Making an online newsletter shouldn’t be a problem at all. Majority of the newsletter providers have templates that you can use according to your needs. All you have to do is change the text and add relevant images. The rationale behind creating a newsletter is to provide suitable and up-to-date information to its readers that is easy and enjoyable to read. For first time users, I would recommend Mailchimp or Madmimi website to create email-newsletters however before you make one, let’s try to understand some important rules for increasing customer engagement with newsletters.
1. Signing up for a newsletter
Highlight the value proposition the user will get by signing up. If you mention that your newsletter will contain offers and discounts then stick to your promise. Example, the PepsiCo newsletter clearly states that it includes access to Pepsi news, music, sports, etc.
2. Use a powerful subject line and include a clear CTA (Call To Action)
Emails often compete against one another as a user gets his or her mailbox flooded with mails everyday. Use a strong subject line to compel readers to open and read your newsletter. A CTA is a link that redirects the user to take an action I.e. redirecting user recipients to the e-commerce section of your website so that they can purchase items and contribute to sales generated by marketing.
3. Include images and bullets to break down paragraphs
Do not glut your newsletter with unnecessary information. The average attention span of an adult is 8 seconds as per a research conducted by Microsoft. Therefore it is even more important to create easy-to-read and precise paragraphs without diluting the quality of content. For images, you may want to consider subscribing to stock image services offered by Shutterstock and Unspalsh (where you can use professional photos for free without even giving credit to the photographer). This Facebook newsletter is a testimony to the same.
4. Track analytics
Whether you are using Mailchimp or inbound marketing tools such as Hubspot to create newsletters, it is important to track and measure the results of your campaign. These newsletter providers let you track the open rate (Email open rate is the percentage of the total number of subscribers who opened an email campaign) and bounce rate (refers to the percentage of email addresses in your subscriber list that didn't receive your message because it was returned by a recipient mail server). If you see a high bounce rate in your campaign report, there are several reasons why this may be happening. Visit, https://mailchimp.com/help/causes-of-high-bounce-rates/ to learn about some common causes of high bounce rates.
5. Feedback
Encourage response from your subscribers, such as reactions to content, suggestions for content, questions about the e-newsletter, etc. Use this information to guide your decisions about what content to include and whether to adjust the design or layout to increase reader satisfaction.
At Bonkers Over Marketing (B.O.M), we can help you to launch successful newsletter campaigns. Contact us today for a demo of our email newsletter services.