When done properly, a newsletter can be an enormous asset to
your business and its marketing efforts.
The number one reason to have a newsletter is customer and client
engagement. There are two kinds of
newsletters: those that get read and those that get tossed. A newsletter needs to capture the attention
of your audience and potential readers and the best way to do this is through
its design and content. Think about
curating a great subject matter for each newsletter and it’s more likely to be
read. So how to create a compelling
newsletter?
First off, make your newsletter’s name an attention
grabber. Don’t focus the title on your
company’s name; focus it on its content.
Think long and hard about what the article is about and come up with a
great name. Try to sum up the meat and
potatoes of your newsletter in its title.
Write your newsletter articles objectively. While you want to have a strong opinion and
point of view, you don’t want to alienate readers. That said, your newsletter shouldn’t read
like a sales brochure. A strong
newsletter should provide useful information to your audience that will make
you look like a market leader who understands what is going on in your field of
interest. Base your articles on factual
information. “When you insert opinions
into your stories, make them into quotes and attribute them to the proper
people in your organization, just like a newspaper would.”
Write to express not impress. The purpose of a newsletter is to
communicate. Keep your writing casual and
conversational. You don’t want to use
language that seems foreign to your audience.
Sometimes it’s best to write as if the people reading it have never
heard of the topic before. You don’t
want to confuse them with big words and the intricate language of your
marketplace especially if they are not familiar with it.
Proofread as many times as you can. You don’t want your newsletters to have any
typos or grammatical errors. Think of it
like a resume you might send prospective employers; it has to be perfect. Your newsletter represents the
professionalism of your company. The
writing should be polished. While
oftentimes mundane, proofreading, revising and rewriting newsletters are
critical to their success.
Use front-page articles to draw in readers. Prospective readers judge a newsletter by its
cover. It needs to be exciting and
engaging. If the front page doesn’t
contain useful articles, most people will quickly glance at it and throw it
away. They might even consider it to be
junk mail. Articles that are important
to your business aren’t always important to your consumers. While articles announcing important upcomings
of your business are key, they might be better suited on the second page.
Use at least one graphic per page. Making your newsletter visually attractive to
your reader makes it more likely that it will in fact be read to begin with.
Graphics can include photos, artwork, charts or even large quotes. Graphics are important because it draws in the
reader’s eye. They also provide much needed visual breaks from solid blocks of
text which can seem boring to readers and can lead to not holding their
attention. “A page containing nothing
but row after row after row of endless text does not look inviting to
read.” Making your newsletter visually
pleasing is key.
Use colors and tints to make your newsletter more
eye-catching. While color can be more
expensive than black and white, try and throw in as much color as your budget
allows. Remember newsletters compete
with colorful magazines and larger papers.
“A splash of color on your pages will make your newsletter much more
visible to prospective readers.”
Print your bulk copies from electronic files not from paper
originals. Using paper originals can
leave blotches and marks. Using electronic
files makes your newsletter as clear and clean looking as possible. This improved quality will translate into
sharper images, photos and graphics. It
will also make the appearance of your newsletter crisper.
Have something to say; don’t just say anything. Offer tips, strategies and expert advice that
is of value to your reader. Keep your
newsletter simple and focused.
Lastly and most importantly, remember your audience. Don’t forget who you are speaking to. Design your content around the people reading
your newsletter. If they’ve signed up
for it, there’s a specific reason. They
want to know about certain things and don’t forget that.
Here are some articles you might want to check out about
creating a business newsletter:
“Creating Newsletter Content”: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/78544
“5 Secrets of a Great Newsletter Business”: http://www.inc.com/5-secrets-of-a-great-e-newsletter-business.html
“Six Tips to Creating a Newsletter that Works”: http://under30ceo.com/six-tips-to-creating-a-newsletter-that-works/
“23 Things to Consider When Creating a Business Newsletter”:
http://contentequalsmoney.com/23-things-to-consider-when-creating-a-business-newsletter/
Until next time…
No comments:
Post a Comment