Why Your Business Should Consider Sending e-News

Are newsletters still relevant in the age of social media? Absolutely! While platforms like Instagram and TikTok have become popular for quick updates, newsletters offer a unique advantage: direct communication with your audience.

With newsletters, small businesses have the opportunity to connect with their customers in a more personal way. Unlike social media posts that may easily be overlooked, newsletters are delivered directly to the recipient’s inbox, ensuring that your message is seen. This direct line of communication allows businesses to share more detailed information, exclusive promotions, and behind-the-scenes content that may not be suited for social media.

Newsletters can also help businesses build trust and loyalty with their audience by consistently providing valuable and relevant content. Now, let’s explore the pros and cons of newsletters and how they can benefit your small business.

Advantages of Newsletters

1. High Open Rates: Newsletters have an average open rate of around 35.6%, which is significantly higher than open rates for other marketing channels. This is because subscribers have chosen to receive your content.
2. Measurable Value: Newsletters offer valuable analytics that let you monitor metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes. This data can help you refine your content strategy and measure the ROI of your newsletter efforts.
3. Cost-Effective: In comparison to other marketing channels, newsletters are relatively inexpensive to produce. The benefits of increased brand awareness, customer engagement, and lead generation more than justify that cost.
4. Targeted Reach: Newsletters allow for direct communication with your target audience. By segmenting your list based on characteristics like age, location, or interests, you can tailor your content to specific demographics or interests.
5. Link Building: Including links to your website in your newsletter can help improve your search engine rankings. By linking to relevant content, you can drive traffic to your site and increase engagement with your audience.
6. Shareability: Newsletters are easy to share. Subscribers can forward them to friends and colleagues, expanding your reach organically. And, when subscribers forward your newsletter to others, you are effectively expanding your reach at no cost. This can be a powerful way to grow your audience and increase brand awareness.

The Cons of Newsletters

1. Time-Consuming: Creating high-quality newsletter content can be time-consuming. You’ll need to plan, write, and design your content regularly.
2. Engagement Challenges: While newsletters have high open rates, they may not always lead to immediate action. It’s important to include a strong call to action to encourage subscribers to take the desired steps.
3. Deliverability Issues: Email providers may sometimes mark newsletters as spam, affecting their deliverability. To avoid this, follow best practices for email marketing, such as using a reputable email service provider and keeping your subscriber list scrubbed, accurate, and up-to-date.

How Newsletters Work

Newsletters typically involve the following steps:

1. Subscriber Acquisition: Gather email addresses from your website, social media, or in-person events like conferences or networking meetings. Be sure you are abiding by CASL laws while compiling your list!
   NOTE: CASL requires businesses to have either express consent (a subscriber has agreed verbally or in writing to receive your commercial emails) or implied consent which may exist if there is an existing business relationship (however, be aware there are often time-limits and specific circumstances tied to this type of consent!) CASL also requires an unsubscribe mechanism to be included in your messages.
2. Content Creation: Develop engaging content that aligns with your audience’s interests by researching their preferences and needs.
3. Email Design: Create visually appealing and mobile-responsive email templates that are easy to read and navigate.
4. Scheduling: Determine the frequency of your newsletters, consider the best timing for delivery, and schedule their distribution.
5. Analytics: Track key metrics such as open rates to measure the performance of your newsletters and make data-driven adjustments.

Tips for Successful Newsletters

• Know Your Audience: Understand your subscribers’ needs and preferences to create relevant content.
• Keep it Concise: People are busy, so keep your newsletters concise, visually engaging, and to the point.
• Use a Strong Subject Line: Personalize your subject lines with relevant and compelling content to increase open rates.
• Personalize Your Content: Use subscriber data to personalize your emails.
• Test and Optimize: Experiment with different subject lines, content formats, and delivery times to find what works best for your audience. More recently, software for newsletters like Mailchimp leverage AI to help marketers optimize email performance through personalized send times, subject lines, and audience segmentation that align with individual behaviour and preferences.

Why Links to Headlines Matter

Linking to headlines within your newsletter can improve click-through rates and drive traffic to your website. Using relevant keywords and crafting engaging headlines can motivate subscribers to click through and explore further.

This can ultimately lead to increased engagement, conversions, and revenue for your business. By testing different headline strategies, you can find what resonates most with your audience and tailor your content to better meet their needs and interests. Taking the time to link to headlines that capture attention and provoke curiosity can make a significant impact on the success of your email marketing campaigns.

Software Options for Newsletters

There are many software options available to help you create and manage your newsletters. Some popular choices include:

• Mailchimp: A user-friendly platform with a wide range of features.
• Constant Contact: Offers a variety of email marketing tools and integrations.
• Twilio SendGrid: A powerful and scalable choice for businesses with large email lists.

Over to You

For small businesses, newsletters can be an invaluable resource. They’ll allow you to develop successful campaigns that increase engagement and help you meet your marketing objectives. If you’re a small business owner seeking to make use of newsletters, consider partnering with the professionals at MYOB to assist in setting up and managing your email marketing campaigns.