A newsletter, or better e-newsletter or e-flier, gives you the opportunity to create and send information about your business. It is a form of direct marketing that in Oman is very common. Every week I receive newsletters from various businesses; from big multinationals to small family-run businesses, and I have to say that while some of them are really nicely designed and interesting, most of them are just boring.
This service enables you to send to an e-mail list, your own message. Some companies send it directly to their database, some others give you the chance to download it from their website while some others will print it out and distribute.
We’ve been doing newsletters for a while, the one in the image is a simple but good example from Totem boutique (click here to see the high res image).
I'd like to share with you the dos and don’ts:
I'd like to share with you the dos and don’ts:
1. Decide what the purpose of the newsletter is. Is it to drive more people to your website? Maybe you’re selling a new product or have a special offer? This is very important so focus on the key aspect of the newsletter, pick a target and be consistent.
2. Be original. Come up with good story ideas. Here are some topics that could be of high reader interest:
• Product stories, news, industry news and analyses of event and trends.
• Tips on product, reviews and case studies.
• Milestones, customer stories.
• Photos (VERY IMPORTANT).
• Links for people to find out more.
The other day I receive a newsletter and it was only text; I could not be bothered even reading it as it just looked boring and plain. An image speaks for a thousand words...they say!
3. On the design and page layout side, a good newsletter design creates interest and maintains readability through consistency, conservation, and contrast. You probably have corporate guidelines to follow so please make sure you’re consistent. Once you have a design stick to it, use the same template and format for a while.
I personally like newsletters that are not too formal. Newsletters are great because they only need time and application, otherwise they are free, simple and fast!
Hello Intelligence. Thanks for using the TOTEM newsletter as an example. Hopefully you can't tell from the above picture, but when I first started sending out the newsletters to our database of customers, it was all done without pictures and just on Word...it has certainly been a learning process and now not only do we get a great response to the newsletter, it is also really fun to do; it's just like talking to all our customers at once, and trying to get across how great the products are just as if I were showing them personally to the customers in TOTEM. I would just add that the title of the newsletter should be an attention-grabber; in the old days, I used to use titles like 'New arrivals of women's t-shirts', which not only turn off customers who are not interested in those, but also fail to convey any of the excitement that a new collection should do.
ReplyDeleteLove this news letter too. simple, clear and nice!
ReplyDeleteSusan thanks for the addition, i should have thought about it...:). I'll probably mention you again in the near future as you're also using Facebook really well from a business point of view.
ReplyDeleteIla, thanks for coming back and i'm sure Susan will be happy about your comment.