How we came up with Business Newsletter Ideas to keep readers from clicking away and converting them to raving fans. All the answers for you.
Do Newsletters still attract buyers to your business?
Like many ideas that have stood the test of time, the following slowly dissipates and, the interest wanes to the point that it is no longer worth doing.
Newsletters are different! Why? Because people stopped doing them for whatever reason.
thus giving good content a treasured place in the buying cycle.
I do a regular newsletter, in fact, one nearly every week because I believe in the power of touch. My open rates are reasonable, my click rates are fine and my outright sales are making the investment well worthwhile.
My customers are spread over a large area, so the opportunity to stop and chat is rare however, I do take time whenever I can to meet and greet.
I am often amazed at the newsletter comments, great job, interesting articles, well done from people that have never clicked a box.
I asked readers to leave my Newsletter.
With the email service you pay for based on subscriber numbers, it is always a good idea to clean your list as often as you can.
My list was nearing a price hike point, so I thought some excellent housekeeping was in order.
Our did not open list was sent a message saying please take this opportunity to unsubscribe from future mailing as I hate disturbing people. Just hit the button below and no more emails from me, straight forward stuff.
The reply was terrific; not one unsubscribed in about five thousand emails.
My open rate stayed consistent so I have given up on that idea.
Yes, I do get a message that says unsubscribe at random times and this is a good thing, but my rate is a small percentage of a small percentage, so it does not represent an issue for me.
My rate over the last ten newsletters averages just 0.3% that opt-out.
Business Newsletter Ideas and rude people
It is not easy to understand readers from figures. I had a guy send me a rude email recently saying he had not subscribed to my mail and would I stop bothering him as he had no interest in my products. This is a spam complaint, and I take it all seriously and check out the history. In this guy's case, he had been getting mail for over a year, had opened numerous ones, and clicked on content.
Did I go to battle with him? No, I just sent him a sweet note and bade him farewell. You can fight a bad hair day but never win.
What material do you put in your Newsletter?
There are two essential rules you should understand.
- The newsletter is not a sales page, it is a content document.
- Always have a sales call to action on the page.
Yes, I am having my cake and eating it to, however, both are important, so let me explain why.
If you get bombarded with sales pitches, you will soon get turned away. Plus, it might just be the wrong time to think about buying that new car. You have a new baby on the way, your career is a bit shakey, the old bomb is ok for now, or your partner needs some convincing.
The price and discount are not on my radar at the moment because I am not ready to make a decision.
However, reading about performance and how the car company took one into the desert and tried to destroy it with hard work and a couple of funny guys will hold my interest. It will keep me in the brand for that final day when your partner relents. You would say let's go look at the desert car that seems excellent value. The job is almost done.
Perhaps you get a bit closer to buying and you look at the desert car and a little popup jumps out,” says Free Trial at home. Those that are well down the path may just hit this button.
A content example
A friend of mine owns a typical everyday Tyre Service. He has three of them, but that is another matter.
You can buy tires, perhaps every two to three years, so you won't be ready for sometime.
Therefore tire advertising will be wasted on you for the best part of 35 months.
Richard works strictly with the rules of touch. The more times you see his brand, the more chances of shopping with him in the future.
His newsletters are about cars, from Tesla to Buggati.
Old, new, and exciting items that may keep you reading.
Richard is not selling, Richard is entertaining and delivering on his brand.
Another great story in a newsletter
The local signwriter specializes in cars, trucks, and building advertising wraps.
Every month he posts a couple of pictures of his best work. They do some fantastic stuff, and as a business owner, it always gets my attention.
The customer gets some free advertising,” he says of the brand. There is no need to hard sell because the content does it for him.
Yes, he has a link for those that are ready to buy.
Don't go overboard with the length of your post.
In this modern-day of instant action, our attention span has been spirited away, so unless it is a today-type adventure, feed me information quickly.
This is where the pictures work well. They provide instant recognition and draw the reader in.
Advertising and newsletters
We can be reminded of the expensive car advertising in glossy magazines.
Only 1% of us are going to buy that hundred-grand Merc with the model draped over the bonnet. Hardly a word on the page, just a visual image that will remain with you.
It is most likely you won't read a word, but you will look.
Hidden in the small print will be a link to all the specifications.
Pages of information only for those that want it and search for it. They will spend a lot of time comparing and consuming information. They are today's buyers.
The rest of us are just Voyeurs with an image in the back of the mind to resurface when the time is right.
Your newsletter can be the same
A picture of a car wrap.
A photo of a burst tire from a bad installation.
The latest window drops from Milan.
Just keep on singing with your industry. It doesn't matter if what you are selling just stays relevant to your brand.
Combine your newsletter with your social media
We talked about touch and in fact, it follows an old art of magic number seven.
TV and radio experts will tell you that an advertisement must be seen or heard at least seven times before someone will buy the idea. Even today you will notice ads being run several times during a show. It is about the constant touch and repetition of brand and product.
Adding your Facebook and Instagram links to your newsletter will encourage further exploration. Linking your Facebook to your Newsletter will grow your readers.
Business newsletter Ideas and your commitment.
What is your commitment to writing a newsletter?
First of all, is consistency. Pick a timeline and stick with it
Every two weeks, a month or six weeks is the target.
Keep your template and brand recognizable immediately.
Using a standard draft from someone like Constant contact allows you to maintain the recognition factor easily.
Don't be too long or involved. We want action.
Always have a buying link for those ready for a journey.
Plenty of pictures and colours
Read your statistics and make changes so you can improve your figures.
You can pass the duty on to someone else. In-house or external. It is a significant expense for a big return.
Business Newsletter Ideas and Finding Readers
Where do you get readers for your newsletters?
Any contact you have with someone can solicit an email address. Customer inquiries, trade shows, website links anywhere you can. The more the better.
Yes, there are anti-spam laws but we are looking at legitimate contacts that have had a relationship with your business.
This will become your Database, a valuable property that will develop value over time. Each address could be worth several dollars in the future.
Does it cost to send out emails?
When you start out with a few subscribers, it can be free.
This will allow you to practice your new art and see the results that can be gained.
As you grow your base, the cost to subscribers will grow as well.
If 10,000 names cost you a hundred dollars, and you get a return of several thousand dollars, it is a value package. Some say each name should return you $5 a month but, if it was $ .50c, it would still be a valuable consideration.
You may get a signed-on bonus at Constant Contact just by following my link.
Business newsletter Ideas and your first action
Your first newsletter action
One of the biggest hurdles is staying consistent in your forward planning.
| 12-month plan | Choose your dates and times |
| Write down your topics in a list | Everything you are going to write about |
| Gather some Links | The option to earn money as you go |
| Gather your analytics | Discuss achievements along the way |
| Monetize the method | We are doing this to generate business. |
Planning is critically important. Having scored your forward goals, it is easy to stay on track and remain consistent.
Returns are not always immediate. I recently had a new customer that has been on my list for over 12 months. Something just clicked with time or the subject, and I was able to move him from prospect to customer. A, by the way, his annual spending will pay for my email hosting. This is from just one customer.
Successful linking with your newsletter
There are several options available here and they include:
| Read more links | This will take you to a More Sales Associate Page |
| Your main site Link | The Journey starts at your Web Page |
| The affiliate link | Goes to an Affiliate offer like Wealthy Affiliate |
| Sales Funnel | An active selling campaign |
| Email channel | Into an Autoresponder |
Add to this your contact page and sometimes a terms and conditions page and you are about to be finished with your product.
Conclusion
Since you have built the customer list over time, and a consistent relationship needs to be maintained, newsletters are a non-invasive approach to a personal touch.
Every business should have a newsletter regardless of size or stature.
It's a simple and relatively low-priced exercise that will deliver results regularly over an extended period of time.
Newsletters are easy to monetize, and analyzing your returns is necessary.
Each document should be re-reviewed on its performance and high viewing rates can be taken in a new direction. The analysis is simple, with an autoresponder using open rate stats.
This is a valuable article. I have been thinking about a regular newsletter to my email list, but have not moved beyond the thinking phase. Your article has given some great advice. I am particularly interested in the idea of a newsletter entertaining and building the brand as opposed to selling. The action plan outline was very helpful is suggesting how to proceed. I had not thought of links for a newsletter as being different from an average website post, but your info. on links has also helped bring things into focus. Thanks for this thorough article.
Thanks, Anastazja, I hope you get some value out of the article by implementing the ideas.
love to hear how you go.
kind Regards
Peter H
I loved reading your contrarian approach to writing posts. You are the very first person who has proposed keeping posts short ant too the point. I suppose there is a right place for everything. You walked the walked in this post. The main points you made such as not using a newsletter as a sales pitch but still have a sales call to action at the end was intriguing.
By using a newsletter format once a week that does give a breather. You mentioned you have built an Email list. I was a bit confused. Do you only send out your newsletter to your Email subscribers or do you also post them on your website. Or both. I know you didn’t ask for questions so this is the only one that I will ask.
Thanks for an enlightening post.
Edwin
Thanks, Edwin for the kind words.
I send out newsletters to a couple of different lists so they are not always the same.
For my everyday business, I record every lead and contact and in fact target niche customers.
This is then broken down further to customers, contacts, and leads.
Sometimes a generic newsletter to all sometimes more specialized.
I also use an Autoresponder for random contacts.
For my blogging side, they come from the website as they are spread Worldwide.
Hope this helps
Peter H
Hi, writing a business letter is not a new concept. There are people that have had success in this area, and as such you should follow their advise.
Keep it simple, like this post says, do not be salesy, and have the intent to get a call to action.
Remember that your reader is very busy and is 100 percent focused on themselves and their problems. My oppinion is that If you can show your customer that you understand their problems, and are able to solve them, then the least you could get is more phone calls.
Hi Jake, thanks for your comments.
Yes, Newsletters have been around for a long time but, you know what? They are working better than ever and will continue to do so.
Peter H
Lots of great advice there, Peter!
As someone who’s written a few newsletters before but never really got the formula figured out, I feel I understand it all a bit better now. I especially like the part about having a plan, which is often the difference-maker for a business.
I’ve used Mailchimp and Omnisend in the past, any particular insights on them? I thought they made it fairly easy to set up and didn’t charge for small audiences, which was nice.
Anyways, thanks again for the great read!
Thanks, Tyson.
I have tried a few but have settled on Constant Contact as my provider of choice.
However, they all send mail so it is a personal thing.
Remember newsletters are not an occasional hit; they are a constant flow of material.
Because I write a few blogs a week on marketing it is easy to link a newsletter back to my blog for more information
Then They see my affiliate links and join the circle.
Kind Regards
peter H
Hi Peter
It is always good to hear from people who have done business newsletters to get an opinion if it is worthwhile or not. You think that in our modern technology age that people will not be interested in a few pages you produce every month or so. You think if a person is interested in your business or what you have to say they can visit your website, as they trust what you have to say.
Saying that the advice you publish in this article is very potent and useful. It is worthwhile if you are trying to get people interested but entertained. It also shows you care about your customers, which I believe is also important.
Thank you
Antonio
Hi Antonio. what is interesting is that when a customer is ready to buy, they are faced with countless opportunities.
They won’t just pick you because you have a great site and they will search the market.
Sales are based around Know, Like, Trust and Newsletters fulfill the first two very well.
Therefore a constant reminder puts you in front of mind.
Thanks for the comments
and best wishes
peter H
hello, i really want to appreciate your effort in putting together this great website and writing this review. Newsletters are a non-invasive approach to a personal touch. i initially had the feeling that sending newsletter to clients is a disturbance to their peace but after going through your review. i will kick start it again
Hi Benny, thanks for your support.
All of my top-performing customers have adopted newsletters. It is a silent touch
that keeps customers informed and top of mind when they enter a buying cycle.
Keep up the good work
Regards
Peter H
Great article on using newsletters. I agree that it is good to stay in contact with our lists even if they aren’t in the buying mood. Giving them great content and value is key. I also loved how you reach out to the “unopens”. If they don’t respond, do you go ahead and let them go?
Thanks Dana.
An interesting question on the unopened. I did a search recently on a batch that had not opened a couple of emails with the intent of dropping them but found that nearly all had opened the occasional mail, not everyone just those that hit the mark.
Then I sent an email saying if I am bothering you please use the opt-out button below as I am cleaning my list.
The result was zero opt-outs.
So I gave up and wrote a new newsletter, LOL
Peter H
I must say this is what we need if we to advance in our online line of business I would definitely recommend this to my friends and family that are in this same like s the article is power pack with everything thing we need to make ir.thanks alot for the article
Thanks for the kind words Feji ben.
Share away I love that.
Kind regards
Peter H