Newsletters … they’re a real pain, right? Every day, you get a hundred newsletters from various companies. Do they even work?
Er … yes! If done right, they work exceptionally well.
A business newsletter can be a valuable source of income for your business. But it’s not all about the money. A newsletter is also a great way to build your relationship with your customers, gather feedback, share great content, and demonstrate your industry expertise.
Here are the stats to prove it:
- For every £1 you spend, you can expect an average return of £42 (DMA, 2019)
- 9 out of 10 marketers use email marketing (Content Marketing Institute, 2019)
- 81% of SMBs rely on email marketing for primary customer acquisition and 80% for retention (Emarys, 2018)
- 49% of consumers say they like receiving promotional emails from their favourite companies (Statista, 2017)
8 reasons your business needs to send out newsletters
If the stats above aren’t enough to convince you, then maybe the reasons below will.
Customers actually want to hear from you
As you have seen, 49% of customers genuinely want to hear from the companies they love. That doesn’t mean they want a flood of emails every single day. Research suggests 1–3 per month is ideal.
Customers want to connect with your business, as long as you give them great content and appealing offers. Email subscribers are hot leads and can help keep your brand in mind and grow your sales.
Mo’ email, mo’ money
Newsletters boost sales, it’s as simple as that. There are three types of customers: those who will always buy your products, those who never will, and those who need a gentle nudge.
Newsletters are that gentle nudge. Throw in a little incentive, such as a discount code: 7 out of 10 people say they have used a discount code or coupon from a marketing email.
Building a relationship
Relationships aren’t easy. They require a lot of hard work, learning, and consistent energy to make them work. Your customer relationships are no different. A newsletter is the opportunity to contact your customers directly and let them know what you’re all about and why you should be friends.
Good relationships require regular quality interaction.
Become an expert
You may be an expert, and you know that, but your customers don’t. A regular email newsletter is the opportunity to show your knowledge, solve your customers’ problems and build your credibility.
Sharing content in a newsletter is easy. You can share your latest blog posts, videos or podcasts. Each time you do, you’re reminding your customers that you know a thing or two about the industry you work in. People buy from those they trust.
Connect with customers anytime and anywhere
People, especially millennials, are using their phones more and more. Everyone is always on the go armed with their smartphone. In fact, around three out of five people now check all their emails on the go.
Your newsletter can reach your customers at any time, anywhere. Just make sure it’s mobile-friendly! Emails that display incorrectly on mobiles may be deleted within three seconds!
No email, no problem. Newsletters can also be delivered to your customers through their letterboxes, just check your database is up-to-date to maximise response and minimise wastage. Many people like a printed newsletter as it can be read in their own time, shared and retained. Include some useful contacts and photos sharing great moments – unlike email newsletters, file sizes don’t matter!
Let’s get segmented!
All people are different, and so are all your customers. But large individual groups of your customers probably enjoy certain types of content and offers, more than other groups.
Using the data from your email analytics, you can find out what different groups of your customers enjoy and what they don’t like. You can then segment these groups and tailor your newsletter with specific content you know they’re more likely to engage with.
Learn about your customers
The more you know your customers, the more opportunity you have to help them with your products and services. Email marketing analytics is a great way to learn about their behaviour, as well as understand their interests and potential future requirements.
Using this information, you can make your content more specific to your customers’ needs and even get inspired to create new products and services.
When creating a printed or e-newsletter, be sure to always ask for feedback with various ways of getting in touch.
Get feedback and create conversations
Email newsletters are a great way to create a two-way conversation with your customers. You can ask them for feedback and incentivise them to do so. Getting direct feedback about your emails, products, services, social media and other content is invaluable.
Each time you receive feedback, it’s a chance to learn a little more about what your company is doing right and what you may need to improve on. Don’t be shy. Most people will be happy to give feedback when asked.
Final thoughts
Newsletters are one of the best tools in your marketing arsenal. They can help to build healthy relationships with your customers, drive sales and give you invaluable feedback about your business.
If you’d like to have your newsletter designed professionally, contact the MAD-sters! We’d love to hear from you and see what you’re doing!