How to create an electronic newsletter

A digital newsletter is a great way to promote your business and keep in touch with your list of clients and prospects.

Simplified, here’s how to do it:

• Gather your content, usually 3-4 paragraphs, include a call to action, promotion, coupon, or giveaway, include images to attract your readers
• Choose an email marketing service, I use icontact.com, there are dozens, usually they charge based on the number of email addresses, some are free for less than 50 email addresses and charge 15$/month for up to 500 email addresses, post-mailing metrics are important (who opened your email, what links they clicked on, etc, to tell you what interests your readers so you can adapt future newsletters accordingly)
• Build your template using your brand, this is a one-time task and the template is re-used, I suggest using a dark font for text on a white background, use your company colours in the headers and borders
• Insert your content in the template
• Test the email by sending it to yourself and modify as needed
• Create an HTML version, post it to your website, and give readers the option of reading the email online because many email programs scramble HTML newsletters (move content, remove images, etc)
• Manage your contact list and upload it
• Schedule the email for delivery at the time your readers are most likely to read it, I find noon on Tuesday or Wednesday is a good time
• Study your metrics and use the info to develop your next newsletter

While you save a bundle on printing and postage, there is still a cost to create a powerful marketing tool that places your name in front of hundreds of potential clients. See my newsletter archive.

Newsletter marketing is like any other marketing initiative, it requires a budget, a schedule, development of promotions, etc. However, done properly, it will bring in customers, the lifeblood of your business. Electronic newsletter marketing is used by most companies today because it is a very cost-effective method of keeping your name in front of your clients and prospects so that when they’re ready to buy, you’re ‘top-of-mind’.