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Email newsletters today represent a powerful tool for brands to communicate with potential customers. Knowing how to use it, beyond the technical aspects, represents endless opportunities to increase sales on a regular basis, without relying on aggressive campaign launches.
Email marketing is the tool we all use on a daily basis. It is estimated that a person can check their inbox up to 4 times a day, especially because of the ease of having the application installed directly on the mobile phone. This gives a clear idea of its communication potential.
It should also be noted that people receive communications from brands that interest them, to which they have subscribed of their own free will and, therefore, towards which they have a better rating. This means that they can open every email they receive effortlessly.
In order to achieve this, brands have to put a lot of effort into creating a working strategy that allows them to approach this communication tool effectively. Thanks to the existence of newsletter examples, it is possible to have a simple idea of what can be implemented, but it is best to understand each aspect in detail to ensure greater success. Let’s take a look at them.
Establish a target
Each newsletter should start with a well-defined objective. It is best to set a single objective for each newsletter so as not to confuse the recipient of the message. Then, the task will be to take it along an invisible thread that runs from the subject line to the final call to action.
Every word and every element used inside must go hand in hand with the objective. The most common ones that can be implemented are:
- Sell. As simple and complex as that. A newsletter that seeks to sell should focus a lot on highlighting the benefits of the product or service, the advantages of buying with the brand, the process to be followed by the user, answering frequently asked questions, etc. Not all within the same email, of course.
- Attract traffic. This is the objective pursued by those who usually work with blogs and publish on a regular basis. It is a way of self-advertising and improving search engine statistics, because if a lot of people visit an article, it must be good. Therefore, the content should be geared towards highlighting what they will find when they follow the link and why it will be beneficial to them.
- Be present. Presence is an undervalued objective. Brands seem to think that their only task should be to sell, and sometimes you just need to remind the ideal customer that you are there and that you understand them.
Good examples of newsletters that understand their objectives in detail are Canva’s, which is almost always looking to get people to click on a link to use a free element (they later work to increase their sales). And Carolina Herrera’s is totally focused on selling.
The design of the newsletter
The second point that follows immediately from the previous one is the design of the newsletter. By design, we mean all the visual elements and the general structure that the newsletter will have in order to meet the planned objective. It is important here to keep the focus on the importance of the objective.
The reason is that the design should be simple, with as few elements as possible to avoid unnecessary distractions. It is not necessary to fill every newsletter with images and banners that contribute nothing and, on the contrary, reduce users’ interest in consuming the content inside.
Generally speaking, it is recommended to include the following visual elements:
- The company logo.
- A prominent image if it is in line with the objective that is being sought. For example, in a shop, it is necessary to focus on the image of a product (or several) to create the design.
- A text that will be more or less extensive depending on the objective.
- A call to action.
Good examples of how to manage the design of a newsletter are Lumen5 and Pompeya.
The text of the newsletter
This is the final topic and, arguably, the icing on the cake. In fact, some brands are so disruptive with the value of text that they have become able to send out newsletters without creating any design at all, just text. Such is the case of Isra Bravo.
But those that are more concerned with the visual theme to make the newsletter attractive, cannot spend all their energy and time on it, so there is still a long way to go. And it is in the words that the value that will be perceived more deeply by those who receive each communication lies.
It is in the text that the key message will be told and the instructions for what comes next will be given. If there is a flaw, all the previous work will be lost. That is why so much care must be taken to ensure that each word is placed in its proper place, without excess.
In the case of shops, it is normal for the text to be brief and very persuasive, saying in a line or two all the changes a person will experience when using a certain product. On the other hand, in those that offer news or services, the text is usually longer, without losing sight of the persuasive side.
Newsletter editing
The last aspect to consider is how to set up the newsletters so that all the points we saw above are fulfilled. The technical part, let’s say. Well, this task is easier than it seems thanks to the functions offered by some email marketing companies.
Depending on which one you choose, you will be able to enjoy a friendly and intuitive interface that will allow you to place each element of the newsletter in the right place to get an incredible result. And this without the need to know anything about programming.
Newsletters should be an almost obligatory part of any brand’s marketing strategy. Social media followers are fine, but social media is not our property, whereas subscriber data is. That means this is not optional, it is indispensable to achieve good sales results on an ongoing basis.