Email isn’t actually dead. With the rise of social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, the thought is that no one is checking their email anymore. And while it’s certainly true that more people are living inside their Facebook messages, there is still plenty of opportunity to use email to remind people about your business.
Less is More
The clients we’ve worked with on email newsletters have, if anything, erred on the side of not wanting to send too many emails out and so send far too few. While you have to find a good balance between being useful and being spammy, when people sign up for a newsletter they are expecting to get some sort of promotion along with whatever other information you said they would get in their email inbox. For some businesses, this could mean sending out a newsletter once a week if the content is light and easy to consume – (i.e. craft suggestions, quick tips for gardening, weekly promotions at a retail store etc.) while for other businesses, it’s probably best to send out a monthly or quarterly newsletter when the content is a bit heavier or longer (i.e. financial advice for home owners, suggestions for running an efficient farm, etc.)
I’d suggest being slightly more aggressive than you initially feel you should be and ask for feedback from your readers after a couple mail outs.
Top of Mind
Even if the person on the receiving end of your newsletter isn’t in need of your products or services at that moment, by sending them a little reminder email you can keep your business or brand at the top of their mind so when it does come time to purchase the types of products you sell, your company will be the first they think of.
If you’ve ever signed up for any major company’s email newsletter, companies like Amazon, Apple, Home Depot, Future Shop, they will send an email for any one of these occasions:
- Seasonal changes
- Holiday related promotions
- New product launch
- Clearance items available for limited time
- Upcoming sale
- If it’s a day of the week that ends in the letter “y”
And maybe you delete half or more of the emails without even looking at them. But you take enough of a glance to see their name, their logo and the special announcement they have before you can hit the delete key. It costs the company pennies to send out the email and they’re able to keep their brand in your mind so the next time you need to upgrade your computer you’ll think of Apple.
It’s Easy to Start
We can help you get setup with a signup form on your website and sending out a newsletter in a matter of a few days – Contact us today and get started with your first email newsletter campaign. We have many clients that are sending newsletters out already with lots of success. I’m sure they’d be happy to tell you how easy it is and how they wish they would’ve started a long time ago!
