Article onnewsletters by R-Design.

Tips for successful newsletter marketing
By Brian Darrow
Dec. 2004
© R-Design, Inc.

It’s time for some newsletter marketing. You’re ready to fire off an exciting, content-rich bonanza of information to your favorite clients and prospective customers, yee-ha! But, where do you start?

The most obvious place to start would be the title. You don’t have to start with the title, but it’s going to be on every issue you publish, so it’s as good a place as any, and better than most. Have some fun with your title, but make sure it lets your readers know what the content is about. For example, the United Parcel Service keeps its customers informed through RoundUPS. Lowe’s home improvement stores market to their woodworking customers through "The Woodpost". If you’re Jack Jones and you sell pet supplies, don’t call your newsletter, The Jones Chronicle. "The Pet Gazette" would be a more entertaining and far more informative title.

There are many things you can put in your newsletter, but there are a few things you should avoid. First, don’t send out a newsletter everyday. Optimal mailing frequency varies based on factors such as how fast your industry changes, but monthly or quarterly mailings are typically the best. Also, avoid sending more than one copy. That stinks of a database malfunction. Don’t use intimidating graphs, charts or pages full of small text. You might want to talk about something from an industry publication, but remember those publications are for you. Your job is to take that information and explain how it will affect your customers in terms that they can understand. Don’t put irrelevant content in there either. If your newsletter is about pet supplies, grandma’s meatloaf recipe is a no-no (unless your grandma’s meatloaf is for the dogs).

What do people like?
Calendars. People love to see what’s going on and when. Used in conjunction with regular special events at your place of business, they are a great way to get people through your doors.
Of course, calendars won’t work for every business, but interesting subjects will. People especially like to learn how to make or save money and time.
Good visuals are a must. Remember, don’t be too complex. A bar graph that simply shows that there were 23 flavors of puppy food in 1999, compared to 47 today is simple, eye catching and easy to read. Photos are great visuals too. Be sure to keep your articles short. Most people like to skim newsletters.

You may wonder how a newsletter helps your business if you’ve done your dandiest to make it look unlike marketing material. How do your readers know where it’s coming from? It’s generally a good idea to put your company name and logo near the title. For instance, "The Pet Gazette" brought to you by Jack Jones Pet Supplies. Make sure the company information is less prominent than the title, but still visible. Be sure to put contact information on every page of the newsletter. Many people will photocopy a single article to pass on, and you want it to be clear where that article came from. You also want others to be able to subscribe, even if they don’t have the whole newsletter. It’s best to put a full masthead (with credits to all of your writers, photographers, etc.) on one page. Then put a small line of contact information at the bottom of every other page. For example:

Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to publishing a successful newsletter. Remember to write using a personal tone. You’re building a relationship with your readers, so fire off that information and have some fun!