How do you grow your business when you don’t have a big marketing budget?
IMHO, a simple email newsletter is probably the most inexpensive and most effective way to talk to your customer that your business can ever have — but only when they’re done properly.
Whenever I tell this to clients, they say yah yah we have a newsletter, our intern is doing it.
They’re not alone. Most companies don’t value this form of communication because it isn’t sexy or new.
Most businesses don’t pay attention to the newsletter.
I believe that with a strong email strategy, writing emails can be the most important tool in your digital toolbox.
Not convinced?
Did you know that for every $1 you spend on a newsletter there’s a $40 return!
OMG! What?
Compare that with $7.30 for sending out a catalog, or $17 for a pay per click ad!
On top of that: 99% of people check their email every single day.
Newsletters can:
- Build your tribe
- Build your brand
- Build your business
I know you’re probably not thinking about your newsletter.
It’s an afterthought. You give it to the assistant.
Here are five tactics for creating incredible emails!
- Give. Give. Ask.
Provide incredible value first — only then will you have the permission to ask, We humans are hard-wired to help people who help us. Social psychologists call it the law of reciprocity. That’s why the GGA formula works. - Send your emails on the same day and time.
Consistency is key! We’re more connected but less present so sending out your email newsletter at a steady time will lead to a satisfied and loyal tribe who knows they can count on you. Also, make sure to use the resend function a few days later. - Design for devices
In order to stand out as a brand, your newsletter needs to follow design rules. Just like music, your newsletter needs to have harmony and cadence. When you don’t follow the rules you’ll end up not with music, but with noise. - Do the work
Set aside time to focus on you client, what do they want to read? Set weekly content planning meetings. Assign the best people in your company for the task. The team doesn’t have to be big, 3-4 so you can bounce ideas on! Give your clients useful, inspirational content that will make them stand out. - Listen. Learn. Adapt.
You know that dinner guest that only likes to talk about themself? They never get asked back. For your email to succeed you need to listen and pay attention first. Your customer’s behavior and attention are changing. How we consume content today will change tomorrow. What worked last year won’t work today. Pay attention to engagement. See the patterns and reflect on content that resonates with your audience. Create. Learn. Experiment. Repeat.
As entrepreneurs, we’re always looking for the magic bullet to get our story out in the world. More often than not, we often ignore the tried and tested tools that work.
Email isn’t going anywhere.
If you understood its power you’d give it more attention.
Stop spending the least amount of effort on this one thing that will bring you the most return on your dollar.
What’s your favorite email tip? Do share!
I’m excited to see you soar!
Xoxo
Kalika