers. They create HTML email design

• Freelance writers.  They can generate story ideas, interview, and write

• Photographers and videographers. They craft visual content

Effective Email Newsletters Boost Business

Done well, an email newsletter can strengthen customer relationships and boost brand visibility. To connect with other business owners and swap marketing tips, join your local chamber of commerce.