E-newsletters – more things you should know
I’ll shortly be putting together content for the first Purple Chameleon Newsletter for 2010. As I mentioned in my previous blog on e-newsletters, I’ll be asking my contact database and newsletter subscribers for input on content they would like included in future issues. This will ensure I provide my audience with information they will find useful and is a great way to build trust. Avoid blatant self promotion in your e-newsletter as this will be counter-productive and will turn your audience off. You don’t want to over-use your company name or repeatedly refer to your products and services. Yes, your e-newsletter is a business publication but be careful to limit any blatant bias.
Increase the value of your newsletter by making it more objective. You can do this by only including material relevant to your business area, asking for contributions from your subscribers or including material from other sources which could be magazines, websites or other e-enewsletters. Maybe include a Q&A page, this is another great way to promote your business or website by providing legitimate responses.
How long should your e-newsletter be? There are no strict rules and I’m a firm believer that less is more. Maybe focus on a few articles, a latest developments or news section and a Q&A page, totalling around 1000 words. You can include a series of themes each issue which provides consistency and gives subscribers something to look forward to each issue. These themes could be “Top Ten Tips”, “Three Ways To…” or “Tip of the Week/Month”.
Remember that if you write too much there’s a danger you will turn off your subscribers and they will just delete the newsletter before they even read it, regardless of how useful it is. If subscribers really value your content they will be prepared to read more.
How often you send out the e-newsletter depends on time and money, but most successful newsletters are sent out on a fortnightly or monthly basis.
In terms of formatting, consider the following:-
- use a clear and simple layout. Don’t centre or justify text as the newsletter will appear differently on different email programs
- include bullets and bold headlines
- place spaces between paragraphs to make text easier to read
- spell check your newsletter before distributing
- before you send out your newsletter, send a copy to yourself or a colleage to check it looks ok
- include the http:// part of any website address you mention as most email programs will be able to automatically convert the text into a link
When it comes to distributing your e-newsletter, you can either do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you. I prefer the diy option as I have more control over when I send the newsletter and who it’s going to. It is also practical because I have a relatively small distribution list. If your list is say, over 1000 subscribers, it will take more time to send out and becomes a more complicated admin task: removing and adding subscribers can be a real chore.
If you are going to do it yourself, you need to create a subscriber list of email addresses. People can subscribe to my newsletter from the PCC website, and when they do, I receive an email that contains their email address that I can copy and paste into a subscriber list. This list also contains contact emails from my Outlook address list.
To distribute the e-newsletter, enter the email addresses into your Bcc field. This preserves the confidentiality of your subscription list and avoids frustrating your subscribers by sending them a page full of e-mail addresses. Then insert your own email address in the To: field which will send a copy of the newsletter to yourself.
One last tip: make sure you make it clear that any information people give you will remain confidential and will not be sold on to mailing list companies.
If you have any questions on e-newsletters, send me an email ruth@purplechameleon.com.au. Don’t forget to sign up to my e-newsletter from the PCC homepage!