A business newsletter can serve as a convenient way for you to engage your customers through useful, interesting, and timely content.
According to Hubspot, 40% of marketers consider their email newsletter to be a crucial component of their content marketing strategy’s success. Follow these best practices to gain maximum ROI on the time and creativity your team will invest in these recurring communications your customers will look forward to.
Base Your Business Newsletter Content on Customers’ Goals
When deciding what to include in your business newsletter, your content should answer the following question: What do my customers want to accomplish? By curating content that educates and equips your customers to achieve their personal or professional goals, you’ll gain customers’ trust and pique their interest. In short, readers should feel they are in-the-know when they subscribe to your newsletter.
Lead with Click-Worthy Subject Lines
Your business newsletter subject line is your first impression, so write it with that in mind. What will help your newsletter stand out in a crowded inbox? What’s the most compelling message in this month’s newsletter? Bring that information forward with a fun and attention-grabbing subject line. Here’s some inspiration to help get your creative juices flowing.
Brainstorm a Stand-Out Newsletter Name
Give customers and prospects a good idea of what they’ll be getting when they sign up for your newsletter by naming it in a way that reflects their interest and elevates your brand. Short on ideas? Invite you entire team to pitch newsletter names in a company-wide contest. Be sure to include potential feature titles and links so they understand the newsletter’s voice, tone, and topics. Send out a Google Form to collect their ideas and reward the winner with a gift card.
Choose a Newsletter Theme
While topics will vary, your newsletter features should follow a common theme. For example, if your company creates educational resources, your newsletter should focus on ways to inform, inspire, and entertain educators. Content can include blurbs and links to blog posts that range from “How to Effectively Introduce New Technology in the Classroom” to “10 Hilarious Homework Excuses as Told By Teachers.” The mix of timely, informational, and just-for-fun content will ensure there’s something to pique the interests of everyone on your list.
Advertise Your Business Newsletter on Your Website
People won’t sign up for your newsletter if they don’t know about it. Your homepage provides the perfect opportunity to let website visitors know that they can regularly receive useful content and access exclusive deals just by providing their email address. The trick is, you need to give them a good reason to register in a single line or less.
Let Performance Data Pick Topics For You
Increase newsletter engagement by leaning on performance data to help you base your editorial calendar on the content your readers crave. If particular posts rack up a standout amount of clicks, base future newsletters around similar subject matter.
In addition to optimizing your newsletter, think about how you can leverage popular topics in complementary content and repackaging that post into lead generating content formats like whitepapers and webinars.
Regularly Reward Your Readers
Hold contests for your newsletter readers that invite them to show how they’re putting your tips and ideas in action. Ask them to snap photos, share them on social media, and add a hashtag that’s unique to your newsletter. Delight your winners with branded digital gift cards that you can send them in seconds via email.
Ask Readers to Share Their Thoughts
People love being able to give their take, tell their stories, and pitch their ideas. That includes your readers! Leverage short and sweet surveys to find out their content preferences, gauge their interest in upcoming features, and invite them to contribute to the evolution of your newsletter and your business overall.
Stay on Top of What’s New and Now
A business newsletter should be true to its namesake and contain newsworthy content. Consider reserving your top, above-the-fold portion of your newsletter for content that covers the latest trends or gives a nod to a recent event. You can also hone in on special themes by centering all of your newsletter content around a dedicated theme.
Feature Contributor Content That Adds Value
There are many ways to keep your content churn moving without having to invest your team’s time and resources to creating post after post. Launch a blog contributor program that invites your business partners, industry influencers, and even customers who advocate for your company to write content for you. All you need to do is provide them with clear guidelines for the topics and tone you’d like to achieve, and soon you’ll have a packed queue of posts ready to publish.
Provide a Fresh Take on Industry Trends
Position your business as a thought leader by covering trends in a new and interesting light. Use the valuable data generated by your customers through their engagement with your website, content, and surveys. Leverage your data to display how your buyers take on trends through colorful profiles that connect to specific customer segments. That way, readers see how they can try new trends for themselves.
Stay Consistent with Your Business Newsletter
Plan ahead with an editorial calendar so that you can ensure that your newsletter is set to send on a regular basis. Your readers will expect a predictable frequency, so be sure to allot the time your team needs to put together something that will have them looking forward to your next newsletter.