STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

Why are newsletters back on trend?

A few years ago (pre-economic depression) suggesting a company newsletter in a client meeting prompted a huge sigh of boredom.

So, why is it that such a mundane and often disliked method of communication is suddenly top of many companies’ marketing budget.

Well, first of all, letting your customers know that you still exist is vital in some markets, secondly it demonstrates that you have knowledge of the industry and can be a great reference tool for your customers to get latest industry updates.

Even if your competitors are achieving new developments, it shows a great deal about your company if you are not only aware of this, but can discuss it with knowledge, naturally you need to support this with new and exciting projects, products and services that you are providing

There should always be a fun and more relaxed area within a newsletter, for example a cheesy competition section with a chance to win prizes. Also remember to have a staff area, maybe employee of the month or staff profiles, and don’t stick to management, recognising staff across the business shows you are approachable and provides a real insight to your company.

Newsletters are informative, create brand awareness and give your company a personality, but stick to the rules, we advise our clients that only 65% should be “all about you”, with a good 25% chunk being allocated to industry developments and the remaining 10% based around fun, staff or other items that may encourage customer interaction. Remember your newsletter is something people should look forward to receiving and should be interesting. Your brand should be emphasized and present but the information should not be insular. Think about what you would like to read and reflect it in your newsletter.

Producing a digital HTML newsletter is a gives the option to link back to news articles on your website, and most importantly you can receive statistics on how many people read it and which areas were of particular interest – its save on postage as well. This method is sometimes used in addition to printed copies and for some industries digital is not the way to go – a more tactile approach is needed.

So have a think and see if your customers would like to read about the industry you are in and what you have been up to, ask a few see what they say. Then make sure anything your customers are reading has your brand clearly present.