Welcome back! Another week as come and gone with 2018 already more than half over. Where does the time go?
Recently two things happened that has had my mind on e-newsletters and collecting subscribers for those e-newsletters. First off, the people over at Vatal Entertainment Studio launched a signup campaign at the end of June that has them making a donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which at the time was something I hadn’t seen done previously. Secondly, just last week Jamie Stegmaier wrote an interesting blog post about the reasons why people subscribe to e-newsletters, one of which is exactly what the people at Vatal are doing. This week I want to add on to what Jamie wrote by looking at taking full advantage of the subscribers you have by sharing 5 tips to effectively using your e-newsletter.
Tip 1: Keep the information relevant
Leading up to this article I decided to do a little research by asking some of the Facebook groups I belong to about why the subscribe to e-newsletters and what affects how they interact with those e-newsletters. The most frequent response was that they provide a central location for information about a company and their products. I also learned that one of the quickest turn offs that will more often than not lead to people unsubscribing from your list is adding unrelated information to the newsletter, or sending additional unrelated emails.
Tip 2: Send your e-newsletter on a reasonable, regular basis
Opinions will vary on what a reasonable frequency for your e-newsletter is, but the most common thought seems to be monthly. I personally send mine every Saturday, but I for sure wouldn’t do it more often than weekly. The objective here is to ensure that each e-newsletter as enough important information to make it worth while, but still keep the amount of information in easy to process chunks. Too frequently and you will find that you don’t have anything relevant to say, and too infrequently and you will be trying to cram too much into each e-newsletter.
Tip 3: Use first person language and be personable
People like to interact with other people on a personal level. Using I language instead of we language can help establish that connection. Tell your story. Let your subscribers get to know you has a person, rather than as just another faceless corporation.
Tip 4: Use the subscribers name in the email and make them feel like you are writing specifically to them
Another way to help establish that personal connection is by addressing the email specifically to each user, and by continuing to use their name as appropriate throughout the e-newsletter. Help them feel like you are writing to them specifically, not as part of a mass email (despite the fact that is exactly what it is). Avoiding starting your e-newsletter with something like “Hey Everyone!” will go a long way.
Tip 5: Use an email marketing service like Mailchimp
Email marketing services like Mailchimp offer so many advantages. Some of those advantages include:
- Signup forms for collecting email addresses, then tools to manage those contacts after sign up
- Simplified e-newsletter creation
- Provides subscribers with the option of unsubscribing if they decide they are no longer interested
There are a number of different options, each with their costs and features, but any one will all make you life so much easier in the long run.
Well that is everything for this week. I would love to hear what you think. What are some tricks you use to ensure you are taking full advantage for your e-newsletter subscribers? If you want to read more about why people subscribe to e-newsletters, check out this article from Jim Baker. Until next time, happy designing.