When you stay in touch with your customers, you create a bond with them that creates loyalty and dependability. A regular email newsletter is one of the best ways that you can stay in contact with your loyal customers.
10 years ago, email newsletters were more of an annoyance to customers. Why? Business owners failed to regulate how frequently they sent out an email, causing recipients to treat them as spam. In addition, customers failed to keep up with exceedingly fast-moving technology that could translate html newsletters that contained images, links, and other embedded media. Overall, the email newsletter was still in the infant stage, where business owners and customers alike did not know how they should be treated.
Now in the 21st century, the email newsletter has become an important marketing tool that appeals to readers and benefits business owners. How can you utilise an email newsletter as part of your marketing strategy? Here are a few tips:
Respect Opt-In Privacy
Be sure you keep a database of emails for your customers. Encourage customers and potential customers to provide their emails either by signing up in your store or through your website. If you encourage subscribers through your website, be sure to explain that you will not share your email with anyone else. In fact, the double opt-in is becoming a standard privacy feature where your customer signs up through your website and confirms the subscription through an initial email.
Frequency of Email Newsletters
The frequency of an email newsletter is often debated. Should they be sent every week? Every month? Four times a year? It really depends on your business and how your customers expect to be contacted. If you have a cyclical retail business with different specials and deals every week, perhaps a weekly newsletter is appropriate. Service businesses are keen to stay in touch every three months or so. The average is about one email newsletter per month.
Text or HTML Newsletter?
Another debate is whether to send out your email newsletters in readily available text or by html markup that makes it look like a web page with images, graphics, and links. Most people will probably prefer the html version, but a smaller percentage will always want text only. Your best bet is to offer both , and use a system that allows subscribers to choose which format when they sign up.
What’s in an Email Newsletter?
What should you include in your email newsletter? Remember, you not only want to stay in touch, but promote your business. Include interesting stories like customer testimonials or employee profiles, but also include a product highlight or a special sales promotion, as well as provide a clear call to action for the reader. In addition, let your email recipients know that their subscription is valued and offer them special and exclusive deals.
Email newsletter is a great marketing tool for any business. Keeping your newsletter consistent and clear of any spam features will encourage more customers to subscribe. Stay in touch with your customers, and they will remain loyal.
