Businesses of all sizes need to use this tool in a way that does not harm their business, or reduce their profits because of a bad newsletter design or meaningless text, so here are a few tips that will help a business’s newsletters get read, business-to-business or business-to-customers:

The layout is one of the most important aspects of a newsletter email. The layout should not be too simple (just text or just an image) nor too complex (too many images and text.) This makes your newsletter look spammy, therefore, try to find a middle ground that suits the type of business you perform. Here are a couple of very useful techniques:

The title is indeed the most important aspect of a newsletter for it is what separates your email from those of junk mail and spams. Try to use the title as an attention catcher. Many businesses use the name of their business in the title. In many cases, this is a big mistake because some readers might not be aware of this business and disregard the newsletter based on that. Another reason why using the business’s name in the title is a bad idea is because it tells the reader that this is a useless update, or even spam id they don’t know this particular business. Therefore, use a shorter version of the title of the content for it is very relevant and grabs attention, or just be creative and straightforward with this section. An example for Applebee’s coupon: 3 Appetizers for 2 only at Applebee’s (this is one of the cases where using the name of the business is relevant.)
The content definitely depends on the type of business performed. However, a general rule of thumb is to never forget the human aspect. The following are some useful tips and techniques for the content section of the newsletter:

While there’s no magic formal for coming up with engaging content to include in your newsletter, there are a few hints to get you started in the right direction. Many experts will give you general directions like “have fun”, “make it interesting”. Well, obviously. These tips are of a more technical nature.

- Your email subject is part of your content. In many ways, this is the most important content you’ll feature in your newsletter. Without an engaging subject, the rest of your content is meaningless. Most importantly, don’t sound spammy. This can be harder than advertised, as even creating an interesting subject can sound like spam.

Remember your subject matter, and the subscribers you’re sending two. If you keep both of these elements in mind, generally the title of your email will automatically come to you. Another good rule of thumb is think of what you generally toss away as spam when you’re cycling through your email.

- Use images sparingly, but don’t be afraid to use them either. We’re a very visceral society, and we love pretty images. We’d must rather “see” than “read”; it might be a sad truth but you’re out to make money. The problem with images in emails is more of a technical nature, as many clients won’t automatically load images for readers.

Some of the best newsletter campaigns are nothing but images, and most of them provide readers eye candy to keep them interested. If your content can rely on nothing but images, it’s worth the negatives to create it like so.

- Get to the meat of your content as soon as possible. A good exercise to try and is create an email where more than likely people won’t have to scroll to take everything. Give them little, and many times you’ll find more people will be interested. Keeping it simple in email can many times provide greater conversion, as readers won’t feel overwhelmed when looking through your offers.

When businesses decide to offer newsletters, they tend to do the opposite.  There’s usually little if any actual NEWS and the whole thing tends to look and read like a poorly disguised commercial.

So, this got me thinking:

• What if you treated the people who read your current newsletter, as if they were already friends?
• What if you sent them actual news and asked how THEY are?
• What if you sent it NOT on some bullshit automated schedule, but only when you had something of value or interest to share?
• What if some of them contained NO special offers or sales pitches?
• What if some were just offering to help?

Business is all about people

Is it possible that this approach would help you develop a deeper, richer relationship with your readers, than the usual; “we call it a newsletter but there’s no actual news, I just want to sell you stuff,” approach?  Because if it did, it could massively improve how they felt about you and your business.

Why does that matter?  It matters because business is all about people.  People do business with people they like.  People recommend people they like.

Now, if for some reason you think you absolutely have to send glossy, salesy-looking newsletters, how about offering a more humanized version too; just for those who would like to connect with you on a more personal level?  It’s just a thought.

What do you think?

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2) Consider the “F” reading pattern
When people skim through an email, they follow an “F” reading pattern. This means that they read the first line of each paragraph and scan down the left side looking for interesting information.To get the maximum impact from your text, keep your paragraphs brief – 3-4 lines, lead with key information, and leave white space between paragraphs.

3) Use of Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks serve 4 purposes in an email

• • Keeps your newsletter brief and to the point.
  • Sends your readers to your fabulous website.
  • Helps you figure out what interests your readers.
  • Helps you figure out who is interested.

First, providing a link to “more detail” allows you include only the most pertinent information in your email. Once you’ve captured their interest, the link sends the reader to the correct landing page of your website for more information. An important caveat: Make sure that the page they land on has the promised additional information.

Second, the readers use of hyperlinks is recorded in your email Click reports. When no one clicks on a link, you know that the information fell flat.  On the other hand, if a very large group clicks on a given link, you will know to spend more time on that topic. Further, a well planned set of links may help you segment your list based on the links they use.

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Keep in mind that directly after the brick-and-mortar stores enjoy their Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving, of course — the Internet enjoys what is now referred to as Cyber Monday. For those who may not know, Cyber Monday is the first Monday following Thanksgiving, and it’s quickly been acknowledged as the biggest online shopping day of the year.

This means any effective email campaign targeting Cyber Monday needs to be active before Thanksgiving, which brings us back to EMR’s list of resources that was made to assist you with an effective holiday season marketing effort. The list is as follows:

• Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season 2011: the big 51 page report from Chad White…full of information on what top retailers did last year, plus advice on how to approach timing, frequency and an array of seasonal email tactics.
• Planning for the holidays: a long list of questions to ask when reviewing what you did last time…thus laying the foundation for this season’s campaigns.
• Holidays ahead of time: advice for (small) business on what might go into holiday emails, with an emphasis on standing out from the typical “X%-off” promotions.
• Holiday retail email ideas: tips, suggestions and warnings on how to ramp up your email marketing in time for Q4 and then make more use of the seasonal opportunity.
• Top 10 steps: ideas for planning and preparing campaigns in advance of the holiday season.
• Top 12 dates: list of key dates and events around which to plan appropriate holiday messaging.
• A holiday marketing story: access a 10-page download outlining specific tactics and approaches to follow to get the most out of seasonal email campaigns.
• Here come the holidays: suggests you get optimization and testing done before the holiday rush.
• Holiday preparedness: 4 tips to help ensure seasonal success isn’t hampered by delivery issues.
• Holiday season will be bigger: brief tips on the overall approach to take to Q4.
• Retail email campaign planner: access a free and cute .pdf holiday campaign calendar off this (sales) page.
• Holiday email trends: offers predictions on the tactics retailers will favor and/or should take a closer look at.

As the publication points out, this list is by no means comprehensive, but it is a great starting point. EMR also indicates they will be adding more resources to the list, so keep it bookmarked if you need further direction. Now get to work on that killer holiday season marketing campaign because time’s running out and Christmas will be here before you know it.

You can use them to share information, give tips and offers.

But generating great content on a regular basis can seem like a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be. All you need is:

• A great looking template
• A simple process to write content-rich material that can be repeated again and again

The template you use should reflect your business image. Something in line with your website’s design would be ideal. Just make sure it’s a clean, unfussy design that won’t detract from the information it contains.

But what about the simple process I mentioned? Well, below is an example to show how easy it can be to write your newsletter when you have a system in place.

Newsletter writing process

This 5 step writing process is a great way to kick start the creative process every month. The number of topics you pick will determine the length of your newsletter.

1. Choose 3 topics for the main body of your newsletter
2. Choose 3 topics for your side bar
3. Interview industry experts or research a specific topic
4. Write and edit your articles
5. Proofread your newsletter

1. Main topics

These articles will make up the body of your newsletter. You can choose as many topics as you like, but the more you have, the longer your newsletter will be.

They don’t have to be long articles (approximately 300 – 500 words) and can cover things that have happened in the news (or your industry) recently, what’s happening now and what’s coming up.

2. Side bar

The side bar is for quick bits of news so they’re not as in depth as the main topics you’ll write about.

It also gives you the opportunity to add regular pieces such as a book of the month, announcement of forthcoming events, tips, and offers.

3. Interviews and research

Conducting an interview or writing a research-based article can add real meat to your newsletter.

The interview would act like a magazine Q&A session. In it, you could get an expert’s insight into a particular hot topic that your readers are interested in.

The same can work for the research article. Find out what’s important to your readers and write about it. But make sure you include links to the external articles you used for your research so they can read around the subject if they want to.

4. The writing process

This is the part many people dread. But writing well rounded, interesting articles is easy.

Make sure you write in the second person (i.e. ‘you’) to instantly build rapport with your readers. As mentioned above, use hypertext links to direct your reader to more information. This will add value to them and show you really do understand your subject.

Another important feature within your newsletter is your call to action. It could be a link back to your website, an instruction to email for more information or a competition. If you want to make your newsletter marketing a two-way street, you must ask your reader to do something.

Of course, they can only get in touch if you include your contact details. Never hide away from your customers. As with your website copy, make sure your postal, email and phone details are easily available otherwise it looks as though you have something to hide.

The final part of the writing process involves leaving your newsletter alone. Put it to one side for a few days before reviewing the content to make sure it provides the messages you wanted.

5. Proofread

This is the final and most important part of the process.

The last thing you want to do is hit send only to find a glaring typo.

Putting the newsletter aside for a few days before reviewing it will help with the proofreading process. Ideally, you should get someone else to proof it for you. But, if that isn’t possible, giving yourself a few days grace before checking it through should help you spot any mistakes before you send it out.

Over to you

Done well, a regular newsletter can help build and cement relationships with your customers. By adding value and maintaining regular contact, your newsletter can encourage sales.

Do you send out a monthly newsletter?

Have you found it beneficial?

Do you have a process you follow each month like this one? Please leave a comment below and share your newsletter experiences with us.

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They provide a way for you to keep in regular contact with your customers.

But what do you put in them?

Keeping your subscribers engaged and interested in your monthly mailings is essential. But how do you achieve that?

Timely

To ensure your content resonates with your reader, try to tie it in with topical events or seasonal subjects.

So in the summer months don’t start talking about Christmas!

By making your content relevant to what’s going on around you, you are showing your readers that you are a company that thinks – you’re not just emailing them to get them to buy. You will be providing timely and useful information.

Solving problems

Your newsletter shouldn’t just be about selling.

Adding an article that talks about ‘how to’ achieve something, how to solve a problem or one that offers general advice about something your readers are interested in, will add value to your relationship with them.

By offering this type of information they are more likely to remain subscribed to your newsletter. Plus talking about your field in this way will position you as an expert. So when they need help – guess who they’ll turn to?

Short and sweet

How long should your newsletter be?

It’s best to keep it short – no more than 400 words or so. That way you’ll keep your readers attention right to the end.

Send them something that goes on for eternity and they’ll delete it because they won’t have time to read it.

But it’s not only the length of your newsletter than should be short. By keeping your sentences and paragraphs short too, you’ll make it easier to read.

And of course, don’t forget your strong headline. If that, and the first couple of sentences don’t grab their attention, you would have lost them.

Link

OK, so you’re keeping your newsletters short but this month you want to talk about something in more detail because you feel it’s particularly important to your readers.

That’s where linking comes in; write a short piece outlining the main issues and then link out to more information. This could be a blog post or article you have written or an external news story.

This technique keeps your newsletter short and sweet and still provides your readers with the information they need.

Have fun

Your newsletter also has to be enjoyable to read.

That will not only come down to its content but also how it’s written.

Be human with your writing; conversational copy is far more readable than formal, staid language. Inject a bit of humour if you can and keep it light. Above all, let your personality shine through.

Newsletters are an amazing tool. They enable you to keep in regular contact with your customers and enhance that relationship by offering news, tips and offers.

Do you send out a regular newsletter? If so why not leave a comment below and tell us how you use it. You might have more tips for us all to follow.

Check out Freelance Copywriter’s Blog for more articles by Sally Ormond

That point of view gets overlooked in favor of the “see how many fans you can get” social media game. One of the things that has become painfully clear of late is that having lots of followers does not equate into having lots of business. I know plenty of well-known, heavy hitter social media types, the ones that show up on lots of tops of Twitter lists, that are broke.

I’m not suggesting that having no followers is the way to go either, but turning followers into leads and converting those leads into profitable business is the real reason to spend time and money in any tactic.

Again, I’m not suggesting that this means you find a way to buy a few fans and then spam them into submission, but you must have a workable plan in place to move people from followers to prospects.

For most businesses this means email. If you are not consistently putting out great content and offering that content for your followers to grab in exchange for their email address you are severely limiting your ability to make social media pay.

You can do this in the form of an email newsletter, downloadable free ebook or even free online seminar or other event. The point is that if you can gain trust in your social media engagement, the kind that makes people confidently give you permission to email them, you’ll make social media pay. If you don’t, you won’t, it’s that simple.

Once you’ve earned this kind of trust, you can begin to nurture this lead, educate and make offers in ways that simply don’t have impact in most social media settings.

Obviously, you can take this offline as well – drive folks to play a game of check-in, invite them to your in person event, or get them to enter to win a grand prize at your location – but the point still remains.

Look at what your doing right now with your social media efforts and ask yourself this question – What could I do that would entice some percentage of my followers to willingly and joyfully give me their email address? – answer that and you’ll turn your social media efforts into a powerful lead generation machine.

Check out Duct Tape Marketing for more articles by

If you’re interested in increasing your online visibility, then you need to create quality content that engages your audience. There are many channels that you can use to distribute this content: your website, your blog, an email newsletter, online videos, photo sharing sites, social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, webinars, ebooks and more.

Many businesses struggle with how to create new content after they exhaust a few obvious topics. However, there are plenty of online tools that businesses can use to drill deeper, to find more long-tail search terms that they blog about or could create a webinar that would attract new business.

One of the tools that helps accomplish this–and is fun to play with as well–is Google’s Wonder Wheel. It’s a mashup of a mind mapping tool crossed with search results.

I created a short video of how to to use Wonder Wheel to create new content ideas for your own business.

You can watch the video below or check out How to Increase Your Online Visibility With Google’s Wonder Wheel on YouTube.

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It’s no wonder important tasks fall by the wayside. If you look at all the things you need to do to maintain your blog, it can be really daunting. But the thing that’s really cool is that you can put your blog list building on auto pilot — so to speak. And to get the most from building reader engagement, it’s important you pay attention to the list building tips detailed in the new digital ebook List Building for Bloggers.

This book is written by Phil Hollows who is the CEO of FeedBlitz, an email and social media automation service. Phil has been providing services to bloggers for quite some time and he’s seen the good, the bad, and (yes) the ugly.

What’s really neat is that List Building for Bloggers is written for small business owners like you and me. It’s not some corporate focused guide that’s been adapted. So the list building tips and techniques are those that we can really use to improve our blogs and interaction with our readers. Yay!

The book is a comprehensive guide that will help you make the most of your email list whether you’re a newbie or seasoned blogger. It covers all the steps you need from A to Z  — from getting your list up and running to making sure you are in compliance with CAN-SPAM to growing your list and using autoresponders.

So you might have this nagging voice in the back of your head about the whole “email is dead” thing. Well, I’ve never believed that and neither should you. Phil really brings that point home in the book and he hits it right out of the gate in Chapter 1 – Why Aren’t Email Lists Extinct in the Age of Social Media? Here’s a snippet of what he says about it.

It’s this basic: Email is the perfect complement to your blog and other social media channels. You can use your email to link back to your blog of course. But it can also link back to your Twitter account, Facebook page or LinkedIn profile. It can invite people to “like” an article, for example. Or to retweet on Twitter. If you consider your blog as the hub of a “hub and spoke” marketing system, your subscriber emails are mini-hubs. They too can link back to your other content and social media spokes.

And here’s the kicker. Everyone must have an email address to sign up for any social network. See, I told you email is not dead.

At the end of every chapter, Phil includes a list of action steps you should take to put the list building tips from that chapter into action. I’ve been making changes on this blog and through my email list service as I’ve been reading the book and I’ve already seen improvement in terms of both reader subscriptions and engagement — that’s in just a few days. It works.

So far I’ve found a bunch of little tweaks I can make that will build into big improvements. When you get a copy and implement what you learn, you can too. There’s way too much content in this book to cover the whole thing here, but I can tell you right now that two of my favorite chapters are Chapter 9 – Mailing List Underperforming? 13 Optimization Tips to Use Now! and Chapter 23 – The Top Ten Email Power Tips: Two Weeks to Email Heaven.

Don’t wait a minute longer. Click here to get your copy of List Building for Bloggers right now.

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Much like a website, if someone opens an email, you only have a few seconds to grab their attention and convince them to take an action. Whether it is a powerful image or irresistible offer, you have to give your recipients something that will engage them.  The key is to show your subscribers – at a glance – that they are getting something of value.

Modern Email Marketing Design Options

Unlike personal emails, current email designs tend to take the form of actual Web pages. In fact, keeping the email in line with the theme of a website can increase your brand recognition. More than that, creative designs give your email marketing campaign a much better chance of success.

For example, an email can be designed with a kind of “shell” that creates a theme or sense unity in your messages. This ensures that all emails have a similar look even though the content differs from message to message.  You can even use images and themes from your website, or you can design an inventive background that fits with your current campaign. It is important to keep a balance between boldness and subtlety, as the message should be eye-catching without being overpowering.

Horizontal emails are a relatively recent trend in creative design. These emails require horizontal scrolling to see the whole thing – not because the image was sized improperly, but because the series of images or messages are placed horizontally instead of vertically. This prompts subscriber interaction with the email and also ensures that the message is short and to-the-point. If you do it correctly, it can feel like flipping through the pages of a catalog instead of just scrolling down a long list of items.

Another short and to-the-point design option is Postcard newsletters.  In a Postcard newsletter, there is no front and back like a traditional postcard, so the look is slightly modified with side-to-side but the overall idea is the same. There is one focused image or design (the Call to Action) and a paragraph or two that accompanies the image or design in a fun, engaging way. Even when images are turned off, the text is on the side so the message itself is always above the fold – you don’t have to scroll down to read the text which would typically be under the Call to Action. It’s as if there’s a postcard right in your inbox!

We are also starting to see a lot of email headers that are more engaging and clickable than they used to be. This can be an effective tactic because so many consumers don’t actually look beyond the header. Most people decide whether or not they are going to open an email based on what they see in the preview screen, which means a powerful header can be the determining factor for a successful email campaign.  With only a few seconds to convince someone to take an action, it’s a good idea to have the available options right up front.

Email Marketing Tips

The best emails will have an effective mix of images and text and it may take some trial and error to find that balance. In general, you should ask yourself if the image is disruptive to the flow of the email. Does it encourage a click, or does it simply distract the recipient? Distractions need to be removed, but so do any components that aren’t actively working toward your goal. If your images and text don’t have a point, they are just taking up valuable space and slowing load times for no good reason.

Emails aren’t really about getting a sale; they’re about getting a click. Your website is where you should convert the click into a sale. The initial email is a way to encourage people to visit your site and see what you have to offer. If you present them with a professional design that quickly and succinctly tells them what they can do and why they should do it, you will have much greater success with your email marketing campaign.

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