Gone are the days when a newsletter was in print form, shoved through your letterbox, an annoying piece of junk mail, cluttering up your doormat. Nowadays, most businesses distribute their newsletters via email, and they are still as popular as ever. But do small businesses really need to send newsletters? Are they even that important in the 21st century?
Well, yes, they are! A newsletter is crucial for businesses, especially small businesses, to build and develop customer relationships. It is all about delivering information, sharing news, and making your audience feel like they are part of something. The key to success for small businesses is to build a loyal following, and to do this, you need to maintain regular contact with them; newsletters are a fantastic way to achieve this!
The three main questions for any business owners are “who is your target audience?”, “does your target audience want to hear from you”, and most importantly “, what does your target audience want to hear about”. Why would they not want to receive a newsletter if you give them interesting, exciting, and RELEVANT content? It’s a no brainer!
It is easy to confuse email newsletters with email marketing, but they are NOT the same thing. Email marketing is sent to promote or sell something, either immediately or in the future. In a nutshell, it is a sales document. However, an email newsletter serves an entirely different purpose. This purpose is to provide your audience with a bit of light-hearted escapism. Although not a direct sales document, a newsletter is a perfect opportunity to sneak in a few CTA’s (Call To Action). It is so easy to mix them in with your news, so why not grab the opportunity.
The other benefit of a newsletter is that you can constantly remind people of your existence by saying,” hey, hello, remember me”. Along with social media, it’s a great way to show everyone that you are still there. Kind of like a friend popping round for a coffee and catchup, but minus the cake. The expression “out of sight, out of mind” couldn’t be more relevant in the world of business, and if people don’t know you are there or forget you are there (sad but true), then why would they think of you when they need your services or product? The answer is simple. They won’t.
When working with clients and creating fantastic (if I do say so myself) newsletters, I always mention the two E’s. Your audience wants Educating and Entertaining…basically an extension of your social media platforms. They want to gain something from it; otherwise, they aren’t interested. And that’s fair enough, I mean, would you be? Our lives are busy, and none of us has time to waste on something that isn’t going to bring anything extra to our day. Escapism is vital in our modern-day lives, which is why platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are so popular. But if we chuck in a dose of new knowledge, too, then a fun and informative newsletter has to be a winning combination, right?
So, if you are a small business reading this and are considering whether a newsletter is right for you, then I would say yes, absolutely! But remember that it is not about making a hard fast sale; it is about entertaining your audience. The days of corporate marketing material and formal newsletters are long gone. It is time to have a bit of fun, play around, and make friends with your audience.
In summary, email may seem like a thing of the past, but that is incorrect. Although the current and next generation is all about social media, nearly every single one of them does and will have an email. So, if you aren’t currently on the e-newsletter bandwagon, then get yourself on it. It is simple to do, an excellent opportunity to grow and develop relationships with your target audience, and if you can sneak in a few CTA’s, you might even make a few sales! If you want any help, you know where I am...
