A few years back I subscribed to a newsletter from a gardening company. Each month, they sent me a well-written, informative article that included a plug for their website and a relevant gardening tip. At the close of each email, they included a sentence that read: “Just ignore the ad. It’s how we pay the bills.” This little tidbit endeavored to reduce sales pressure while at the same time subtly promoting the link. The problem is that the message was undoubtedly a little too subtle—even discouraging. On the other hand, subscribers like me kept opening and reading the newsletter month after month, because it provided relevant information without being pushy. So where’s the balance? How do you create a newsletter that people want to read while still promoting your business and encouraging click throughs?
- Provide great information to keep people reading.
The best thing about the gardening newsletter above was that it provided thoughtful, well-written information. It included seasonally relevant tips that weren’t common knowledge, meaning that every month subscribers learned something new. Keep your subscribers clicking by giving them something worthwhile to read in every message.
- Reward readers for their loyalty.
The second best way to keep subscribers clicking is to provide incentives for them to do so. Don’t just announce an upcoming sale—give your subscribers exclusive access to early bird specials and other offers.
- Create compelling subject lines.
It doesn’t matter how great your content is if your subject line doesn’t communicate well. Avoid spammy phrases and make sure that you don’t over-hype your message. Try testing several different wordings to discover what style works best for your audience.
- Include personal touches.
In addition to using subscriber names, you can further personalize your messages by tracking user behavior and knowing what your subscribers have shown interest in previously with the goal of making each message as relevant as possible.
- Know what constitutes spam.
Show respect for your subscribers by avoiding the appearance of spam at all costs. Don’t flood their inboxes and make sure you’re current on the provisions in the CAN-SPAM act in order to maintain the loyalty of your subscribers.
The best way to earn and keep the trust of your subscribers is to treat them the way you want to be treated. People understand that the purpose of your newsletter is advertising, but they also want to know that there’s something in it for them. eConnect Email can help you create compelling email templates, manage your subscriber lists, and track the effectiveness of your newsletters as you seek to create email campaigns that will boost your click through rates.