How to Create an Email Newsletter That Will Contribute to the Growth of Your Customer Base
By Courtney Rosenfeld
Before deep-diving into email newsletter strategies and tactics, it is essential to note what a newsletter is and how you can create one to grow your customer base. Essentially, a newsletter is there to keep customers in the loop and is communication that is sent to your customers regularly to inform them of changes they should know about and how they could benefit them. Besides educational content, it should communicate something of value to your customers, so they keep opening their emails to see what’s in store for them.
How newsletters can benefit your brand
The right newsletter strategy should be designed to keep your business top of mind with customers, allowing you to engage with them more. Moreover, a newsletter strategy is exceptionally efficient at increasing your customers, more so than many other digital methods, and should, therefore, not be forgotten in your marketing strategy.
Effective strategies to increase newsletter subscribers
Now that you're familiar with the benefits of email newsletters, it's time for you to increase the volume and grow your newsletter subscribers to build your business. Here are a few of the most popular ideas that will keep readers subscribed to your newsletter and encourage new readers to subscribe to your newsletter as well.
Offer incentives
Offer incentives to make customers feel like it’s worth it to have made their details available to you. So, if you can sweeten the deal by offering incentives such as a discount on their first order, free shipping, or free downloads, people are more likely to stay subscribed for longer.
Use data capture forms
Use data capture forms on your website to capture customers’ email information quickly and easily without risking them being distracted by other links to get to your newsletter on your website.
Run sweepstakes or contests
Very few people can resist a free giveaway. So if you really want to keep readers engaged, then host a contest or sweepstakes, and you’re sure to immediately grab your audience's attention.
Utilize social media
Use social media to your advantage when it comes to attracting subscribers. Often, you will have followers on your social media accounts who may already be ready to sign up for your newsletter simply by being connected with you on Facebook or LinkedIn, for example. Just be sure to include the necessary signup tabs on your website to make it for them to sign up when they land there.
How to create a winning newsletter
Creating a newsletter is easy to do nowadays, especially if you make use of a third-party provider such as Mailchimp, for example. Here, you will find templates for designing an email from scratch. If you are designing your newsletter yourself, then be sure to keep your newsletter as succinct as possible while still adding that element of storytelling to keep the reader engaged. Furthermore, your newsletter should be as transparent as possible, with a direct call to action at the end.
If you're looking for a way to add some visual interest to your newsletter, consider using GIFs. GIFs are image files that can be used to create animations. They're a fun and easy way to add some movement to your newsletter, and they can help break up text-heavy sections. Just be sure to use high-quality images, and avoid using too many GIFs in a single newsletter, as this can make it difficult to read. You can make a video into a GIF with an online conversion tool. The tool allows you to choose the exact moment you wish to capture and then instantly download your GIF.
Give your subscribers control
If you want readers to stay subscribed and you want to grow your customer base, then it’s vital to give them the control back to them when it comes to staying subscribed or not. In other words, it’s about giving them the choice and freedom to know that they are not bound to whatever you are offering them, but that they choose to, which will hopefully end up spreading the word concerning the benefits of subscribing to your newsletter above your competitors.
Creating a newsletter can help you market your business to customers and keep them coming back. When you utilize strategies like writing engaging content and creating excitement with GIFs, you’ll get the attention of current and future customers.
