Almost every company that works online has created a newsletter for their online audience. While some have experience in the field, there are others who might not know much about how to put this together. Depending on certain factors, each company will have to focus on different things when putting together a newsletter.
Making it informative yet creative at the same time can prove to be a hustle. The good news is that there are quite a few things that you can do in order to achieve that. In order to help you achieve that, here are some tips and tricks to create a great newsletter for your audience.
Define your target audience
The very first thing you should be doing when doing any email marketing campaign or putting together a newsletter is defining your target audience. The people you are creating this content for have all the answers to many of the questions you will have. The best way to solve them is through thinking like the people you wish to attract.
When someone chooses to sign up for your newsletter is because they are expecting certain things from your brand. Whether that is discount codes, information about upcoming products or sales, they all have to be related to your brand’s message.
Your target audience is essentially the people that you are trying to approach that will genuinely be interested in what your brand has to offer. These people will have certain interests, will possibly come from a certain place geographically and will be of a certain age. As long as you keep that in mind, you will be able to create a much more targeted newsletter to fit their needs and interests.
Come up with the right subject line
One of the reasons why anyone will be interested in opening your newsletters that show up in their inbox is their subject line. It is important to follow a few basic rules when putting together a subject line in order to make it eye-catching. Thankfully, it is a very simple task that you will easily learn to handle with some practice.
The very first thing you need to be aware of is the length of the subject line. John Lang, writer and content writing expert said that “Making your subject lines too long will cause most people to skip an email, as they will find it boring. Too short of a subject line will not help them understand what the email is all about. Making it spammy, using all caps and too many emojis is definitely not going to work in your company’s advantage”.
In order for your subject lines to be helpful and informative as to what content will follow, they need to be to the point. For example, if you are running an autumn sales marketing campaign for your clothing brand, you should use keywords such as the name of your brand, the word “sale” and the purpose of the campaign. These will help the receiver know exactly what they will find in the email and motivate them to open it.
If you are not running a campaign, it might also be a good idea to use a motivational sentence in order to catch the receiver’s attention. Many brands create promotional emails which enclose discounts and coupons, but they need a way to make their audience open them. You can use phrases such as “Open me for a special discount”, or “Your personal discount code is waiting!” These will motivate the receiver to go through such targeted emails a lot easier.
Stay focused on the main topic
While you might want to be creative when creating an email, this can often cause you to lose focus from the main topic. There are many ways to express your creative ideas without straying from what needs to be mentioned.
The first thing you can do is to start by defining the topic of each individual newsletter and only sticking to writing content for that. You can use an app such as Evernote in order to help you keep all of your notes in one place and every platform.
The best thing you can do in order to avoid straying off your main topics is to go through everything you create or write. Whenever you make something new to include, ask yourself if it is in accordance to the main topic. If it is, you should go ahead and include it. If it is not, maybe you can still use it in another, upcoming newsletter email.
Use audiovisual content in a smart way
Images, videos and infographs are all great ways of adding different, creative and interesting elements to your newsletters. Not only are they easy to put together, but you can also find plenty of materials online. You can use pictures from your social media platforms, your website and even videos from other accounts and of course from YouTube.
Another good idea is to use popular memes and gifs in your newsletters, if you believe your target audience would enjoy them. This way you are creating a much more creative and personalized experience and your audience will look forward to seeing which meme you chose next.
Don’t forget to include links
One of the most important things that can help transform your newsletters is including all the necessary links in the right places. Including links in your emails will make it a lot easier for your readers to reach your website. We live in a time where very few people will go out of their way to find something online. This is exactly why you need to make sure you provide them direct access to your products.
Using the right links will save your customers a lot of time when trying to find certain pages on your website. Providing them with a way to reach anything from your sales pages to your social media accounts will ensure they will visit them. This way, you will not only increase your sales but you will also increase the number of visitors on your website and their online engagement.
Be genuine and helpful
Last but not least, the best way to create informative newsletters is to be truly invested in being helpful. This is easy to show through your newsletters as you can easily show it. The first thing this applies to is the claims you make for your brand and products. Being genuine about what you provide your customers with through your newsletters can be achievable and can truly build their trust in your brand.
In addition to this, you should also make sure to include all the places where they reach you in case they come across any issues. This is something that will always come in handy and you should not expect your customers to have to search a lot to find it. Providing a customer service email address or letting them know how to reach out to you through social media is essential.
Use your newsletter to come closer to your audience
Sending out your newsletter to your online audience can be a lot more than just a promotional tactic. Through the stories you tell and the personalized content you create, you can build the relationship with your audience. The more you keep your target audience in mind, the more personalized your content will be.
Learning how to create a newsletter which will be interesting for your audience and beneficial for your brand can take time. It is certain that the more you experiment with new tactics, the more you will learn. Therefore, the best thing you can do is to try your best to make your newsletters as out of the box as possible.
Which of these tips do you believe will be of most help for creating a newsletter for your own business?