BigBuzzBlog

How to create and manage an e-newsletter campaign

October 28, 2009 at 11:30 pm Leave a comment

E-newsletters are hot! In contrast to their print counterparts, they cost less to produce, allow for more up-to-date information, are more easily shared and are highly trackable. If you haven’t discovered the benefits of an e-newsletter campaign, it’s time to start. Here are some tips:

• First, make sure your database is in the right format; most e-news delivery systems prefer Microsoft Excel or another spreadsheet-style program. And you should save a version of your current dbase with just the email address to keep things simple in importing your dbase. You can add a name in a separate field if you want to include a personal greeting.

• Find a content delivery system. Constant Contact is the most widely used and offers various price levels as well as the opportunity to use the system to deliver surveys. Newcomers RatePoint and Emma are two more you might look into. Most of the more well-known systems are competitive in price and what they offer; you may just feel more comfortable with one of them. Ask a business peer what they use.

• Design your e-newsletter to mesh with your current brand. You should be able to upload your logo and choose brand-supportive colors and fonts. Remember, your e-newsletter is an extension of your core brand, and offers an opportunity to build that equity. Don’t confuse customers with something that doesn’t look like it came from you.

• Develop stories that provide “value-added” information to your readers. Don’t hard-sell them. The purpose of this marketing tool is to gain their trust as a reliable source of helpful information and to build a relationship. Focus 80 percent of your content on topics relating to their business functions and 20 percent – max – on selling your products or services.

• Drive clicks through to your website. The best e-newsletters provide a little bit of teaser detail, then link to a website for the full story. So you might want to set up a “news” section on your site where all of your stories will fall. In doing this, you not only can track what stories are most interesting to your readers but also, in driving them to your site you now give them the opportunity to click around to find out more. That’s how you close the sale.

• Review your stats and make adjustments. After each e-newsletter, check the stats available through your content delivery system (i.e. Constant Contact) to find out what readers read most. After several newsletters, you should be able to see a trend in what topics are most highly valued. Then, make sure you’re focusing on those news items in your upcoming e-newsletters.

E-newsletters are an excellent way to stay in touch with customers, build trust and reach potential new buyers through pass-along readership. You can send your news weekly, if you have lots of stories to tell, or monthly if that seems more manageable for you. If you’re not comfortable developing and writing your own, find a writer and designer who can help you. But whatever you do, don’t miss out on this excellent, affordable marketing tool!

Entry filed under: Enewsletters. Tags: Enewsletters, marketing, social media.