By Sharon A.M. MacLean who invites your comments following this blog. You can also find more modern marketing strategies for business here. http://bit.ly/1cKPcjn
Newsletters are hot again.
We can tell because Forbes top social media influencer Kim Garst delivered a training session on newsletters for her Inner Circle (including me) last week. She joins a host of trustworthy experts who agree this digital device will help grow your business. http://kimgarst.com
Seriously, newsletters? Isn’t that what your parents did back in the 80s?
Over the years, I’ve seen how newsletters helped nurture relationships with customers, motivate employees and, yes, make money for a company. Resuts are bigger than blowing your own horn over the latest new product on the shelf. Newsletters are the epicentre of what we’re all trying to do with social media—communicate and build a community.
Research carried out this year by The Quartz Global Executives Study of 940 decision makers revealed how the “world’s smartest, busiest people consume news every day, source and share industry intelligence, and respond to advertising.” http://insights.qz.com/ges. Julia Hobsbawm pictured above is at the Quartz’s forum about the next billion people to come online for the first time, largely on mobile phones. It was held in London on May 19. The hashtag is #qznextbillion.
Here’s a few stats from the study:
- 60% of executives read an email newsletter as one of their first three news sources checked daily. Next popular is to open a browser (43%) followed by a news app (28%) and, third, a news site on desktop (16%);
- 44% of executives are most focused on news immediately upon on waking up. The majority spend about 30 minutes updating themselves;
- Overall 91% of executives would share work-related content if they found it to be valuable. They almost equally share by desktop and mobile device;
- On print news organizations: 61% of executives still pay for print news. Why? Because (46%) are keen on monitoring brand reputation;
- Executives are keen on industry analysis (68%) that references new products, innovations, and leadership insights.
Here’s something else that will surprise “culture snackers” or those who view images and share them with friends and followers. Chartbeat https://chartbeat.com found that longer articles are not to be feared. “Readers recognize quality immediately.”
Yes, it’s a good idea to get the newsletter back into the content mix. Only this time, think about adding email automation and social media to the equation.
Collaboration kills silos
Development of a newsletter can even help break down ugly silos–that mindset where certain key people prefer to control rather than share information with others in the company.
Silos can take shape in any department: sales, marketing, customer service, and IT. Instead of having each group develop their own strategic plans, challenge them to ask questions that serve customers, recognize employees, and share leadership thoughts. They can think about these 5 questions:
- Are we convenient to deal with?
- Do our customers have success stories to share?
- Are our products, services, and marketing offers relevant to our customers?
- Do we respond to their needs and questions in a timely and helpful way?
- Do they believe what we promise?
This type of collaboration requires employees to find the harmony in a song. It’s also imperative that leadership agrees to a common and unified vision for the organization that informs the newsletter and all other content published by the company.
A common goal. Sometimes, it’s easy to trip over personal priorities. Participants can’t get overly precious about their own pet projects. It’s up to leadership to stay true to the unified vision that encourages collaboration and find the motivation that pursues a common goal. Organizations need someone to orchestrate the cross-channel experience, even if they don’t own it.
The Big “Mo”. I first heard this phrase from Success magazine publisher Darren Hardy. You know when you’ve got it because it’s a big WOW! Everything sizzles. It’s like my fashion retail client Leila Gumpinger who dug deep to find what makes her heart beat faster: “It feels so great…to get recharged with excitement of possibilities.” http://www.awearstyle.ca
What really defines a great leader is one who knows how to communicate the single most important message effectively to various audiences. Once the common goal has been identified, each member of the management team must encourage their employees to join the party.
Back to some best practices for your newsletter
- Don’t trick your readers in the subject line. The subject line naturally leads into the story that follows. A subject line that misrepresents subsequent content could upset your readers who may not come back because they feel tricked to click.
- Maximum 45 to 55 characters in your subject line. The secret here is the right-size subject line results in being readable in full on most smartphones.
- Personalise the newsletter sign-up process by asking readers about their interests. Here’s a caveat, though: some say more personalization, the better. Others insist that adding steps to the sign-up process causes potential subscribers to abandon the process. Picking up on reader insights, by the way, can occur over time.
- Don’t play hide-and-seek with sign-up buttons. A mistake writers often make is they think readers consume every precious phrase they’ve ever composed. Position a sign-up button on every single page of your website, for example, with an offer to sign up for your newsletter.
- Design your newsletters in a mobile-friendly fashion. Make sure your subscribers can easily read articles and click links when viewing your e-newsletters on their mobile devices.
Make it easy as possible for decision makers to do business with you. Give them a newsletter.
xxxxx
Need help with modern marketing? Contact me through LinkedIn or by email: sharon@worldgatemedia.com.
Life-long communications strategist Sharon MacLean owned and published a traditional print magazine over 21 years for business people. She now applies her enhanced knowledge in digital marketing to the needs of her clients and believes in the value of combining the best of both worlds.
Michael Kawula
It’s definitely important to keep up on upcoming trends and goings on in the business world and lots of people are still interested in reading this information on a newsletter. I love the one point that still lots of companies don’t have their sites and blogs mobile friendly. Many do go on mobile devices and with some things if they aren’t mobile friendly people may click off and find another site.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
It’s all about the the next billion people on mobile, isn’t it, Michael ~
Lisa Mason
Super important! Newsletters are definitely not dead. Great advice and ideas here for making newsletters work.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Some (updated) good ideas carry on, Lisa.
Beverley Golden
As a person who doesn’t do life on “mobile” it’s interesting to hear how this continues to be the trend for the future. One thing I’m always happy to hear is that writing long newsletters and even articles is now consider okay. Being a write who isn’t even getting warmed up until 500 words, I find people enjoy substance and will read to the end if their attention is held. I’m curious if the stats from the study spanned a range of ages, as I imagine that older people possibly still have longer attention spans. The idea of collaboration always makes sense between individuals, between departments in a business. That is what our humanity is actually based on. Co-operation and collaboration. Great article, Sharon. Thanks…
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Study didn’t define, age, Bev. Good question –yet, I can’t help believe that younger people want solid information, too, when it comes to something important to them.
Vronnie Ok
They do say that history repeats itself. Thank you for the pointers on writing a good newsletter
Sharon A.M. MacLean
That definitely applies to newsletters, Vronnie.
Beth Niebuhr
Great advice. Some newsletters are so boring and others are fun to read. It’s very easy to move on to something else when they aren’t helpful, informative or interesting.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
There are SO many more words and images competing for attention today, too.
liZ coZby
I knew that Newsletters still mattered in small communities and to doctors; I see them on several desks and tables. I think it’s interesting that 60% of executives think they give necessary news in a relatively quick read (yes, Beverley, even our 2500-word essays are quick reads when compared to spread sheets).
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Just had a lengthy discussion on length, Liz. Media editors only want 600-700 words…but , if you’re really, really interested in a topic–maybe it’s more, the better!
Kristen Wilson (@k10wilson)
It doesn’t even have to be called a newsletter but getting in front of your target market or potential client to continue to educate them is huge… and what better way in the tech age than an email marketing where you capture more followers to get in front of by giving them free stuff they already want!
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Totally agree, Kristen. Maybe we need to think up a new word for “newsletter”! Maybe “eduletter”?
bodysoulcoaches
I used to have a monthly newsletter but was the. Told no one reads newsletter anymore. But with all the information we are posting on the multiple social media platforms as well as blog posts, what is left for a newsletter?
Sharon A.M. MacLean
I think it’s a case of thinking of who exactly is on which medium. For example, my Twitter followers are different from my weekly newsletter people. But my newsletter people are a much tighter group.
Beth Blacker
I send out a weekly email that includes my latest blog but then usually a few other things that I want to share whether about my #crazymaybebut brand or as the Director of Strategic Relationships for my husband’s mortgage company. It seems to work well and every week I get at least a few people who take the time to email me back and tell me they benefited from the information or calls for mortgage information. I know we want to believe that everyone sees everything on social media but they don’t and this extra effort is still very much worthwhile in my book. So is picking up the phone and calling people rather than texting but don’t get me started about that!!!! 🙂
Sharon A.M. MacLean
I think we should do a blog on picking up the phone and calling people, too!
Lorii Abela
Such a very interesting post! It is very necessary to keep abreast of the latest trends or the most up-to-date information.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Yes, Lorii. Especially when so much is changing, it’s important to see what’s actually working.
Natalie Palombi
I’ve been toying around with the idea of putting together a newsletter… I just don’t see what I could include in there at this point — teasers of blog posts?
Sharon A.M. MacLean
You’ve got tons for a newsletter, Natalie. You’re into fitness and business? First, the newsletter only needs to be a page in length. Divide into 3 sections: 1) Teach your followers something about fitness 2) Tell them a story in each issue about how a client progressed under your coaching 3) If’s it’s for fittness professionals –give them some advice on business; if not, give them a recipe or exercise video from you!
Delia Rusu (@happyblogplaza)
Complete agree that email marketing is very much alive and well, Sharon!
Out if the tips you offered, all great BTW, I think having a sign-up button on all your pages, with an offer that’s aligned to your target market, is a great way to increase your email subscribers list and get more people to receive notification emails from you.
Sharon A.M. MacLean
Methinks that was your tip, Delia. Apologies- – I should have included a link to you!