Why Your Business Needs an Email Newsletter
By Clare Gambaro, Solutions Found                                                                   

By using a newsletter as part of your Internet marketing efforts the potential is there for you to turn one-time buyers and prospective customers into long-term customers and loyal supporters.

Email newsletters provide you with an easier way of communicating with your customers. A well designed and relevant newsletter is, and has always been, a great tool for keeping in touch with your valued customers and clients.

And it is one of the main reasons people visiting your website will give you their email address. They want to know more about how your products or services can help them, and about any special offers.

Obviously this opens up the door for possible future sales of your products and services.

Keeping Customers Loyal

When you have a customer or client who does business with you, but no newsletter to follow up with, you’re virtually handing them back to your competitors.

Maybe, if the service was good and the product met their expectation, they may come back. But what if you have a new product or promotion that you would like to introduce to your existing customers? Or if you would like to encourage them to forward on your offer to share with new potential customers?

Without an email newsletter you don’t have many options.

Newsletters are a great way of getting repeat and new business. A newsletter will prevent your contacts forgetting you and the service you provide.

Frequency of an Email Newsletter

The frequency for your newsletter depends on various factors. There are some businesses that contact their subscribers daily. For some it could be weekly or monthly. It all depends on what you are selling, what information you can offer, or how often your subscribers will want to hear from you.

If you don’t consider your market (by including relevant information) and don’t maintain a regular flow of communication with your customers, you could cause them to unsubscribe from your database, or simply to ignore your messages. Your connection with them would be lost. And that might give your competition the opportunity to win them over… without you having a chance to get them back.

Contents of a Newsletter

You need to consider how and what you want to inform your customers about.

Do you have a product or service that needs to be promoted? How often do you need to do that? What is the reason behind the offer e.g. seasonal promotions, new product launches, special events, important announcements etc.

What are your customers and contacts looking for? How best can you point out opportunities and provide your customers with what they want.

If you are in a business that provides loyalty incentives, in store promotions, or tabletop advertising (for example, monthly special offers) it could be beneficial to send out a newsletter telling your customers what is happening in-store.

Don’t wait (hope) for them to come in. Tell them what you are offering!

A call-to-action is essential. Phone this number… Ask in store… See the demonstration model on display at… or Visit our website for more…

Help your customer to benefit by making it clear what they should do.

Clear communication ensures everyone happy to hear from you. And it might prompt your customers to tell a friend by forwarding on your offer or newsletter. Your prospect list can then grow and grow.

It is not length of the newsletter that is important. Maybe short product reviews or special offers are what you need to communicate. Other times you might need more informative educational articles. Nothing will earn the delete key more quickly than if the focus is on what “you” want instead of on what you can do for them.

So consider your customers point of view… what’s in it for them.

Consistency is the Key

A consistent format for your email newsletter is essential. Too many businesses do not give their newsletter the time and attention it deserves. It is the online reflection of your business. It will help build a relationship with your present and future customers.

Be consistent with layout, colours and imagery; with style of language; with frequency; and with content.

Email newsletters can play an important part in growing your business. Your newsletter is ultimately a great tool that will grow your database and bring in more revenue. 



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