Monday, 4 February 2013

Why should my company do an eNewsletter?


eNewsletters are a very effective way to reach your customers/clients.  Yes, I know with all the social media capabilities out there do we really need eNewsletters.  Twitter, Face Book, Google+, etc all send millions of messages out every day.  And there lies the problem with SM.  If you don't happen to be on your device at the time when the message/tweet comes through there is a good chance that your customers/clients will never see it.  Twitter and Face Book deal with such large volumes of data, that blink and you can miss it.

eNewsletters are directed at specific customers/clients with information directly related to their needs.  Which is why it is important to make sure that your eNewsletter is catchy and has information in it that your customer wants to read.  Even if they don't have the time when it comes in, it can be filed and looked at later.  

Think of your business and how you can help your customer.  An eNewsletter isn't just about advertising/selling something, although no one turns down that outcome.  So let's look at some companies whose customers can benefit from their eNewsletter:
  • Financial Planners
    • It's tax season, let your clients know about any upcoming tax changes
    • RRSP - how to maximize your money
    • Tips:  Organizing your tax information
  • Landscapers:
    • It's time to apply your weed/fertilizer
    • How to separate your plants
    • What herbs grow best in sun
  • Retailers:
    • Sales
    • New releases of merchandise
  • Real Estate:
    • I have a couple of  Real Estate Agents who send me eNewsletters that I love, they always have handy household tips in them, ie "thinking of a winter vacation don't forget to change the hot water setting to vacation", etc
  • Recruiters:
    • Let your clients know about hot job markets
    • Advice on resume writing, interview techniques
  • Municipalities
    • Updates to bylaws
    • Town meetings
    • Special presentations, ie Citizen of the Year
    • New parks that are opening up
eNewsletter Criteria:
  • It has to be catchy:  pictures, tips, good use of fonts and colour
  • Retailers probably want to send out an eNewsletter every week, whereas Real Estate might work better on a monthly cycle and Landscapers could go quarterly.
  • It can't be too big.  If I receive a newsletter that locks my computer or takes too long to download, I hit the delete button faster than you can sneeze.  
  • Don't direct me to a website that then has all sorts of pop-ups.  I just want to quickly read your newsletter for any pertinent information that may benefit me.
There are some really good companies out there that can help you get started.  MailChimp and Constant Contact  are both geared towards small companies who want to do their own campaign.  They are a great place to start and also give you good analytics on how many customers actually opened or clicked on your eNewsletter.  eNewsletters are a great job to outsource and help you get going.  If you need some help feel free to contact us - Carlyn Services Inc.


No comments:

Post a Comment