With all the focus currently being put on engaging with customers through social media channels and chatbots, businesses have overlooked one of the internet’s most tried and true forms of connecting with an audience – email newsletters. With 3.7 billion users around the world, email continues to be one of the most popular ways to communicate and connect, and yet somehow the trusted – and highly effective – email newsletter has been forgotten in all the noise. 

This might be because businesses can’t quite figure out how to put together an engaging newsletter that actually compels customers and leads to open and read, or because they simply don’t think that email marketing is an effective way of connecting with an audience. It’s much easier than you might think to put together an effective newsletter campaign.

Why email newsletters remain an effective way to connect with audiences

There’s a good reason why many businesses continue to use email newsletters to engage with their customers – when put together with care, they can be an extremely effective way of upselling, promoting brand awareness, and keeping current clients in touch with you. As a rule, newsletters are best used for an existing client base – these people are already familiar with your business and have expressed interest in what you have to offer by opting to receive emails from you. Email newsletters are a simple yet effective way to communicate with customers about promotions, new products and services and changes to your business, are easier to personalize, can make great use of marketing automation, and are a cost effective marketing alternative for businesses looking to change things up.

According to a survey conducted by Hubspot, 78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement since last year, and 59% of respondents reported that marketing emails actually influenced their purchase decision. In fact, businesses who use segmented email campaigns have reported increases in revenue of up to 760%. Personalized newsletters are even more effective than blanket campaigns, with 74% of businesses reporting that customer engagement increases with personalization, and email recipients being 41% more likely to open an email when a personalized subject line is used. Tech giant VentureBeat has even reported that email is the channel that generates the highest ROI for marketers, proving that newsletters – and email marketing in general – continue to play a critical role in your marketing arsenal.

How to create an email newsletter that your audience will actually enjoy

Crafting effective email newsletters that will actually be enjoyed by your audience is easier than you might think, and can have significant payoffs. When creating newsletters that look to capture the attention and imagination of your customers, it’s important to focus on your existing client base. For engaging with and nurturing leads, email drip campaigns tend to be more effective. Email newsletters are a great way to add some personality to your company and brand, giving you a rare opportunity to showcase team members, communicate what makes you and your team special, and make your company seem like a fun place to do business.

Tell a story with your campaigns and prove to your audience that your business can be consistently interesting and valuable – show them why you deserve their attention over other similar businesses. Keep it simple and don’t try to force sales elements into an email – remember that they should always be included, but that subtlety is important for keeping the attention of your customers rather than eliciting an eyeroll. Offering newsletter-exclusive content like videos, tips, and special offers is a great way to give your customers a reason to want to subscribe and keep them coming back for more.

Segmentation will go a long way in any campaign – rather than using an overly simplified shotgun approach to email newsletters, use personalization to give users a reason to open. Whether it’s personalized subject lines, dynamic content that directly addresses customer interests, or wholly segmented campaigns that target different types of users, personalized emails are far more likely to improve open rates, drive conversions, and increase revenue. In order to keep track of who’s opening your emails and whether or not they’re actually converting, make sure you always make use of tracking to ensure that your newsletters are actually working as intended.

Email newsletters have long been and will continue to be an extremely effective way of engaging with your customers. They’re essential in keeping an audience up-to-date on what makes your brand unique, and when used correctly, give you a platform to promote special offers, events, new products and services, and tell a story about how your business can change a customer’s life.

ion8 is an all-in-one business consultancy with a full team of digital marketing experts with years of experience creating effective email newsletter campaigns that will capture the interest of your customers, resulting in improved conversion rates and increased revenue. For more information about everything that ion8 can do for your business, contact us today.