Replace Dull Newsletters With Engaging Email Content

Most of us can relate to the sinking feeling when receiving corporate emails. The newsletter that talks about how amazing a specific company is, but does not relate to us at all.

It is a common problem in marketing. Businesses often think marketing is all about them and not about the customers. It is very easy to do that if you are an employee or a business owner. Your world is surrounded by business. For your customers that isn’t true. There world is about what is in their world and you need to speak to it.

Take for example, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) mailing list as the 2020 pandemic hit the United Kingdom. Articles swiftly appeared on the UK’s furlough scheme. This could be expected, they often look at the Chancellors statement.

But they also covered home working. Just as many accountants needed to head for cover. They were addressing their members needs (and the needs of other accountants and businesspeople on their list). I immediately recommended them to one of my contacts.

Those are practical examples. But there are subtler ones. What newsletter do you read? What attracts you to them? Do they inspire, do they motivate? Do they have humour (or humor, if you live in the USA?) What attracts you to read them? Or what newspaper columnists do you like to read? Why?

Now, directly translating what you like into the newsletter you publish may not be appropriate. Humour may not be appropriate for certain businesses. For some lawyers, for instance, it would be inappropriate and not in line with their brand.

However, inspiration, motivation and industry comment will nearly always work. Though, possibly not the balant motivational quote. That will work with some businesses but not others.

You’ll also find you’ll write you own way, and that may not come out as humour, even if you intend to humorous.

Getting some character in that reflects your brand while speaking to your customer That will get your newsletter not just read but shared.

Every now and then you will get someone who unsubscribes. I know someone who used to curl up in a foetal position when they came in. He hated the feeling of rejection. Now he understands that’s just someone in their world deciding that his newsletter was not for them at the time. Nothing personal, people’s lives changed.

A few months back he shared a one-star Amazon review of his book on Facebook because he found it so funny. Though tough at first, you can certainly get over an subscribe. It isn’t personal. Keep writing. Keep honing your skills.

So, in summary, turn your skills outwards. Look outwards. What do your customers need? What are they like? How can you add something to their day? If you do that consistently you will get more opens, more reads and more customers. Given the low costs of email marketing, you may not need that many customers to make emailing marketing extremely profitable if you speak to your market.