Should I be sending out email newsletters?
This is a question we get asked frequently at the Digital Doctor. It seemed to be the way a decade or so ago that everyone felt compelled once a month to spend hours compiling a newsletter that no-one read; or if they did, it would be someone with time on their hands and whose sole concern was finding the odd typo or two.
Newsletters died a slow and demeaning death and we know this is exactly what happened from our past web agency experience. However, with the advent of some good and intuitive platforms, we’re firm advocates of these little gems - provided they follow best practice and provide value to the recipient.
We’ve put together a list detailing why we believe they’re still an under-utilised marketing tool and why, when newsletters are devised with thought and creativity, are an excellent means of communicating with both existing and potential clients.
Digital newsletters are a great way of keeping regular contact
It really depends on the industry you’re in and whether monthly contact is necessary.
If you’re an accountancy practice it’s likely your clients will appreciate the latest financial news and timely reminders so monthly newsletters are 100% the way to go.
If you’re in the hospitality sector, it may be more prudent to contact your database at key times of the year and promote your business’ availability and thus attract bookings and enquiries.
Alternatively, if you know business is likely to slow down for a particular period, a gentle email reminder a couple of months before that time could be just the nudge a past customer needs to revisit your service offering.
But whatever your industry, a “Hello, we’re here…” email could result in a welcome source of revenue.
Which platform would we recommend for sending out digital newsletters?
Hubspot is one platform we love creating newsletters with.
In this blog on its website, “12 Benefits of Email Marketing Your Marketing Team Must Know”, author Rebecca Riserbato details 12 reasons why you should still include email marketing in your marketing strategy. Crucially, she states that 73% of millennials prefer business communication via their email inbox.
To corroborate this, 77% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months (and that’s stats collected in 2022). As Hubspot reports that over a third of brands are increasing their email budgets, this begs the question - should you be doing the same?
Digital newsletters can encourage website traffic
What have you got to lose by sending a newsletter? Answer? Nothing.
We’ve experienced this first hand for one of our clients. With a refreshed website and added content, we put together a short email alert - notifying past customers of a new service our client was offering. There was no hard selling involved, we were simply keeping the database abreast of the latest developments and invited them to click through to the relevant web page to find out more.
As a result, our client received two serious enquiries, one of which resulted in an order for new work.
As businesses evolve and grow, we sometimes overlook those customers who have been with us for years. How do they know what you’re now able to offer them if you don’t tell them? Plus you’re already a trusted partner and the last thing either party wants to hear are the words, “If only I’d known before!”.
Digital newsletters are great for small businesses
Another platform we like is MailChimp. It allows marketing teams to create multichannel campaigns and also helps map out personalised experiences based on how people are interacting with your business. This is particularly useful if you have very different audiences and need to segment them.
We’re liking this guide on MailChimp’s website, “Email Marketing Guide for Successful Campaigns” which, aimed at the small business owner, highlights some of the best practices that should be considered when devising a strategy for an email marketing campaign.
Email newsletters enable businesses to maintain brand identity across a variety of channels
BOMA is a content library and digital marketing toolkit designed for UK bookkeepers and accountants. The team at BOMA have given serious thought to how their platform can save our bean counters and strategists time and effort with newsletter functionality combined with social media publication. What we love about it is the ease in which you can build a newsletter and connect with your social media accounts - all at the same time. Adapting your newsletter is ridiculously effortless and your messaging stays consistent and on brand.
Email newsletters are a low cost option
Email marketing is a good option for the small business because it is one of the most cost-effective means of staying in contact with existing clients or pushing out to new ones.
With the vast array of tools from which to choose from, you can easily filter, manage and approach your preferred segment of recipients. Gone are the days when newsletters and their templates took an age to set up and then edit; if this is your sort of thing, you can channel your creativity and produce engaging and professional looking email campaigns.
Do you have the inclination, but not the time?
Don’t worry - here at the Digital Doctor we offer email marketing services and will happily build out a newsletter from as little as £225 + VAT. That also includes selecting the right imagery and writing the content for you.
Obviously, we’ll start by building out an agreed template and thereafter, it’s just a question of populating with relevant content and news and sending out to your recipients.