5 Elements of an Effective Email Newsletter for a Small Business
Are you working for a small business that is looking to build an effective email newsletter? It’s important to understand what elements to include in an email newsletter, and how it can impact your small business. We’ve researched the most effective and impactful elements of email newsletters and compiled some of our favorites below.
Email Newsletter Element #1: Writing in an Informal Tone
The first element of an effective email newsletter has to do with the way that you write your content for it.
The Balance Small Business suggests that writing more casually to your customers can have a great impact on who reads the newsletter. This is your time to talk to them, rather than at them. Think of it as more of an informal conversation than a formalized selling point with lots of big, technical words. A little can go a long way.
Email Newsletter Element #2: An Eye-Catching Subject Line
The second element of an effective email newsletter is the subject line of your email.
Consider how you might write a compelling and catchy subject line. In an email inbox full of important emails, spam, and others, how can you get your customer to click on your email? MailChimp, one of our recommended email tools, suggests customizing your subject lines with a recipient’s name, target industry, or answer to a frequently asked question (i.e. How to Create an Effective Email Newsletter). Whatever you can do to stand out from a crowded inbox!
Email Newsletter Element #3: Being Timely and Relevant
The third element of an effective email newsletter is delivering relevant and timely content to your customer base.
Consider what is going on in the world, your industry, your business, etc. and what is the most important thing that your customers need to know. They want to read through the newsletter for upcoming sales, events, and opportunities. They don’t want to read a newsletter in October for information that would’ve only mattered to them in July. Keeping up to date with your industry’s trends and understanding what content is most relevant to your customers before you hit that send button will keep them engaged with your newsletter.
Email Newsletter Element #4: The Call to Action
The fourth element is creating an effective call to action, or what you’d like your customers to do next.
Lindsay Davis at Emfluence suggests that you should be end every one of your newsletters with a direct call to action, or CTA, and that this CTA should be one of the first things that you think about writing. Think about what you want your customers to do after reading your newsletter: is it to go buy a new product that’s on sale? Is it to sign up for something? Is it to go to your website? Thinking about what you want them to do should influence the way that you write the rest of your newsletter.
Email Newsletter Element #5: Proofread Before Hitting “Send”
Finally, you want to make sure that your newsletter is readable!
You’ve included an eye-catching subject line and gotten your customer to click on your email, only for them to find a newsletter riddled with spelling errors, run-on sentences, and broken links. Check through your newsletter yourself, and have a co-worker look through it, and make sure any links that you’ve included work and all images are high quality. This may seem like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised how many newsletters we’ve read that are poorly written!
While there are many different elements that comprise creating, crafting, and communicating an effective email newsletter, we’ve shared some of our favorites with you in this post. Each business is different and each audience requires specific care and attention, but keeping these five elements in mind can help get you on the right track with your next newsletter.
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