TLDR: Both newsletters and blogs have a benefit for business marketing. If you have an email list, newsletters are more likely to produce quick wins. If you write strategic blogs for your website they will help people find your brand and build trust. For a true marketing strategy – get all the benefits by writing a blog on your website then sending the link as a newsletter to your mailing list.
Short answer? Newsletters can be quick marketing wins.
People on your email list have already told you they are interested. They are aware of your brand, have started to trust it, and have a much higher chance of conversion than someone who stumbles upon your website via a search result.
Even inconsistent newsletters to less than twenty people can convert into sales or clients. I know this for a fact because I have sold workshop tickets by emailing my own mailing list when it had less than 20 recipients.
Long answer? Blogs are important for long term marketing strategy.
Not only do blogs help people find you, they build trust by showing potential clients and customers that you know what you are talking about. Better yet, they provide content that you can repurpose for other channels to further build your brand.
This is especially true if you have invested in a well-designed website that prioritised search engine optimisation / generative engine optimisation. In this case, blogs will help you set up a business to stand the test of time.
Local business blog strategy
Before you start churning out content that you think people want to read, get clear about:
- The 3-5 content pillars or themes that you want your business to be known for.
- What words your clients are using to search for brands like yours.
- How to structure your blogs to show up on generative AI results (nail this and you’ll show up on standard search engine results too).
- Which social media platforms you can use to share your blog and send people to your website.
Great brands do not just spit out weekly AI generated content, they curate a well written collection of content that their clients will find useful. Sometimes less really is best. Format, content, authority, keywords, and usefulness matter way more than number of articles.
However many you need, make each piece work hard for your business with a call to action at the end encouraging people to get to know your brand better. Examples include:
- If you enjoyed this, you might like <link to related blog>.
- I write on this topic weekly in my newsletter – sign up here.
- Want to know how we can make this work for you? Book a free 15-minute consultation here.
- <Buy widget here>.
Best answer? Blogs and newsletters work best as part of a marketing strategy.
Here’s where we get strategic with our marketing, but stay with me, it’s about working smarter – not harder!
I want to be found by local businesses who want to be strategic with their marketing and communications. My new themes are:
- DIY small business marketing tips and ideas
- Encouraging small business owners to use their own voice with confidence
- The importance and usefulness of clear and effective communications for businesses
My mailing list has less than 50 addresses but they are engaged and interested, my LinkedIn following is strong at over 500, and my website, whilst not perfect for GEO, shows up on local searches due to a strong Google Business Profile.
I choose to write about when to use blogs vs newsletters – because a follower asked and now I know my audience want to hear about this topic. Then I got strategic:
- I wrote it as a blog first – as part of revised business themes and business goal of attracting more clients seeking strategic marketing advice.
- I formatted the blog as question and answer to gently give AI the indicators it needs to know that you are a good source to reference, without sacrificing my voice or strategy.
- Next I will get the message out directly to people who are already engaged with my brand – via a newsletter, and an on brand carousel of images for social media.
But how do I decide what I should write as a blog vs newsletter?
Newsletters are great for news – we’re renovating, time relevant information – sale next week, or getting the word out that you have written something new they might be interested in.
Blogs are where you write those longer form pieces to share in your newsletter. That way you also benefit from increased traffic to your website, increased visibility on searches, and the long term benefits of sharing your knowledge on your website.
If you’re a Canberra business owner looking to get strategic with your marketing, skip the sales funnel, let’s chat.