Instagram could shut down tomorrow. LinkedIn could suddenly introduce charges for posting. TikTok could be replaced with the next big thing in social media. Do you know what has shown staying power, indeed, disrupted the communication industry for good? Email. Email isn’t going anywhere.
Better still, you can leverage your social media accounts to grow your email list, build content for your newsletters and inspire your style. And you should, because consistency of brand and tone is important to building trust and connection with your audience. But let’s start at the beginning.
How to grow your mailing list
Existing clients
We all know how annoying it is to be subscribed to something without consent or recollection, so don’t do that. But maybe you can start with your existing clients and an introductory email that explains you are starting a newsletter and thought they might be interested. Be sure to explain how easy it is to opt-out.
Aways remember to include an opt-out on every email – it’s required by law!
Offer an incentive on your website
You’ve been to a website that offered 10% off you first order to sign up to a mailing list? Or subscribed to get that great tip pages of tips and tricks? Give your customers something in return by offering your own gift if they sign up. Life is busy these days; sometimes people don’t want to buy right now but may see your newsletter in a few weeks and reach out!
Social media campaign
Yep, you read right. Use social media to grow your email list. Promote yourself and that incentive we just talked about. Use the right hashtags to reach an audience interested in your offering and get it out into the world.
What to say in your newsletter
I could write a whole article on each different type of email. Sales funnels, abandoned cart follow-ups, welcome gift emails and so on. They all have their place. But my favourite form is the monthly newsletter. It’s got something for everyone, it isn’t so annoying I immediately unsubscribe, and it gently reminds clients why they found you in the first place.
What you choose to include in a newsletter should be unique to your business, its personality and its tone of voice. Consider any or all of the following:
- Upcoming events
- Upcoming sales
- Industry news
- Professional tips
- Links to larger pieces of your content on YouTube or an article on your website
- Behind-the-scenes content
- A bit about yourself
- Photos and tales of a recent event
- A curated list of relevant content you have enjoyed since you last wrote
- Reminders of services you offer
Think of your newsletter as a collection of some of the content ideas you might use on social media. It might need to be reformatted or expanded to reflect the different format and potentially different audience, but you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Newsletter formatting tips
Personality
Like your website and socials, your newsletters should be on brand. They should use your colours, branding and style. Your brand’s personality should shine through.
Subject
Your email subject needs to be strong’. March Newsletter’ will not encourage opens. ‘Have you heard what Facebook is doing next?’ Leaves the reader wanting to know the answer. Try to think about what might make you open the email or the most interesting thing in your newsletter this month and lead with that.
Make it scannable
Much like all written content in this busy world, make the key points stand out. Lead with the most important. Make headings direct and to the point. Use images to break up your text.
Calls to action
We’re sending these newsletters to build connection and trust, let our potential clients get to know us, but the end goal is always to bring in some business, so make it easy for your readers. All the big email management (TBC) sites like Active Campaign and Mailchimp allow you to add buttons with direct links – use them! Telling people about your new blog – ‘click here’. Inviting them to your next event – ‘reply to this email’ (be sure you have this set up in your campaign) or ‘book here’.
Still not sure? Understand the need but prefer to focus on what you do best? Contact me: Let me lighten the load and write them for you or ask for more information about my Copy Confidence Workshops, where we go deeper into your personalised newsletter plan in small groups.