Do you need a newsletter? And how do you make it good?
First of all, I’ll start this article as I often do by explaining the basics of what we’re talking about. So, what do we mean by a newsletter? In digital marketing terms, we’re talking about a regular email sent out to your customers containing updates about your business. An electronic letter full of news, if you will.
In order to send your regular electronic letter full of news, you’ll need a mailing list of people to send it to that complies with GDPR rules. That means every person on your list should have specifically given you permission to email them and store their email address somewhere. If at any time they withdraw their permission then you should delete their details off your list.
Of course, you can do all this manually, but there is an easier way and most businesses, large and small, use some kind of mailing list platform. Many of these have free options for small lists, and you’ll be able to create sign up forms, automated welcome emails and your regular newsletter from the one platform. We use MailChimp, but it isn’t the only option.
Do you need a newsletter?
Now we understand the basics, the question is, is all this really necessary for a small business? Do you even need to keep your customers updated with news? What if you don’t sell physical products? What will you talk about?
I don’t like making absolute rules for every business, because they’re all different. But, here’s a few reasons why you should definitely consider having a mailing list and sending out a regular newsletter:
You can build more of a connection. A newsletter allows you to regularly communicate with your customers and potential customers, increasing their loyalty to your brand and building on their interest until they’re ready to buy again and again.
You’ll keep your business at the forefront of their minds. I can’t tell you how many businesses I’ve seen on social media where I’ve really liked something they offer, be it product or service, thought I’d come back later and then never did. Now I can’t for the life of me even remember what businesses they were. A mailing list helps you capture people who are interested and then remind them what they were interested in.
You own your list. It’s important to be aware that your social media audience doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to the platform. If your account got hacked tomorrow, would you suddenly lose your access to your customers? If you answered yes, that’s not a good situation to be in. A newsletter gives you another way to reach your customers.
What makes a good newsletter?
Every newsletter is different, the same as every small business, but there’s a few principles to work with. First, this is your most engaged, interested audience—they’ve decided they like your business so much that they want to hear from you regularly. So make them feel special. Keep things chatty and personal and show that you value them. Also, don’t make your newsletters too long if you can help it—one or two introductory paragraphs followed by a couple of news items is enough. Finally, it doesn’t all have to be about selling, especially for a service based business. Share tips and tricks of the trade, talk about what you’ve been up to, share a funny story or a lesson you’ve learned or even a book recommendation. Try to leave them wanting more!
If you’d like any help setting up a mailing list and newsletter system then do get in touch!