Awesome eNewsletter Tips!!

1. Choose an email marketing program. This is key – before you can start publishing an email newsletter, you need a way to build you list and send out your issues. There are many out there to choose from – be mindful when shopping around that you consider not only cost but ease of use and SPAM regulations. While the lower cost programs (like Constant Contact or iContact) are easy to use and cheap, many SPAM filters block emails from those companies. We recommend aWeber ans MailChimp for their robust list building systems and its great SPAM compliance.

2. Personalize. Sending an HTML (AND text!) eNewsletter has proven to be more successful then a text-only eNewsletter. You can have a designer create a custom template to match your current website or use the template provided in your email marketing software and simply insert a custom header. Make sure you include your picture, a signature graphic and your logo in each issue. When the reader sees your face & your brand, they feel connected to you.

3. Be consistent. Pick the same day every week or month to send out your issues. Try and keep the same sections and features in each issue. People like this consistency, and if they find one issue of particular interest, you can bet they will be looking for the next issue to find that same level of relevant info. If they cant find it, you may have lost them as a subscriber.

4. Tempt. Make sure your subject line is catchy and tempting – subscribers may not open the email if the subject line does not seem interesting. Inside your issue, create a table of contents and add article/section titles to show the reader what they will get if they just scroll down.

5. Create great content! This may seem like a ‘duh’ – but content is key to keeping your subscribers interested, so it’s super important. Remember that your readers are looking at an email and on average they will spend only a few minutes (at best!) reading your issues, so keep your articles short and sweet (300-500 words each). Break up text with graphics, headlines, and bullet lists. Keep your content relevant to your readers. Consider publishing an interview with a client about a relevant subject or a case study. Look through your emails and add a “Q & A” feature where you post the answer to a question one of your clients has asked you in the past. (Chances are, your readers may have the same problem!) Periodically ask your readers to submit subjects or questions for you to cover in upcoming issues.

6. Promote! Consider creating a Sales Page for your eNewsletter. Have an eCover designed to match your eNewsletter. Don’t forget to promote within your issues, too! Always include a “call to action” in your issues, so is your subscribers are eager for more info, they have somewhere to go!

Do you have a suggestion for building a great eNewsletter? We’d love to hear it! Just sent it to victoria@lynnraedesigns.com and we’ll publish it in our next Gears issue!

~Victoria Potts Keale is a newbie blogger, website designer, entrepreneur extraordinaire, mom, wife, daughter, sister… well, you get the gist. She lives in her hometown of St. Louis, MO in an old haunted farmhouse with her 2 kids and drummer hubby. She has 15 tattoos and wants more. She loves 80’s music. She thinks writing bios in the 3rd person is wacky. You should email her and tell her what else to put in her bio – victoria@lynnraedesigns.com – but don’t spam her, cause she’ll get angry.

Please feel free to use this blog in whatever, but make sure you credit it back to the author (link it up here!!) and send us a note that you used it, cause we’ll give you some link-love right back.

Related posts:

1. Do you struggle with your enewsletter? Back in August, I started a side-project to review email service providers (ESP). I...
2. SEO Basics So, you have a website. It’s got a fabulous design, you’ve written high quality...
3. Email Service Providers – What to Look For This month (and next) we are concentrating on the world of email marketing. I...
4. Stylin’ Sales Page Tips Think Outside The Box! I mean that literally as most sales pages are set...
5. The "You" Factor Recently I designed a website for a client’s new online business. They had provided...