Email newsletters: everyone seems to have one, so they must be worthwhile. Right?
Big corporations can send coupons, secret deals, early releases, or whatever. Those newsletters get opened because people want to see the deals. But what about us little guys? Is it worth my time to create a newsletter? Is it worth your time to read it?
Some days, I’m just not sure.
What’s the Point of a Newsletter?
This one I’ve got covered.
The lofty, idealistic reason is to keep people current on your business and all the wonderful things it is doing. The nitty-gritty realistic reason is to remind people you exist and do business. By putting an email in the inboxes of people who have done business with you or expressed some sort of interest in what you do, you are reminding them that you exist and do business. There is value to that.
Hopefully, your newsletter does include information about who you are, what you do, how you do it, and so on. That way, if people do open – and read – your newsletter, they’ll learn something.
Keep in mind that opening an email is not the same as reading it. I described what all goes into email open reports in my post How Do They Know I Opened It? If you missed it, check it out.
What’s the Value of a Newsletter?
This is where things get murky.
Because “value” is in the eye of the beholder, it is not quantifiable. I’m either too modest or my self-esteem is too low to assume that you will find value in what I put into my newsletter. Thus, I keep my newsletter about as random as my thought process and go about my day.
On the other hand, I encourage newsletter clients to include a “give” section so that people have a reason to open the email. Among other things, a give can be a coupon, a special deal, or a testimonial to someone else. While the overall point of a newsletter is to talk about your business, the give is a way to redirect the spotlight and make things slightly less about you. Many people, myself included, find that this increases the value of the newsletter.
How to Make Your Newsletter More Valuable
Sorry, got no help for you here.
If you don’t know what your readers would find valuable, ask! Presumably, you have some knowledge to share that attracts people to you – only they can tell you what that is. Remember, basically everyone approaches everything with a “What’s In It For Me” attitude. Satisfy that attitude.
Consistency also seems to go a long way. A regular newsletter that looks the same and contains the same sort of information becomes a known commodity and is comfortable. Something that is always changing how it looks or what it contains is uncomfortable and tends to turn people off.
More importantly, make it true to you. These are people who have done, will, or you hope they will do business with you. Make sure they know who you really are. (For example, just about everything I put out has at least one piece of sarcasm in it.)
The experts (all those people online I tend to rail against) will tell you basically the same, just with more fluff and possibly instruction around it.
Back to the Beginning
So, what value do I get for creating a newsletter? Well, if nothing else, it makes me write a blog and give my website some new content. And the truth is that I try to have fun with my newsletters – specifically with my Random Factoid section (sign up to find out).
What value do you get? Again, can’t help you there. Hopefully, you sign up for newsletters that you enjoy and unsubscribe from the ones that you do not.
– Lorrie Nicoles