There is no doubt that email marketing is a powerful tool! You should not rely only on social media for your business marketing.
What if you wake up tomorrow and can't get into your accounts?
You're about to launch a product you've been prepping your audience about for months. You take out your phone to post behind-the-scenes on your Instagram story when you realize you can't log in. Petrified, you rush to your email and find the deactivation notice.
Did your heart sink reading that? It is scary to think that a significant part of your livelihood can shatter.
If you think this could never happen to you, think again.
Entrepreneur Natasha Zyork tells all about how she woke up to a deactivation email. Believe it or not, she's not the only one to experience this!
Social media is incredible for businesses! But it is not your only option to promote your business.
If you're only marketing on social media, it's time to spend time in your email.
Miscommunication can cause you to lose access to your social media accounts. But, if you have another way you communicate with your clients, losing access doesn't seem as scary.
Engage with your audience outside of social media
There is no doubt that you have ideal clients out there who do not check or even have social media.
Newsletters are the best way to communicate with all current and future clients. It's not like you can get away without having an email address anymore!
Newsletters build authentic, long-lasting relationships with your audience.
Newsletters are not like email sequences. An email sequence is automated to trigger when someone signs up for your opt-in.
A newsletter is not automated. Automation is the key difference between an email sequence and an email broadcast (newsletters).
1. You can write your newsletter the morning before you send it or plan it prior.
2. You can send your newsletter every other day, weekly, or monthly!
3. You don't need a sales call to action on your newsletter.
Newsletters and email sequences are different, but both have the same intention: Build community.
Of course, you would like your subscribers to buy from you. With a newsletter, you build trust and credibility.
Have you ever unsubscribed from an email list? Me too. And it is going to happen to the two of us.
Expect to lose subscribers. It is common to lose 1% of your subscribers per newsletter.
Subscribers will leave as you stay consistent with your newsletter game. You want to lose the subscribers that don't want your emails!
The subscribers that stay are becoming your life-long clients. These subscribers are choosing to stay because
A. They want to hear from you
B. They like hearing from you
C. All the above.
You want loyalty from your subscribers if you want them to buy your product or services eventually.
Your subscriber's list becomes filled with readers who want to hear from you. Otherwise, they would unsubscribe. By losing subscribers, you speak to your ideal clients each time you send a newsletter.
Don't feel intimidated to start!
If you market your business online or on social media, you already have content to put in your newsletter.
Ditch the overwhelm! Here are 20 newsletter content ideas.
1. Testimonials
2. Recommended products/services
3. New blogs or content on your website
4. Links to your business physical and digital locations
5. Current project preview
6. Client story success
7. Case study overview
8. Industry-related topics
9. Industry-related tips
10. Employee/owner spotlight
11. Industry related memes
12. Social media posts (most liked/saved this week)
13. Flashback to the start-up days
14. Upcoming projects
15. Upcoming sales
16. Upcoming events
17. Industry leaders
18. Relatable quotes
19. Personal story related to your audience or industry
20. Freebies
What does a newsletter look like?
The content in your newsletter is critical. But remember you are sending an email, so keep your newsletter brief and hyperlinked to your website.
There are two different ways to format your newsletters
Graphic newsletters
Text-Based newsletters
You can create any newsletter using Mailchimp, Mailerlite, Canva, and others. Each platform helps you create your newsletter with different tools. When you get access to templates or outlines, there is no reason not to have a newsletter! Read a comparison of the platforms.
You need to use white space, images, or graphics to improve the reading experience. No, this doesn't mean to fill the newsletter with content that is off-brand. But don't send an essay as your newsletter either!
How do you use Canva for your newsletters?
If you want to use Canva to create your newsletter, customize your width to 600 x whatever length you prefer.
Here are some examples of a graphic newsletter made using Canva
If you create a newsletter using Canva, you can upload it to your email marketing platform. First, make sure you do a quick google search to check if PDF, JPEG files are compatible before creating. Then, use the templates below to practice!
But you can also not worry about the graphics and send a text-only newsletter.
It is not required to add graphics or designs to your newsletter! Some of the simplest newsletters have the most retention rate and do very well.
Newsletters with only text feel like emails sent by family, friends, or colleagues. A simple email can feel more personal than one with graphics.
Remember, you don't have to have a huge email list to start!
Email Marketing boosts your SEO
Your newsletter needs to have content that can direct your reader back to your website. Your SEO improves with the quality traffic reaching your site.
Still not convinced whether you should start a newsletter?
Read the facts before deciding email marketing is not for you.
Are you sick of coming up with social media captions? Do you need a more productive way of reaching your audience?
Start by sending a monthly newsletter! Then, as you become comfortable writing, increase your efforts to send a bi-monthly or even weekly newsletter!
You will love the feedback you receive.