Newsletters! Does the very word send shivers down your spine?
We all know that newsletter communication is a vital part of staying in touch with our clients and generating consistent leads into our businesses.
But they can be so time consuming!
What do you say? How do you format it? What should you include?
Most business owners spend more time worrying about these three questions than actually creating the content for their newsletter.
But, now is the time to stop panicking and start reading this article. We are going to fill you in on the steps for putting together a great business newsletter.
Download the Newsletter Content Plan Worksheet.
The Who
Most businesses tend to dive in and start throwing words on the page just to get something out there. But you want to make sure that your newsletter connects with your list and provides them with something of value.
How can you do that?
By understanding who you are really sending this information to. If your audience loves oranges then you don’t want to waste time talking about apples. You want content they are going to hang out for each month.
You also want to consider the new prospects on your list. They don’t know a lot about your business yet. And you probably don’t know a lot about them. They could be your perfect kind of client, but you just don’t know it yet.
So, when you are writing your newsletter, think about the kind of clients you have helped in the past. If you write like you are speaking to them, you can then use your newsletter to look for people with those same characteristics.
By understanding “the who” part of your newsletters it helps you to target new business and write advertising that will attract them to you.
The What
If you struggle with this part of the newsletter process, you are not alone. 60% of business owners say that their biggest struggle is with content!
But that is what we are here to help you with.
Now you know who you are writing to, here are some ideas for the kind of content you can include that will not only interest them, but also move them down the funnel of trust, pushing them closer to buying from you.
Try some of these content pieces:
- The “News” in Newsletter – Do you have a really popular product or service? Then showcase it in an interesting way in your newsletter. If you sell a heap of oranges then talk about the 10 Best Ways To Use Oranges In Your Cooking. The subtle art of content marketing means you aren’t making a direct sales pitch which could turn people away. But you are cleverly putting oranges in the mind of every one of your readers and making them want to buy the delicious citrus to cook with.
- Testimonial or Review – Words that someone else says about your business are far more powerful than any words you can say about your own business. Plus, this is another subtle selling opportunity. For example, here at Big Rock, we received a great testimonial from one of our clients saying that our email marketing service generated so many leads in one month, that we had to hit the pause button so that he could catch up. That kind of rhetoric is pure gold when it comes to marketing your services.
- Video or Social Content – There is no rule that says you need to produce brand new content for your newsletter. Do you have a video that you filmed or some content that is working really well on social media? Then share it in your newsletter to reach an even wider audience. Work smarter, not harder!
- Collaboration – Do you have another business you know with a complementary audience? Then feature them in your newsletter and your business could feature in theirs. More exposure to a new audience!
Tips and Valuable Info – Prove that you are an expert in your field by sharing some tips or some other kind of valuable info. After a while, people will start tuning into your newsletter just for this helpful detail.
Market Data
Another great thing to share in your newsletter is Market Data that is relevant to your industry. By educating your market on the facts and figures, you can draw them to you through your knowledge and expertise.
Have a think about the kind of facts you can share about your market. What statistics would be interesting to your audience and what would help move them along in their buying decision?
You can flip that idea on its head and also use your newsletter as a space to gain data about your own business. It is perfectly fine to ask their readers what they think about certain things to do with how you operate and what you offer. Their feedback can be invaluable for perfecting your offerings and ensuring your customer service is on point.
Getting It All Done
Hopefully, you are now feeling a little more confident about what to include in your newsletter going forward. If you would like to know more about how to format and structure it, then you can check out this article on The Anatomy Of A Quality Newsletter.
If it has had the opposite effect and you are now feeling overwhelmed about all the content you need to create to make a good newsletter, then stop panicking. Big Rock has a service where we write, format and send your newsletter for you every month.
Sound good? Then book a free call with Lara, our Marketing Expert, for some inspiration or info on how we might help you http://bit.ly/MeetWithLara. After all, we are one of those businesses that LOVE to write, even though most business owners don’t! We have one last question for you… would you like the opportunity for some free publicity? Then all you need to do is to complete our survey on Where You Are In Your Business here.