E-Newsletters, commonly called ‘E-Zines’, are a must have for any business in today’s aggressive economy. E-Newsletters, done correctly, are a creative, non-aggressive method of reaching your current clients and building your prospect base at little or no cost. They not only provide useful information to subscribers on a consistent basis but they are a valuable marketing tool that allows you to enter their lives regularly, to get your name, and products or services, in front of them without the heavy sell.
The following pages contain a list of ‘must haves’ from the beginning to the end of your newsletter, and everything in between.
First and foremost, your E-Newsletter must have a:
1. SUBJECT LINE
Your newsletter’s headline, otherwise known as the subject of the e-mail, is responsible for 50-75% of its success. Other than whom the e-mail is from, it is what your reader sees first. Without a successful headline, your e-mail is destined for the trash can and you’ve missed a golden opportunity to reach clients and prospects with your message.
Writing a good headline is tricky and something people spend years learning and practicing. That being said, there are a few keys to a successful headline that I’d like to share with you.
● Appeal to your reader’s self interest.
Provide a benefit to your reader and make it personal to your audience of clients and prospects. Example: “10 Ways To Increase Your Portfolio Earnings Overnight.” This type of headline might work for a financial investment firm, or an accountant. A headline can be tailored to any industry and what your readers are interested in.
● Make it Newsworthy
Headlines using the words ‘new’, ‘now’, ‘finally’, ‘announcing’, and ‘latest’ give the reader a sense of newsworthiness. “New Soil Conditioner Increases Plant Life By 10%.” This headline is both newsworthy and it appeals to the reader’s self interest-assuming that the newsletter is going to clients of a nursery, florist and the like and not to an automotive repair shop!
● Appeal to the reader’s emotions.
Fear, Pride, Insecurity, Curiosity, Love, Happiness, Boredom, Laziness, and
Altruism are among many of the emotions that you can use to motivate your reader to open your newsletter. “How To Ask Your Boss For A Raise,” would be good headline for a staffing company. It appeals to the reader’s curiosity. Another curiosity driven headline might be “10 Questions You Should Never Ask A Prospective Client.”
One last thing to remember about Headlines: make them believable. Nothing gets deleted faster than an outrageous and unbelievable headline.
2. VOLUME NUMBER AND A DATE.
It may seem obvious, but one thing that is consistently overlooked in E-Newsletter publication is the volume number and date. Every newsletter that you send should have a volume number and a date to be consistent. Consistency is key to establishing yourself and your company as a reliable and credible source of information and the kind of company that your customers will return to time and again.
Additionally, by providing a consistent publication date, and volume, you give your readers a method to archive and/or search when they’re hunting through old issues for the amazing content that you’ve supplied them.
By organizing your newsletters by volume and date, you also make it easier to track each issue’s effectiveness.
3. THEME
Each newsletter that you put out to the world should have a consistent theme running throughout. Regardless if you have one article or ten, they should be linked with your theme-and your theme should be referenced in the headline.
A doctor’s office might run an issue with the theme of fighting the flu just before flu season. The newsletter might contain articles pertaining to it like diet, supplementation, and inoculations etc. Similarly, they could offer a theme on allergies in early spring.
A restaurant might highlight specific ingredients, time saving tips in the kitchen, or upcoming seasons and holidays. The articles could reference menu items or recipes that they use as a marketing tie in.
An Auto repair shop might address tune ups in one issue and preparing for summer vacations in the next. They could talk about braking-how to brake, different types of brakes, when to replace brakes, common problems with brakes etc…
You’re getting the picture. CPA firms, printers, transportation companies, every industry has a specific client population with specific needs and interests. If you have a new product, how that product integrates into your customer’s lives could be a theme-say a commercial construction company provides installation of a new type of roofing–there’s the theme for the newsletter. Themes are easy to come by; the trick is sticking to them.
4. INFORMATION
Your newsletter must contain useful information. Content Is Key! Even if your newsletter contains an editorial piece, you need to give your readers something valuable.
We’re a nation hungry for information. Non-fiction consistently outsells fiction in the bookstores and ease of information is in high demand. As far as information goes