Using Email Newsletters to Your Advantage, Part Five: Tips and Tricks

Posted: June 2, 2010 by Stacey Abler/ Last modified: June 2, 2010

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Once a site visitor has signed up for your email newsletter, he has shown a certain level of trust in your business. After all, he gave you his personal email! Do not make him regret that decision by not following through or by sending generic content. Follow these tips to make your newsletter stand out and make your subscribers glad that they subscribed to your email newsletter.

1. Stay on schedule.

If you told subscribers you would send emails once a week, stick with that schedule. No more, no less. If on a very rare occasion, you send more often than your schedule, let your readers know it is an exception to your regular schedule and you wanted to send out this special announcement because of XYZ (the deadline would be too close when the regular scheduled newsletter was sent, the coupon code is only good for today, etc.).

2. Remind the person of their subscription.

In the beginning of the email (if using html format) or the end (if using text format), remind them that they subscribed to receive communications from you. Some will forget and may report your newsletter as spam. This may spare you from that fate. Also include a link to unsubscribe and make it easy.

3. Deliver unique content.

Give your subscribers a reason to stay subscribed by delivering content they can only receive through your newsletter. It serves no purpose if the content is freely available on your site to the public. You can track click-throughs by linking to other related articles on your site or by hosting the article on your site on a page that is not accessible to regular visitors. You can also offer unique content by delivering coupon codes or other discounts that are only available to newsletter subscribers.

4. Proofread, proofread, proofread.

Send your newsletter to your own email address before sending. Read over the newsletter, check all links and ensure the layout is what you expected. Have a friend, family member or colleague proof the newsletter for you. Typos and grammatical errors can make loyal subscribers decide you aren’t serious about your business.

5. Encourage feedback.

Always ask for feedback from your readers. Encourage them to make suggestions or let you know what they don’t enjoy about the newsletter. When readers take the time to contact you, be sure to respond in kind and thank them for their contributions. Linking to a short survey can also be a way to encourage feedback.

6. Monitor your statistics.

All major email newsletter companies offer statistics about open rates, click throughs and other statistical information about how your readers received your newsletter. Study these statistics. If you have a column that it appears no one read, consider dropping it from future newsletters. Likewise, if you have a column that garners a lot of interest, continue writing about the subject for future newsletters. This can also be an indication of interest in paid products or services your business could offer in the future.

7. Make your newsletter easy to read.

If you are sending an html newsletter, adding pictures can be a great way to create visual interest. In addition, make your content easy to scan with bullet point lists and lots of white space.

8. Personalize the newsletter.

Capture the subscriber’s name at sign-up and then address the newsletter to them. Use a personal, casual tone in the newsletter to make the reader feel that you are having a conversation with them instead of talking at them.

Your email newsletter can be an important part of your overall marketing and communication strategy. Put time and thought into developing your newsletter or consider hiring a professional newsletter editor to create it for you. Your subscribers deserve high quality content that is worthy of their time and sharing their email address.