Sending a Company Newsletter: A Few Helpful Hints

A few weeks ago, I tasked myself with the chore of cleaning out my personal e-mail box. Considering the hundreds of e-mails that I failed to file away or delete, this was a pretty hefty undertaking. It got me to thinking about how many e-mails I receive each day, and I’ll spare you the details, but it’s a lot. A LOT. Sending an e-mail is cost effective, delivered automatically and can reach a wide audience with minimal effort, hence why many businesses are adopting e-mail practices for marketing efforts. So don’t overlook email as an effective tactic.

With that said, suppose you want to start a newsletter campaign for your business, but you want to guarantee that people actually, you know, read your newsletter with all of the other daily flood of inbox material. Sometimes, e-letters walk a fine line between being informative and being considered spam – and you definitely don’t want clients thinking that you’re sending junk that just takes up room in their inboxes.

It’s important to remember to use a few key best practices when creating and sending electronic newsletters. Here are a few tips for those interested in beginning an e-letter campaign in the near future:

• Showcase your expertise – This is the main purpose of a newsletter, electronic or paper. You want your client base to read your articles and develop an understanding of the subject at hand. You also want for people to view you as an expert in your specified field.
• Create a regular e-mail schedule – In relation to showcasing your expertise, sending out regular mailings is a great way to keep clients involved and to increase your standing as a go-to company in your industry.
• Make signing up and unsubscribing easy – Providing a way to unsubscribe to an e-letter is one of the main ways to guarantee you don’t end up on the spam list. A major component of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, having a way to opt out of receiving newsletter e-mails, is not only good practice, but a necessity for a successful e-letter campaign.
• Make your contact information prominent – This allows readers to easily find out more information about how to e-mail, call or find your business, which not only makes contacting you more convenient, it can also increase potential leads.
• Respond promptly to questions and complaints – It’s good practice to be prompt in replying to customers, whether it’s an answer to a question or a remedy for an issue. Negative talk travels fast, so be sure to snuff out any issues in a professional and timely manner.

Sending electronic newsletters is a great idea if done properly. As with any marketing campaign, it’s imperative to create a plan and stick with it. Send your newsletter on a regular basis, include important and interesting information, prominently display your contact information and a way to unsubscribe, and quickly respond to client questions. As easy as pie! We’d love if you would sign up for EVG’s newsletter. Plenty of great content marketing tips and tricks.

Caralee Culpepper – Writer and Message Board Specialist