Long Term Relationships - Part 3 - The eNewsletter

We have already spoken about the importance of generating long term relationships and how social media such as Twitter can help you do that.

Many companies fail to use the power of e-newsletters effectively yet when done properly they can act as a wonderful reminder to customers that you are still there, have got some great opportunities for them and are ready to respond.

There are a few golden rules when sending e-newsletters and here are a few of them:

Only send to people that have agreed

This has to go on the top of the list. Don't just add email addresses that you have collected from the web or from other means to your distribution list. People should have agreed to receive your newsletters. The reasoning is simple: You're trying to create a good impression for your company, not of one that's desperate to shout to as many people as possible. Oh, and it's illegal. Don't do it.

Target the content of your e-newsletter effectively

Focusing your marketing efforts on one or more target audiences is always good. However, e-newsletter senders often fall into the trap of sending every piece of news to everybody. The relevence of most articles is therefore lost. Think about breaking down your e-newsletter into different lists reflecting the diverse range of audience types that you have.

List the benefits not the features of products and offers

Yes it's very nice that your widget comes in a green colour … but how does that affect me? Point out the reasoning behind certain product or service features so that the benefits can easily be seen.

People may not want to buy immediately

One of the good things about taking a longer term view of marketing is that such newsletters can be used to build brand identity, good will, allegiance and awareness of a quality product or portfolio.

See it as part of your Marketing Mix

You must ensure - both from a design and content point of view - your e-newsletter fits in with your overall marketing strategy. Catalogues, events, advertising, websites all need to co-ordinate to provide joined-up promotions of your products and services.

Put some time into it

Sorry, but there's no substitute for putting some time into getting the content of your newsletter right. This includes reviewing comments, queries and even complaints about your product or service, researching current news and trends and (I'm going to underline this one) checking for grammar and spelling errors.

If done well that e-newsletters are yet another tool in your kit for ensuring your customers are kept as close as possible. You can generate your own, perhaps bespoke, e-newsletters or you can use companies such as Constant Contact or Graphic Mail to customise and send email on your behalf for a monthly fee.

Good luck with your continued marketing efforts. Get in touch with us if we can be of any help in providing help with any of the above.