Email Marketing
Module 3b: Attracting and retaining customers through e‐marketing
Successful enewsletters ‐ what is the secret?i
You should have an email newsletter providing valuable content to your customers. Here are some tips to
help you create a more successful enewsletter.
Enews "from line"
The "from line" should contain the key person’s name, name of the newsletter or company name. Determine
what will resonate best with your customers and stick with it.
Enews "subject line"
Keep the subject line short. Capture the reader's attention. Draw them in by telling them what they'll get
from reading your enewsletter and make it relevant to them.
“[Company name] latest news” is not an enticing subject line.
Enews spam check
You will have more success avoiding spam filters if you avoid the typical spam behaviour such as:
excessive punctuation !!!
ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
speling mistakes
Spam trigger words include: free, weight loss, amazing, cancel at any time, click here, congratulations, dear
friend, email marketing, for only, great offer, guarantee, increase sales, order now, promise you, risk free,
special promotion, spam, to be removed, unsubscribe, winner, paypal & sale.
Enews frequency
People will get into the habit of reading your enewsletter on a particular day of the week or month. Pick a
day and time that works best... and stick to it. If you use an email campaign manager like MailChimp you can
experiment by sending out your campaign on different days and different times and tracking over time
which timeslot gives you the best results.
Enews content ‐ personalise it
Personalise your enewsletter by addressing the reader by name.
The most successful newsletters are written by a person (at your company)...not the company. That person
should establish a voice to connect with your audience. Link to their BIO on your website and add a photo on
the enewsletter so readers can identify with the writer.
Enews content ‐ keep it short
Always write a short blurb in the email newsletter with a link such as "read the rest of this article here" and
link it to the article on your website. This brings traffic to your website and allows you to monitor which links
are being followed in your enewsletter.
Enews content ‐ target your audience
Split your mailing list into enewsletter campaigns; one for suppliers, one for staff, one for clients etc.
Use one main article for all audiences, then write a few smaller articles for the specific groups. It means you
write three enewsletters, but it also means your audience is more likely to read it.
Enews content – don’t be pushy
The rule to follow is 20% advertising to 80% education.
Write how‐to articles, industry reports or top tips. This gives readers value from your newsletters and
ensures they think of you as the expert. Sales will come as a result.
Enews content ‐ audio and video
Link to audio or video files on your website to brings another level of humanisation to the relationship
between author and reader.
Don’t just link to a YouTube video ‐ embed it into your website and make it work to sell your products /
services.
Enews layout
Keep the layout clean, simple and consistent.
Start with your call to action or value proposition.
Don't waste the top section of the email with huge headers or big meaningless pictures. This section of your
email might be all that readers see in the preview pane before scrolling.
Most people won’t read an entire newsletter, but they will scan headings and have specific features that
they look forward to each time.
Enews ‐ images
Many email clients block images by default. This means that unless readers specifically turn images on, all
they'll see is empty boxes where your pictures should be. It is very annoying to turn on an image if it’s just
for show and has no purpose.
So your enewsletter should have styled text not just images to grab attention.
Because your graphics may never be seen, don't put anything that readers really need to see in a graphic.
Your primary call to action should be text‐based.
Enews testing
Test every enewsletter to check for errors and other issues before sending to the entire distribution list.
Great content is crucial
Design is important but it will not make up for inferior content so be sure to follow these 6 tipsii to make sure
your enewsletter content shines.
1. People do NOT like their time wasted by useless enewsletters!
Get straight to the point. Provide a punchy descriptive summary in your enewsletter then direct the reader
to your website for the full story. This also helps you track which links are clicked.
2. People DO like to feel special.
Make sure your enewsletter addresses the reader by name. Also ensure content is relevant to the reader.
3. People DO like to read about other people and current news.
Profile your staff or industry experts... or conduct customer interviews. Refer to real world examples and
share relevant industry news.
4. People do NOT like a hard sell in emails.
Don't push sales only. If you have a product to sell, show the value and provide education. Write useful
articles, share insights from industry seminars, interview experts, provide tips, showcase recent work and
provide case studies.
5. People DO like photos and images.
Photos add life to your enewsletter campaigns. But make sure they are relevant ‐ and not the only thing in
the email (text is important too!).
Video content is an engaging way to communicate your message. Don't add the video to the enewsletter
instead add a screen shot link in the email to where your reader can actually view the video on your website.
6. People DO like to be involved.
Conduct a survey to find out what your readers want to know... or request feedback on a new product. Try
commenting on industry news, giving your personal opinion & invite discussion and feedback.
Other Online Resources
There is also a wealth of information provided online. Here are some links to get you started:
E‐newsletters
The Australian government Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
provides some great advice on the e‐Strategy Guide.
Nielsen Norman Group Report: Email Newsletter Usability
An interesting USA based study that measured more specifically what works and doesn’t work in Email
Marketing. Although the Report will cost, the Executive Summary is available for free and provides a
good snapshot.
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i
Webwise, enewsletters, Posted in Web Marketing, http://webwise.com.au/news/2010/04/enewsletters/, 9 April 2010.
ii
J6 design, “Successful enewsletters ‐ what is the secret?”, http://j6design.com.au/tips/Successfulenewsletters‐
whatisthesecret.aspx.
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