A newsletter is an email that offers to readers who subscribed to it a list of your most interesting content, announcements, and promotions. It can be a useful way to keep your audience informed about your activities and also to gain traffic.
Find out in this article the best practices to follow for a successful newsletter.
The golden steps to setting up an effective newsletter
Captivating text, attractive visuals, and a clear call to action? Yes, these elements are essential to writing a quality newsletter, but there is more to consider than that.
The number of emails flooding our inboxes can be mind-blowing. According to DMR for business statistics, the average person receives 121 emails a day (about 44,000 emails a year). That is quite a lot to read! So, it’s crucial to address your target audience and grab their attention with quality content.
To set up a relevant newsletter, we recommend the following steps:
1- Define your goals and objectives
First of all, before you even start designing your newsletter template, you need to think about why you want to create one and consider a few things to make sure you address the right messages.
Ask yourself if your newsletter is intended to help you to:
- Generate leads
- Get new contacts
- Increase traffic to your site
Make sure not to focus solely on the number of opened emails. Instead, your goal should take into account your overall ambitions for your business and the added value you offer.
2- Identify your target audience
Defining your audience is critical to the success of your campaign. You need to understand the needs and expectations of your potential readers to be able to send newsletters that will interest them. So, think about the audience you want to reach with your emails and try to be as specific as possible. Take into account things like demographics, location, and interests.
If you want to be even more specific about your segments, you can combine different types of data. For example, you can focus only on men who prefer to buy shoes and who have made at least four purchases in the last six months.
3- Determine what content to share
The choice of content for your newsletter is closely linked to the objectives and targets you have defined.
To identify interesting topics, you can start by analyzing your competitors’ newsletters and those of companies you think are successful in the field of email marketing. This way, you can get inspiration for potential new topics, products, events, etc. You can also survey in advance and ask your contacts what content they like to receive in a newsletter.
4- Select a tool and adapt the newsletter
Once you have determined your objectives, your target audience, and your content, the question is: which tool should you use to create your newsletter and how much should it be personalized?
To select the most complete and suitable tool for your company, ask yourself the following questions:
Does the tool need to be integrated into a CRM ecosystem?
Should the tool be intuitive and guide you through the process?
Should the allow you to switch between visual and HTML creation?
What budget can you afford to invest in the tool?
Another important element to evaluate is whether the tool can be personalized. The most effective newsletters are those that seem to have been created specifically for the recipient, which is what helps a newsletter generate clicks and shares. To personalize your newsletters, you can start by:
- Segmenting your emails and choosing content that will engage your target audience.
- Adding personalization
- Opt for intelligent content that allows you to deliver the right message to the right person and gain relevance.
Some of the tools our experts recommend are HubSpot CRM, ActiveTrail, and Sendinblue.
5- Choose a sending time
Determining when to send a newsletter remains complex. It depends on the type of target (BtoB or BtoC), but also the sector of activity of your company. In any case, remember that a newsletter loses performance when it is sent on a Monday, as individuals and professionals return to their weekly activities and might not be receptive. If you operate in the B2B sector, we recommend that you send your newsletter during normal working hours. Peak times are usually between 10 and 11 am and between 3 and 4 pm.
Good practices for a successful newsletter
1- Compatibility with different inboxes
Not all email providers consider email code in the same way. For example, a newsletter can be displayed without problem in Gmail, but be unreadable in Outlook. Therefore, do not hesitate to test your e-mails in the different browsers with your newsletter creation tool.
2- Make sure your newsletter is responsive
In an increasingly mobile world, your content and everything you do needs to be optimized for mobile devices to make the most of your mobile audience. Studies have shown that 65% of emails are opened first on mobile devices. In other words, if you haven’t already optimized your newsletters for mobile devices, now is the time to do so.
3- Take care of your design
To maintain your visual identity, your graphic charter must appear in your newsletter. The design should be close to that of your website. You should use the same font, display your logo and choose the same colors. The newsletter should also be simple, uncluttered, and easy to read. The content of your newsletter should be 90% educational and 10% promotional.
However, a newsletter is not just about advertising your offers and other promotions. Above all, it is an effective way for your company to showcase your expertise with quality content. So, focus on delivering educational, relevant, and timely information to your subscribers.
With the above information, you are now ready to create your next newsletter. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to ask our experts for assistance. If you would like to know more, contact us via the following link: https://eminence.ch/en/contact-us/