It can be argued that of your e-marketing armoury, newsletters have to work hardest. Potential clients will actively seek out your website or your blog, but the newsletter goes to them. It pops up in their personal inbox and has to compete with hundreds of other emails for attention.

So it pays to be attention-grabbing, both visually and in your writing. The easiest way to achieve this is to always put the reader first. Always ask yourself whether the content of your e-newsletter is relevant to your readership. It’s great to announce your firm’s new promotion, but your recipient wants to know that this is a move that will safeguard his investment, or develop the product s/he buys to a higher standard. Targeted email marketing is key.

Although you’re sending the newsletter as a way of marketing your business, don’t be afraid to let your personality come through. Humour can be a great attention-grabber when used appropriately and create a personal tone that speaks individually to customers, rather than leaving them to wade their way through business-speak and jargon. Short anecdotes illustrating your point have a similar effect. These tactics create individuality and tend to stick in the reader’s mind long after your e-newsletter has been buried under the weight of new emails in your customers’ inbox.

Finally, if you are illustrating the newsletter then pick a strong image which clearly sums up the content of the piece. A striking visual will be instantly absorbed by your client, encouraging them to delve deeper into your e-newsletter and read the accompanying text. If you’ve followed the points above, they’ll soon be hooked on your e-newsletter and from there it’s only a short click to your company’s website.

Sending out a regular e-newsletter is a highly effective way of targeting customers to encourage both repeat and new business. Once you’ve had a template designed, you can send out as many branded newsletters as you like to hundreds or even thousands of recipients – at very little cost. Send your e-newsletter to all your customers, everyone you meet at networking/ industry events, and everyone who requests a copy via your website (but make sure you have their permission first!).

As with all digital marketing, content is key and the e-newsletter should be seen as another element of your overall campaign, not an isolated object. It should interact with other e-marketing drives, possibly by featuring highlights from your blog or website. There is a dual benefit in this, as it not only makes your e-newsletter interesting to read, it also drives traffic to your website and reminds your target customer base of who you are and what you do.

That’s not to say the more traditional content of newsletters should be forgotten; an editor’s note, company news and special offer announcements are typical of this form of digital marketing and they all have a role to play. Where possible, they should be backed up by a call to action, whether that’s to visit your website, call you or to reply to the e-mail newsletter.

These are all generic points, which so far could be applied to any aspect of your digital marketing, so what sets an e-newsletter apart? The answer is in its aims. An e-newsletter’s real value is in encouraging repeat and long-term custom by providing a non-intrusive reminder of your brand to those who have previously expressed an interest.

E-newsletters are not quick-fix marketing opportunities (although e-commerce retailers can generate handsome returns by publicising their special offers in their e-newsletters), but are excellent tools in an ongoing digital marketing strategy. Therefore you should view your e-newsletter as a long-term investment, sent out on a regular basis to familiarise your customers and contacts with your brand and its values.

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