On a basic level they remind people you're still out there, and that you're thinking about them. However, you can go even further: share industry news, special offers, or invites to events to keep your contact list interested. Crucially, eNewsletters contain links to drive traffic back to your website. This means people will see more of your brand image, and can read about your products and services. Here are tictoc's top tips for eNewletters. Give us a shout if you'd like to find out more.
Make lots of friends
The first step is to build a list of contacts. In the beginning, this will be made up of your clients or customers, if they have given you permission to contact them. Then you can invite other people to become part of your circulation list. The easiest way to do this is to offer a ‘subscribe' option on your website, integrated with your eNewsletter tool. This automatically adds new sign-ups to your circulation list.
Remember to ask nicely
All the people on your list must have given you permission to contact them. European privacy law (EU Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communication link to: http://www.edri.org/issues/spam/eu) states that you can't send unsolicited marketing emails to individuals or company employees without their consent, unless consent has been obtained by a third party. If the permission is implied rather than stated (they have bought something from your online shop for example) contact them once, but allow them to opt out straightaway.
Know when to let go
It's vital you make it easy for people to unsubscribe from future mailings. A link at the bottom of your email, or instructions about how to do so, is ideal. A good eNewsletter tool will include an ‘Unsubscribe' option on all mailings, and wont let you continue to contact those who have opted out.
Get personal
Rather than just sending the email to ‘Dear friend' or ‘Dear customer', use their name if you can. eNewsletter tools will allow you to mailmerge and personalise as much as you like (you might want to include their company name in the body of the text). It needs to be used sensibly, but it can differentiate your email from spam. If you do personalise, you will need to let the eNewsletter tool know what to do if it doesn't have the correct info (i.e. if it doesn't have a name, what do you want it to say: ‘Dear [blank]' or ‘Dear subscriber'?)
Hit the right note
Your subject line should be direct, tell people about the contents of the email you're sending, and not be too salesy. It also doesn't pay to be gimmicky - simple is best, as it distances you from spam. For example, an eNewsletter about an end of season sale at Bargain Co should read: "Bargain Co Sale Now On" rather than "Spectacular Savings In Bonza Bargain Co Sale". If you only send out an eNewsletter once a month why not go for "October Newsletter"? Statistics generated by eNewsletter tools show that sometimes it pays to be boring. eNewsletters with simple subject lines have open rates of 60-80 per cent, compared to under 10 per cent for a more complex option.
Write on
Now you need to decide what to say, so put the kettle on and have a good think. The best newsletters manage to be both short and long. How? They include brief details on the eNewsletter itself, with a link through to a page on your website for a more detailed article. This means people can skip information they don't need, those who are interested can access more detail, and you will drive more traffic to your site - win, win, win!
Spark an interest
Bear in mind that links drive traffic back to your website, so they are the most important aspect of your eNewsletter. However, there should be enough content to spark the interest of your recipients in the first place. A recent eNewsletter campaign for a well-known online women's clothing store featured a competition to win a car embellished with their corporate branding. It certainly caught the eye! However, you don't have to be that flash. How about offering 10% off the next order placed? You could also showcase new products and services, introduce new-starts in the company, or share pictures from a field trip.
Iron out the technicalities
Do you want to send your email campaign in HTML format (which supports images and dynamic layouts) or in plain text? Some companies or individuals set up their email systems to not accept HTML emails, or to exclude images within HTML. It's becoming more common for systems to accept HTML emails, but many places still block images as a matter of course. A good eNewsletter system will send an HTML email with a plain text back-up. If you're worried, you can put a link in the eNewsletter to take recipients to a page on your website that replicates the newsletter design.
Number crunching
A good eNewsletter tool will allow you to view details of how many people open each campaign, who clicked through to your site, who opted out, and which emails bounced. It's difficult to give standard open rates because they vary from industry to industry, but they are generally in the 20-30 per cent range, with click-through rates ranging between 1-10 per cent.
A grand finale
Don't forget your footer! It should contain your unsubscribe information, plus essential company information (registered name, address, company number), so your recipients will be in no doubt that the eNewsletter is from your organisation.