E-newsletter best practices marketing article

It's time to raise the bar on e-newsletter best practices
By Sharon Baerny

E-newsletters are a hot new marketing tactic, and it's easy to see why. E-newsletters let you track what people do, position your company as a thought leader, add content to your Web site, and stay front of mind. Above all, an e-newsletter is perhaps the most effective way to build and maintain relationships with present and potential customers. An ongoing relationship earns trust. And trust is crucial to sales.

Yet--as with so many practices enabled by technology--it's easier to do an e-newsletter than to do it right. Just as everyone's sister-in-law is a Web designer, so is every marketer an e-newsletter publisher…which leads to a lot of poor content and sloppy sales pitches disguised as pieces of real value. That leads to a bad rap for all e-newsletters, making it harder to get customers to sign up for yours.

In the spirit of improving e-newsletter effectiveness for all marketers, it's time to ensure we're working with each other, not against each other, to maximize the value of this marketing tool for prospects and profit. It's time to consider some best practices.

1. Content is still king
Even before you've got a good list of subscribers, you've got to have good content. Emulate the print publication world and develop a content formula that works for you and your readers. As with any periodical, readers will look for their favorite departments and features in each issue, even if that just means they always read the cartoon or look for that month's promotion. Be consistent but not so consistent that readers tire of the newsletter and unsubscribe. Which leads to the next point…

Keep it fresh to avoid list fatigue. List fatigue happens when people feel they've used up the value of your newsletter. Then they delete or unsubscribe. If your readers think they're getting the same old, same old each issue, they won't stay readers for long.

To keep people interested, be brief. Get to the point and give them easy-to-digest nuggets of information. If longer articles are appropriate for your industry, by all means provide the content, but consider including only one paragraph for each article, and link that introduction to the full version on your Web site.

2. It all starts with the list
It's critical that your list is opt-in and permission-based. That means you send your newsletter only to those people who have indicated that yes, they want to hear from you. Otherwise, you are spam, simply put. Once someone has subscribed, consider double opt-in: Send them an email asking that they confirm their subscription by clicking on a link. Then remind them in each issue that they are a subscriber…in a friendly way.

Next, grow your list. This is easier said than done because it's a catch 22: Your newsletter is a marketing tool, but you grow your subscriber list by marketing your newsletter. First, develop a killer product that people will want to share, and encourage viral marketing by including a forward-to-a-friend message or function in each newsletter. Second, make it easy to subscribe. Include a sign-up link on every page of your Web site. Keep your sign-up page simple. The more you ask for, the less likely you are to get it.Finally, promote the newsletter on your Web site. Let potential subscribers know what to expect and when they can expect it. Include a link to a sample e-newsletter so they can try before they buy.

3. Delivery
Newsletters delivered as attachments are about as current as the '80s band Duran Duran. Yet, like the occasional flashback on the radio, they persist. A proper e-newsletter is an email that shows up in your subscriber's inbox as either an html or text file. This is easier for your readers-no attachments to open-and easier for you to track your results (more on this later).

Use enticing subject lines that will make readers want to open your e-newsletter and at least glance at it. Whatever you do, don't just put the newsletter name and date in the subject line. Refer to one of the articles or that issue's theme. Your subject line is crucial. Work it.

Be regular. Determine an appropriate frequency for your e-newsletter and stick with it. If people get something from you on a regular basis, they will look for it and expect it. If they hear from you sporadically, they might forget that they subscribed in the first place and think you're spam. And appropriate means just that: Don't publish weekly if monthly suits your audience and content. Like out-of-town relatives, showing up too often will build resentment.

4. Interact
Take advantage of technology to interact with your subscribers. Personalize your newsletters by using first names. Give your newsletter some personality too. Consider including a real person's name and email address in the "From" line. Engage your readers and make them feel involved by encouraging interaction. Include quick polls or surveys in your e-newsletter and publish the results in the following issue. Solicit feedback and publish their comments. Be a real person in your newsletter, not a generic corporate voice. How many people can develop a trusting relationship with a company?

5. Measure and modify
Publishing is sexy. Measuring is not. But to get the most bang for your newsletter buck, you have to monitor, measure and modify. Track your results and improve your newsletter based on what you learn. Monitor open rates, click-throughs, forward-to-a-friends and unsubscribes, then respond accordingly. Keep track of which articles generate the most interest…and which ones don't so you can stop including them. Include links in your newsletter to drive traffic to your site and give you something to measure. Use specific landing pages for promotions, with a teaser in the newsletter and that readers click on for more information.

6. Comply
Compliance is about as sexy as metrics, but not complying is perilous. And compliance is fairly simple: Only send your e-newsletter to permission-based lists. Always include an option to unsubscribe and respect the wishes of those who do so. Include a physical address in the email. These are not only best practices, but required by law.

Publishing an effective e-newsletter requires some effort. But do it right, and you will reap the rewards of that ongoing contact as you build relationships, earn trust…and make sales.

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