Newsletters should serve as a vital part of any small business’s marketing plan, because they promote products and services in a capsulated format, which can help draw subscribers to your site and generate revenue when they engage with the products and services that you offer.  Newsletters help your business grow by educating the subscribers on your list, conveying your authority and branding your company.

Now, to truly benefit from the value of newsletters, there are 3 key things to keep in mind…

First, your email marketing should always offer new information about your company, so that clients feel as if they are learning different aspects of your products and services with each newsletter.

Second, a good newsletter establishes your authority and expertise about your products and services. Prospective clients will feel more confident about your company when your newsletter establishes your credibility in the industry, which is why it’s so important that you focus on creating outstanding content.

Third, newsletters can help brand your company, because the entire focus of your email marketing should be to differentiate your business from that of your competitor’s. How do you do that? By creating newsletters that strongly convey your business culture to your list. But here’s the thing: you can’t brand until you’ve properly targeted your audience. Why? Because the easiest way to brand your company is to connect with your audience by fulfilling their needs. And you can’t do that if you haven’t researched and targeted your market.

You just have to keep in mind that newsletters shouldn’t be staid or boring – they’re NOT news copy. Think of them as little pieces of your company that you’re sharing with your audience – an audience you already know through market research wants what you’re offering, but wants it in a way that’s entertaining, informative and valuable.

Signs That A Business Could Benefit From Sending Out A Newsletter

If analytics show that you’re not engaging well with your existing clients, and you’re not attracting enough visitors to your site, then a newsletter can help on both counts. Newsletters are designed to engage existing customers and prospective customers through direct communication, and they can also announce sales, discounts and freebies that can help boost conversions.

What Are Important Elements To Include In A Small Business Newsletter

Here’s the most important thing about email marketing and especially newsletters: don’t be boring! I know that sounds obvious – and I likely sound like I’m beating a dead horse with a stick since I mentioned this above as well – but you’d be surprised how many marketers create reams of text without remembering that everyone is busy, and attention-spans are short. So, newsletters need lots of visuals, graphics and images, bold, distinct colors and as much white space in the text as possible. The other really important must-have is a big, distinct call-to-action button so the people on your list know where to click to buy, subscribe or share the content. Newsletters should be snippets… little bits of valuable information that your subscribers need to know NOW!