New Year, New Newsletter: Rocking Your 2019 Marketing Strategy

Introduction: The Power of Newsletters in Marketing

Newsletters rock. The best ones deliver well-researched insights and news right to your inbox. Who doesn’t like that?

Unfortunately, sloppy email marketers won’t stop flooding our inboxes with unsolicited messages. It took Cory 30 days to unsubscribe from 3,000 email lists. Poor guy. And with the average office worker receiving 121 emails every day, one bad apple is all it takes to spoil the bunch.

Over the years, we’ve asked countless marketers that one question that’s hard to answer: “what scares you the most about your job?” A good chunk of respondents couldn’t stomach the idea of annoying their customers. But an online newsletter that’s visually and contextually attractive does the exact opposite. Effective newsletters are informational, not sales-oriented. Customers will read yours if it’s packed with value instead of sales pitches.

Like all things in marketing, it’s quality that counts. And quality newsletters get opened.

The Essence of Marketing Newsletters

A marketing newsletter is a fun way to stay in touch with past, current, and future customers. It’s cost-effective too, and an incredibly useful tool for nurturing leads. You can use one to keep customers in the loop or educate them about any new products/services you’re offering.

Of course, your newsletter won’t get very far without a proper distribution mechanism. That’s what newsletter marketing’s for. According to BigCommerce, newsletter marketing is “the practice by which companies send informational and product-focused content via an emailed letter to a subscriber list that comprises potential and existing customers. Online businesses utilize newsletters to keep their brand top-of-mind for consumers, establishing authority in the space and notifying readers of products that may interest them.”

A newsletter can do it all. You’ll need one to connect with customers on a personal level and elevate your marketing strategy, which brings us to our next point...

Incorporating Newsletters into Your Marketing Strategy

There’s absolutely no reason to exclude newsletters from your marketing mix. The Content Marketing Institute’s 2013 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends study revealed that 78% of respondents used them. Moreover, in the 2018 iteration of the same report, respondents ranked newsletters as the most effective tools for distributing content and helping organizations achieve specific goals (93% and 74%, respectively).

For many businesses, a marketing strategy isn’t well-rounded without an email newsletter. Here’s why:

• Newsletters won’t cost you an arm and a leg to create. They’re easy to make, too.

• They’re sustainable and can be incorporated into your marketing strategy for a very long time.

• Newsletters are an affordable alternative to other, more expensive marketing channels (like TV ads).

• A newsletter increases your brand’s visibility. Customers will think about your brand more often if you send one out regularly.

• It's a great way to remind people about your business. Customers will subscribe if its content is timely and captivating.

• Round up multiple blog posts into one newsletter for a strong one-two punch. You’ll promote your blog while showcasing your brand at the same time.

• Newsletters are targeted and personalized. Content can be tailored to meet the needs of individual recipients.

• Unlike other campaign emails you send, newsletters are for everyone.

• Email newsletters can spread your brand anywhere with the click of a link or button. Anyone in the world can learn more about your brand’s personality.

For your newsletter to succeed, you’ll need to market it properly. Here are 7 foolproof strategies to get you started, via Marketing-Schools.org:

Design and Create Your Newsletter Now!

Crafting a Successful Marketing Newsletter: 5 Key Components

1. Visual: include strong visual elements to break up chunks of text. Your newsletter’s look and feel should match your brand’s overall aesthetic. Ensure all images are high-quality. Oh, and don’t forget your logo!

2. Interactive: interactivity boosts click-through rates, lets you say more with less, and allows recipients to take action right then and there. Include polls, surveys, and call-to-actions for a more involved viewing experience. Embed informative videos to keep subscribers up to date on any important news.

3. Structured: scan-friendly content is the name of the game here. Introductions are typically ignored while headlines receive the most attention. Avoid giant paragraphs at all costs. Bullet points are always a good idea. For multiple articles, only include the first paragraph of each one and link to the rest. Use one CTA to avoid clutter and confusion.

4. Intuitive: ensure your marketing newsletter is responsive on all devices and screen sizes. Two-thirds of emails are opened on mobile devices. Cramming tons of information into one small screen is disgusting.

5. Personalized: get personal with your subscribers. Address them by their first names. Use your personal email address when sending out messages. Most importantly, pack your newsletter with information that’s relevant to the recipient's needs.

Create engaging newsletters with Joomag

Lots of people create newsletters for all the wrong reasons. They’re told it’s good for business, costs almost nothing, or that everyone else is doing it. When marketers create newsletters that they don’t really believe in, it shows. And if you don’t believe in what you’re selling, customers will notice.

Newsletters are one of the most common emails you’ll find in your inbox. But they’re also one of the hardest to get right. Where do you start?

With us! Joomag’s been putting newsletters back into the marketing spotlight for 10 years now. Its all-in-one content marketing software enables businesses to create, distribute, track, and sell interactive content from one platform.

Learn more about creating stylish online newsletters that work, by visiting our dedicated landing page.

In the meantime, here’s a free copy of our latest white paper, Creating Email Newsletters That People Love.

 

Key takeaways from the report:

• “69% of U.S. Internet users say email is their preferred method of communicating with businesses. And 83% of B2B marketers use email newsletters for content marketing.”

• “It can take a while to read through a plain text email newsletter, but less than 1/10 of a second to process a visual one.”

• “A newsletter should be familiar, not annoying. Its content should be timely enough to be useful, but not so rare as to be outdated. A monthly distribution model is ideal for keeping customers informed.”

• “With 82% of marketers diving into email, newsletters are a convenient way to compact relevant information that people actually want to read. But for yours to truly succeed, you’ll need a content marketing platform, too.”

Engaging Newsletter Examples

Tons of publishers are using our platform to create successful marketing newsletters, and we just can’t get enough of them! Below are 3 popular templates you can use to create yours right now

 

 

 

 

FAQ

1. Why are newsletters crucial in marketing?

Answer: Newsletters are cost-effective, enhance brand visibility, and allow for personalized engagement, making them vital for connecting with and nurturing leads.

2. What defines a successful newsletter?

Answer: Success hinges on engaging, mobile-responsive content that’s visually appealing and packed with value, avoiding sales pitches in favor of useful information.

3. How do you effectively market a newsletter?

Answer: Market effectively by ensuring your newsletter is visually attractive, content-rich, personalized, and promoted across multiple channels for broader reach.