There are some obvious uses for having a newsletter. Businesses and brands use them to promote their specialties – the products and services they sell –and to increase sales. However, a lot of email newsletters never reach their full potential. They advertise what they’re selling and not much more. People don’t want to feel like you only see them as someone who spends money. Here are 3 ways to make the most of your email newsletter.
1. Maximize your newsletter by asking questions
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Too often the writers of newsletters seem to treat it as if it’s a one-way communication channel. They speak to the subscribers and not the other way around. Why not keep the lines of communication open? Encourage the readers to provide feedback. Ask them questions. The value of information and opinions from readers is really priceless.
2. Maximize your email newsletter by encouraging readers to share
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If the content of your newsletters is good, your readers may want to share it with friends, family and colleagues. However, it never hurts to give a gentle nudge. At the end of every email you can include a call to action sentence. It could say, “If you enjoyed this newsletter, consider forwarding it to someone who would enjoy it.”
3. Maximize your newsletter by making it easy to unsubscribe
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According to Zerobounce.net some people simply won’t be fans of your newsletter or find it pertinent. That’s okay, but making it easy for them to get off the list is a way to maximize your newsletter. If it’s hard to unsubscribe, they may mark you as spam. Spam complaints lower your email sender score, the score Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use to determine if you are a spammer or a legitimate email sender. By allowing an easy unsubscribe button, you maximize your newsletter and calibrate it to the most receptive, relevant, and interested people.
4. Maximize your newsletter by using an email validator
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This one is imperative if you want to get people to open the emails you send. There are a number of ways your email list will inevitably decay if you don’t use an email validator. People change their email addresses making the old email invalid. There are also catch-all, spam traps, role-based, and abuse email addresses. By uploading your list to a reputable email validation website’s platform, you can locate these bad addresses for removal.
Here is a good article on Yespo with explanations on how to check if your domain is on a spam blacklist.
5. Maximize your newsletter by sticking to a schedule
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Some newsletters send out an email whenever they want to or when they have a new product to sell. This isn’t the best strategy because your readers will forget about you if you don’t stick to a schedule. They may mark you as spam if it’s been a while. Not only that, but sending on the same day of the week or in some other rhythm is the best way to improve your sender reputation score. That’s because you’re sending in a more professional manner and less like spammers do.
Sending on a schedule, like the first and 15th of every month, means that your readers start to anticipate when their newsletter will arrive. If your content is especially good, you may be greeted with excitement. Sticking to a schedule makes you seem more trustworthy.
6. Maximize your newsletter by having fun
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If you have fun, you’ll enjoy the activity of writing and creating the newsletter. This will translate to the readers. Try to maximize your newsletter by injecting some personality and style. Let the newsletter be an accurate representation of your brand and you personally.
7. Maximize your newsletter by brainstorming new uses for it
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Some newsletters start out as one thing and become another. You may start a newsletter with the goal of increasing sales of the items in your catalogue or to advertise the services you sell. However, you find that a kind of community forms as a result of the information you share. You can include letters or reviews from customers and even introduce recurring real-life characters, like the office dog.
8. Maximize your newsletter by including social media channels
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Your email list is extremely valuable and important because you own it, but your social media channels are important, too. Why not include links to your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in every email you send? It never hurts to be connected to your readers in more than one way. Similarly, you can post about the email newsletter on the social media channels. Just make sure the content in your newsletter is different from what’s on Facebook, for example. You want to make it exclusive to keep people interested and subscribed. Don’t be redundant.
9. Maximize your email newsletter by always improving
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Even if your newsletter is off to a slow start, it doesn’t mean it can’t grow organically. If you use your creative energy and always think of what the readers would find helpful or entertaining, you’ll be considered valuable to readers. Continuously learning good strategies and being innovative is very rewarding. The more of service your newsletter is, the more valued it will be.
