NEWSLETTERS ARE COOL, HIP, TRENDY, AND ALL THE RAGE...
So What Are You Waiting For?
by Deborah Garry, President
BBG&G Advertising & Public Relations

There was a time, and not so long ago, when a business could get by without having a web presence. Those days are now over. If you are seriously going to compete, even if you’re only planning to compete regionally, you almost have to have a website. People need a place to go to compare prices, look for directions, take stock of your inventory, and so on.

Another practical business tool following quickly on the heels of the basic website—and bound to become an occupational necessity as well before very long—is the online newsletter. Back in the old days newsletters were virtually unaffordable for many businesses. They had to be printed, which could take time as well as money, and then mailed. And to keep the postal costs within reason, the mailing list had to be updated regularly to indicate changes of address. And really there was no way to know which recipients were trashing them without even reading them anyway.

Today’s online newsletters are very inexpensive to produce and send. And the mailing list can be as expansive as you want it to be. People who don’t want your mail can “unsubscribe,” though even if they opt simply to delete each new edition, it won’t mean a thing to your pocket.

Newsletters are a great way of reminding your regular customers and potential new customers that you are there, waiting for them to contact you about your product or service. They provide an inexpensive and effective way to announce sales, special events, tie-ins and links with other companies, highlights about your staff members, recipes, freebees and more… They can be serious or they can be fun. They can be straightforward, or they can be highly creative.

What they can’t be is ignored.
Here are a few things to think about before you click “send to all”:

Be Beautiful: Take the time to design your newsletter so that it looks just as good as it would if you were preparing to send hard copies out in the mail. Make good use of color. Make sure your logo is prominent and that links to your website are well placed on every page.

Watch Your Timing: How often you send your newsletters will depend on what you’ve got to say. If your company doesn’t offer many sales or make many changes in the course of a week or a month, sending out your newsletter too frequently can have the same effect as calling a friend when you really have nothing much to say. After a while, your readers will be bored. Rather than risk boredom, use your time between mailings to jazz up your newsletter, so that when it comes it is like hearing from a long lost relative—full of surprises and good news.
On the other hand, if you have stock coming and going and sales popping up at a moment’s notice, you may want to go for the more frequent variety.

Watch Your Length: The only thing worse than getting a phone call from someone who has nothing to say is getting a phone call from someone who has nothing to say but doesn’t want to get off the phone. Keep your newsletter succinct. Rather than have lengthy articles right there on the newsletter page, you may want to have informational snippets that link to longer articles posted on your website. That way your customers can pick and choose what they want to read.

Wow ‘Em When You Can: The online newsletter is no place for modesty. If your company’s new showerhead uses the least water per minute of any other showerhead on the market, shout it out. Put those stats in a big font and provide your readers with a link to the proof of the pudding on an EPA web page. If the fireplace grate you manufacture recently served as a backdrop in a scene in a movie starring Brad Pitt, let the world know about it. Maybe you can even arrange to lease a still from that scene. Won’t your customers be surprised to see what looks like a People Magazine cover in your newsletter?

Provide Leadership: Your newsletter readers may need you to lead them from the Brad Pitt image to the place on your website where they actually purchase a similar grate. Be sure to give them that guidance. A table of contents or call to action is always useful. Coupons with links work really well too. Include graphics, links to videos, and more.

Cheat: Do you have a favorite online magazine that you scan right before you go to lunch to keep you up on the day’s news? What is it about it that you like? How does the cover page carry you to the stories that interest you? What is the balance between text and graphics? Figure out what draws you in and integrate the same strategies into your newsletter.

Socialize: A newsletter is a great place for interaction. Perhaps one of the sales people at your shoe store is a certified pedorthist and knows everything there is to know about feet, from Plantar Fasciitis to Over Pronation. Put him or her in charge of the newsletter Q & A. Your customers will love it, and so will your resident foot guru.

Be Consistent: Now that you’ve created a dynamic format for a riveting newsletter, keep that format, so that your customers will know it is you calling the minute they see your newsletter unfold in their email box. It’s fine to tweak your format, but do it over time so that your basic layout is always quickly recognizable. Remember, as much fun as designing a newsletter may be, in the end your goal is branding, so be sure your brand dominates.

Finally, Name Your Baby: Your newsletter is your brainchild. Why would you want to call it “The ABC Company Monthly Newsletter,” when you could call it “The Alphabet Express?”

Deborah Garry is president of BBG&G, a full service advertising, marketing, and public relations agency servicing a wide range of local and regional clients from healthcare and financial services to B2B, tourism destination, and franchise promotion industries. She can be reached at smartstrategies@bbggadv.com