Newsletter … Anyone … Anyone?

One of the best ways you can communicate with your customers is with a newsletter, but yet it is one of the most underutilized tools in our marketing plans. A Newsletter gives us a captive audience and it can cut out the noise that a website, Facebook page, or Twitter can sometimes create. There are four steps to creating a powerful email newsletter, building your email address list, creating content, designing an attractive look and feel for all screen sizes, and determining the right frequency.

First up, with today’s technology, it’s easy to build an email list for your newsletter. How, you ask? Look to your website. You should have a sign up form front and center, you can even have it be a landing page that comes up when visitors visit your website. You may even consider offering an incentive for people to sign up. Incentives can be anything from a service, like three months free for a lockbox, to a freebee like a t-shirt. Just make sure you use a double opt-in method to gather these contacts, to ensure you do not damage your relationship with your customers.

So, now that you have your list, what kind of content should your newsletter contain? The obvious answer is your product. And of course, promoting your products is important. But it is also important that you don’t only push your product. Offer helpful tips and advice. Entertain them. We all love to be entertained. You don’t need to be a comedian, but humor can go a long way.

What about design?  Think mobile and tablets. Your newsletter should be mobile friendly. No one in their right mind is going to want to read your full blown newsletter on a tiny three inch screen or smaller. Your design should also have some continuity and should reflect your brand. Invest some time and money in a good template and header. It will be well worth the cost.

Last, but not least, let’s talk about frequency. This is dependent on what you have to say. Don’t feel like you have to send out a monthly newsletter. It can be quarterly. Again, do what works best for your institution. And remember, people don’t like their inbox to be inundated, but don’t go so long in between that they forget about you.

Now go forth and create greatness, or at least a fabulous newsletter. Believe me, you’ll be glad you did.

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