Tips and Tricks for a Successful Newsletter

Daily_NewsSo you’re already using ClickDimensions to send your newsletters – great! Now it’s time to improve your stats and increase those opens and clicks. Here are some tips and tricks to get you started:

1. Look at the big picture. How often do you read emails? Think of all the times you received an email and immediately discarded it without opening or reading it. It probably takes you just a few seconds to scan an email and decide whether it’s worth reading all the way through or simply clicking delete. Coupled with the fact that many people check their emails on mobile devices with smaller screens, it’s easy to see why your emails should be easy. Reading your emails shouldn’t feel like a chore, and they should be easy to digest in both content and design. To do that, it’s important that your email is built on a solid foundation.

Don’t:

  • Use one large image as your newsletter
    • Write one long body of text
  • Use hard to read fonts
  • Use bold, harsh, or too many colors
  • Include every single detail in your newsletter. You want your recipients to engage with your content by clicking on links that will lead them to your website, blog, and even forms and surveys.

Do:

  • Place your logo and business name on your email’s header. Let them know it’s from you.
  • Choose a color palette and stick with one or two colors. You’ll want to choose colors that compliment your logo and relate to your company identity.
  • Use easy-to-read, web-safe fonts and only use one or two fonts (there are exceptions). It’s best not to overwhelm the reader with all the different font choices.
  • Prioritize your content with the most important information first.
  • Keep things short and break up your content into small sections. If you have more to write, consider writing a summary instead and use a call to action to lead your readers to your website.
  • Use headings and subheadings to organize your newsletter.
  • Use a responsive template so your newsletter looks great on all devices. (Use the Drag and Drop editor!)

2. Hook them with a good subject line. You could be the master of all newsletter content but if your subject line is blah then your readers may never see all that your newsletters have to offer. Sure, you can learn headline copywriting or use Subject Line testers and tools on the web, but I find that the best method is just learning what works best for you and your customers. You can use Split Testing to see which email subjects generate more opens and clicks – we even wrote a post about that here.

3. Actions speak louder. What do you want your readers to do? Fill out a form? Read your blog? Take a survey? Sign up for an event? Share your email on Facebook? Decide on your call to action for your email and make it easy for them to do it. Include action phrases that will get them engaged such as “Click here…” or “Share this.” Add it in a few key sections throughout your email in case they don’t make it to the end but keep in mind that you don’t want to overwhelm your readers with multiple call to actions in one email.

4.  It’s not [about] you, it’s them. Clichéd break-up lines aside, your newsletters are not just a way for you to promote your business. Think about your customer and how your newsletter can be relevant and helpful to them. It’s not enough that you are talking about the next big thing or your newest offer, link it back so they can see how it benefits them. When you get this right and you start to connect with your customers, your newsletters will become an email they look forward to receiving!

Happy Marketing! 

Written by Louella Lugo, ClickDImensions Marketing Success Manager

 

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