For many people, it’s a hassle to unsubscribe from email lists, but there are ways you can make sure your customers keep reading your newsletter. Here are some tips to maximize the chances of keeping your readers.
1. Be consistent in sending your email newsletter
If you want your newsletter to reach the inbox of subscribers, it must be sent regularly. Aim for weekly or bi-weekly updates, even if you don’t have that much happening. Customers need something to look forward to receiving in their email box.
Aside from the schedule, the design must also be consistent. Customers don’t want to receive a bright, colorful newsletter one week and then see something drab and dull the next.
For newsletter examples, head over to Venngage.
2. Make sure recipients know why they’re receiving it
Don’t just include a sentence about why you’re sending them the newsletter and how it can benefit them. Give your readers an incentive to read by including a relevant offer, such as a promotion code or something similar. The idea is to make receiving your newsletter feel like getting something extra in their inbox.
3. Have a gift for readers
Like the incentive you give readers in newsletter #2, a gift in your email can benefit both sides. It essentially works as an incentive for someone to read your newsletter and gets you free advertisement when they receive it. For example, if your business is related to art then include a small print of one of your paintings or sketches that’s accessible to readers. Tell them it’s free but only if they provide some personal information, such as their email address. This method of building your brand online is called “permission marketing”.
4. Use images sparingly
If you include too many images in your newsletter design, it will be impossible for people with slower internet connections to see them properly. Newsletter templates are available online for your reference. If you have a large audience or a lot of subscribers, try to vary your newsletters with some text-heavy ones and others that use images more often. That way, everyone has the chance to read your newsletter as you intended it.
Venngage
5. Keep promotional content to a minimum
Many people sign up for newsletters because they want to receive information about your company and not so they can be sold to. Of course, you want to promote your business, but don’t try to do it in every single email. Limit promotional content to the last section of the newsletter or another one specifically designed for that purpose.
6. Be careful when running giveaways and contests
If you’re going to run a contest or giveaway through your email newsletter, make sure you do it with a reputable service that will keep the process secure. A giveaway is essentially just that: giving something away to readers who meet certain criteria. The more personal information they have to provide for this purpose, the better chance you have of building your email list faster.
7. Give readers links to read the newsletter on their mobiles
Some email systems automatically send newsletters in HTML format, while others only provide them in plaintext. If you know for sure older mobile devices can’t load graphics well, avoid including images altogether or give your readers an alternative link so they don’t miss out on any useful information.
8. Make sure your newsletter is easy to scan
There’s nothing more frustrating for a reader than opening up an email and not knowing where or how to start reading it. Always use headings, short paragraphs, and bullet points when writing content for your newsletters so people can easily find the information they need. Using an infographic template may also be helpful.
Venngage
9. Personalize these when possible
Whenever possible, use the recipient’s first and last name in your email newsletter. This makes it feel like you wrote something just for him or her and gives a more personalized touch than if you had only addressed the reader as “Dear Customer”.
10. Give readers the option to subscribe or unsubscribe
Remember when you first signed up for your favorite retailer’s newsletter? You probably had to check a box saying you agreed the company could send email updates about new products, sales, special offers, etc. This is what’s known as an “opt-in” process and it works because it requires people to take an active role in the email subscription process. Try to do the same with your newsletters by including an “unsubscribe” link at the end of every email, or a prominent one that’s easy to find.
11. Keep newsletters brief
Remember that there is no limit as to how much information you can send to your subscribers through email newsletters, but keep in mind that most people don’t like reading lengthy emails on their mobiles. Depending on the device they’re using and the amount of available memory, many browsers will stop loading images after a certain amount of text has been received.
12. Focus on one subject per newsletter
If you try to write about a couple of different things in one newsletter, it will be difficult for readers to follow what you’re saying. If they don’t know where or how to start reading the email because there’s too much going on all at once, they might not read anything at all and delete your newsletter without finishing it. It’s better to write one or two long newsletters per month that are packed with useful information instead of several short ones that only have a little bit to say.
Bottomline
Maximizing your newsletter can be done by following these twelve tips. There are many benefits to having a newsletter, but it is up to you as the business owner or marketing manager on how you want your company’s newsletter to work for you. By following some of these easy steps, your newsletters will become more effective and increase their chances of being read.