The Do’s and Don’ts of Creating Enticing Newsletters
In my experience the best more authentic engagement I receive is through my newsletters. I never struggle finding people interested in what I offer when I am at a public event, or through my social media accounts. This is great and makes what I do that much more fun, but it isn’t often where the money comes in. In fact, 90% of my sales have always come through my newsletters. And today I thought I would share with you my tried and true tips that help me create enticing newsletters.
Have a conversation with your clients.
In this beautiful technology age, every where we look, someone is selling something, and as a result we have become numb to the flash and urgency of selling. And it often doesn’t matter how clever our catch phrase is sometimes. People are tired of being sold to, and we want to connect on a more personal level.
So that is why I say, have a conversation with your newsletter subscribers. Visualize yourself sitting down with them over a cup of coffee and share authentically what is going on in your life. As a big part of what is going on in your life is your business, you will authentically be sharing your business and services.
Keep it short.
Let’s face it. We live in an immediate world, and most people aren’t up to reading a novel in their email inbox. I know myself personally I often will immediately close an email that if I have to scroll and scroll and scroll. Sure I might tell myself, “I’ll come back later,” but I rarely do.
Keeping your newsletters on the shorter side improves the readability of your newsletter and also shows your subscribers that you value their time.
There is one exception to this rule… the story telling email. There are occasions that a good story of struggle, survival and success is needed to really showcase what you do, and no one wants a good story cut short. Just make sure it is a good story that tugs at the heart strings authentically and right away.
For those of you interested in creating a really good story (this works for your about me page as well) I encourage you to check out Kylie Slavik. Having had the gift of working with her for a few minutes recently I can assure you she is a story master!
Don’t become a SPAMMER!
Seriously, don’t do this. While I understand that importance of connecting with your clients, spamming the crap out of them is a big turn off, and it creates a feeling of distrust. Newsletters are all about creating a relationship. So build a relationship of trust and respect.
So how much is too much? There are a lot of schools of thought out there, and none of them are wrong. My suggestion is that you answer that question for yourself. How often do you want to hear from someone? Once a week? Twice a week? More?
I personally strive for once a week as a rule. When I am running a special or promotion I may go as high as three times a week. I have done more, at the encouragement of a business coach I had, and I found that it hurt my relationship with my subscribers. I also lost subscribers, and even received formal complaints through my email marketing provider.
The bottom line is to think about your ideal customer and what will serve them best, and then do that.
Be consistent
The final piece of advice I would like to offer is to be consistent. Understanding the importance of connecting with your subscribers on a regular basis and having the time to follow through don’t always align. Sending nothing for months on end, only to follow up with daily newsletters, especially when you are selling something, will only frustrate your customers. They are also more likely to unsubscribe.
So think about what it is that you can easily manage, and plan for that. Perhaps two newsletters a month is all you know you can do, or maybe just one. There is nothing wrong with that, especially when you remember that quality is the key. Plus you can always increase the frequency of your newsletters later on.
