Hello? Is there anyone out there reading the newsletter that I put so much time and effort into? If you are hitting the “send now” button, sitting back and crossing your fingers and simply hoping your click and open rates are something to write home about, you might need to take a step back, rethink your strategy and revamp your newsletter and the way you send it.
Consider that the people on your list have myriad bits of information and conversation coming at them from all sides and ask yourself, “Why should they open my newsletter? What am I offering that is compelling and can compete with the outside noise?” If you have a clear vision of why you’re sending an enewsletter you may now need to create a “click-worthy” message that shines through the clutter in your prospects’ email inbox.
Here are three tips to do just that:
- Don’t be clever with your “from name.” If your clients and prospects signed up because they want a newsletter from “John Smith” use that for your “from name.” You can certainly add your business name, but make certain they know it’s you they are receiving the newsletter from. Adding a personal touch – your name – along with your business name helps your readers remember why they are getting this missive.
- Make sure your enewsletter is mobile friendly. Many people read their email on their phone or tablet and you need to make certain your enewsletter downloads quickly and easily and is reader-friendly on a mobile device. If your client sees your newsletter but can’t read it until he or she is back in front of their laptop or PC, they may forget about it and there goes your open rate! Most newsletter platforms offer a mobile friendly version but you need to make sure the newsletter itself isn’t too text heavy or too graphic heavy. Too much text isn’t appealing and graphics that are too large or newsletters with too many graphics will simply take too long to download.
- Keep your subject lines short and snappy. You may find it takes you just as long, or longer, to write a great subject line as it does the entire newsletter – and that’s not a bad thing. Why? You need a subject line that won’t land your enewsletter in the spam box, you also need a subject line that fits easily on a mobile device. An iPhone will chop off your subject line at 32 characters while a subject line that is more than 50 characters long might just be marked as spam by your email provider. Consider a short, snappy headline and a sub head in the opening section of the newsletter, if necessary to convey your full meaning. If your enewsletters aren’t getting opened you may want to first check your subject line and experiment with them before your next mailing. Be creative, but not obtuse.
Remember to have a call to action in your newsletters. Whether you want a client to buy something, share with their friends and followers or pick up the phone and call you, a call to action is also an ideal way to know that your enewsletter is doing its job – helping you stay in front of your clients.
If the idea of adding an enewsletter to your list of business to-dos seems too daunting, give us a call and our team of experts can take on this task for you! Consider this: If you’re not reaching out to “touch” and keep in touch with your clients and prospects on a regular basis, how will they remember you when they have a need for the goods or services you provide? Chances are, they won’t.