On their own, newsletters can be a valuable tool in your marketing toolbox.
But if you only send newsletters, you’re not using them to their full email marketing potential.
In this article, I talk about newsletters vs email marketing and the difference between the two.
One of the most valuable marketing resources for business’ today is the email address of a prospective or current customer.
Having an email address lets you:
- learn more about their interests and engage with them at every stage in their journey with you.
- use automated marketing strategies that target them across multiple platform which will result in higher conversion rates.
- keep them up-to-date with new offers and information that will result in repeat and new business.
People are used to being asked for their email address and that’s because they’re powerful for your business.
Email addresses are valuable
Many businesses don’t capture an email address. Many of those that do don’t use them for marketing. So getting an email address can be the easy part. The hard part is using that address and making it useful to your business and that you give value to your customer.
Because email addresses are so valuable to a business, they should be treated with care. Misusing them can result in spam filters blocking your emails or complaints being made and your business being reported for breaches of any relevant legislation.
From you customer’s point of view, if the information you’re giving them isn’t relevant they will be ignored, deleted and potentially result in high unsubscribe rates.
Email marketing vs a newsletter
Sending a newsletter and not following up is poor email marketing.
A newsletter is sent to your readers to inform and engage them. Amongst other things, newsletters play a role in building your brand awareness. With a newsletter you can build a relationship with potential and existing customers by sending them free content.
The purpose of email marketing is to encourage your audience to take action. Email marketing is usually run as a campaign focused on achieving a specific result. How we can do this is by behaviour such as clicking a link on your website or in an email or by submitting a form.
Shopping card abandonment is a great example of email marketing where we reengage with an online shopper to remind them they have not yet completed their purchase.
Related article: 17 Steps To Create An Email Newsletter Your Readers Will Love
What are the features of a good newsletter?
Newsletters aren’t sales focused. They shouldn’t push products or offers. They should inform and engage. Providing information that is relevant to your audience. Ideally, they would link back to your website.
Like successful newspapers, they should on a regular basis and be in a consistent format.
Some ideas for newsletter content can include:
- Stories about you and the other people in your business
- Behind the scenes of your business
- Stories about your customers and feedback
- Articles that will improve your customer’s lives, or fit in with their current or desired lifestyle
- Links to areas of your website and social media pages showing dynamic content
- Links to research, blogs, videos and articles that might be of interest to your audience
- Links to videos showing how to use your products
- An update of what’s happening and coming up in your business
- Reminders for customers
- New product releases
- Information that gets them into an email marketing campaign.
When done well, newsletter can increase the lifetime value of your customers by keeping you in their mind as THE expert in your industry. Far better than any communication that are simply sales pitches or direct marketing.
What are the features of good marketing emails?
Marketing emails should have one specific purpose and focus on getting the reader to take one action. Everything in that email should be designed to encourage the reader to take that action. Nothing else should be included that distracts the aim of that email.
Marketing emails should be timely, speak to the customer, and create a sense of urgency to encourage immediate action. They must contain at least one Call to action (CTA) link or button. That link should them directly to a directly to a landing page where they can get what they want or they do what you want them to do.
Newsletters provide high-value and actionable content where email marketing is about driving sales.
Balance is the key
An email strategy is a balance between newsletters and email marketing. Both should be used to create the best outcomes for your business.
The important thing to remember is that when you ask for someone’s email address you deliver what they signed up for. If you asked for their email address in return for a monthly newsletter, that’s what you send them. If they sign up for marketing emails communications, you need to make good use of that consent.
Newsletters are an ideal starting point though. It’s here that you build trust and your audience gets to know you and the services you can provide to them. It can be through newsletters that you funnel them into an email marketing campaign by getting them interested in a product or service.
The best approach
To get the best outcomes from your emails to be clear on the purpose of each email type. A newsletter has a different purpose to a welcome email. Each newsletter should have a purpose. What is it you want to achieve from email?
Emails should be:
- branded
- quick to load and mobile responsive
- carefully designed and worded
- easy to read
- shareable
- meet the purpose of the list you’re sending to
You can’t manage what you’re not measuring
As with many areas of business, you need to track your emails. Are they fulfilling their purpose? Are they taking the action you want them to take? Are they even clicking the CTA button or link?
Tracking what happens with your emails after you send them gives you valuable information on what works working and, more importantly, what’s not working.
Some of the things to monitor include:
- What are the delivery success rates?
- What percentage are being opened?
- What time of day do people open your emails?
- What percentage of recipients click the CTA links?
- Do any particular offers get more clicks that others?
- What percentage of emails resulted in sales?
- How many people unsubscribed from one or both of your email types?
Related article: 11 Email Metrics you Need to Track
Wrap up
I hope this article has given you some insight into your current email strategy. If you’re doing newsletters, you can see with a little more strategic thinking, you can add email marketing into the mix and get better results.
Enjoy your day.
