How to create an effective Newsletter

Still looking for the perfect formula to attract traffic to your business? Well it looks like we've found the right method and it is the newsletter.

Maybe you're one of those people who think that email is on its way out. And the truth is, we hope you're not one of them. As of 2019, up to 236 million emails were being sent every day, which shows the potential of this communication channel. 

So why not use it to whisper in your target customer's ear? Just imagine whispering all the things you'd like to say to them but without anyone else knowing. 

That's the power of this tool and the time has come for you to use it to take your business to the next level. Don't fight anymore for visits or engagement, today you will find the solution to all your problems! 

Do you dare to read us? 

What is a newsletter?

Let's start by defining what exactly a newsletter is. It's an informative digital publication that is sent via email with a certain frequency, either daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. 

In most cases, brands use it to notify users about the latest news about their services, although it all depends on the company's objectives. 

Users who receive the information must subscribe through a link that is generally promoted on the company's website. This way, leads indicate that they are visitors who are interested in your services, so companies seek to share valuable content with them in order to make them move forward in the sales funnel. 

Why should a brand have a newsletter? 

Nowadays, most companies are concentrating their efforts on social media, and we don't blame them. There's no doubt that these platforms are a great tool for creating content and building an audience around a specific niche. 

However, although it's a sound strategy, concentrating all your efforts on social media can be a costly mistake, as you leave the communication with your customers in the hands of a third party. 

Have you ever seen a friend's Facebook or Instagram account get shut down from one moment to the next? In addition, you cannot ignore the crashes that sometimes occur on servers, something that causes incredible losses for companies. 

That's why it's essential that you use the newsletter as an alternative way of communicating with your users. Here you will depend on yourself and the tool you use to schedule the content, but you will be much safer with a newsletter than if you only rely on social media. 

Steps to create a newsletter 

Do you want to join the trend and take advantage of all the benefits a newsletter has to offer?  Find out how to do it below: 

1. Choose the right email marketing tool

It's one thing to send a newsletter, but it's another to send thousands of emails simultaneously. That's why if you don't want to go crazy too soon, the best thing to do is to use a specific tool for this job. 

The good news is that nowadays, there are tools that will help you as much as possible and an example of that are the email marketing platforms. 

With them, you can manage your database, send to thousands of contacts and analyse the results of each email. You will know how your campaigns are performing, the percentage of opened emails and the changes you need to make to improve your numbers. 

Don't try to do it on your own, rely on the new apps and you will see how success arrives at your door. 

2. Create your database 

Before sending a newsletter, you must first have someone to send it to. Therefore, you must first work on building a meaningful database and then take the next step. 

Start generating valuable content and develop lead campaigns so that you can get your first contact data. Once you have a good number of subscribers, you can start working. 

3. Grow your subscriber list

There are several strategies you can develop to grow your subscriber list. From forms to collect emails in exchange for free information of value, pop-ups and subscription bars. 

Decide what best fits your customer profile. The idea is not to be too invasive so that they feel comfortable giving their contact details. 

4. Segment your audience

Segmenting your audience is one of the most important steps when creating your newsletter. The problem is that many people think it's a very complex activity, when the reality is quite the opposite. 

Simply put, it's about dividing your audience into specific demographics and interests, so that you can create content that best fits their profile. 

This is very important, because sending an abandoned shopping cart to someone who has already purchased is not the same as sending a welcome email to those who are visiting the website for the first time. 

As the saying goes: "divide and conquer", in marketing this is true in many aspects. Apply it and tell us the results, we are sure you will be surprised. 

5. Define objectives

The objectives of a newsletter can vary because some brands want to improve their market position, others want to increase their market share or help the user move forward in the marketing funnel. 

So, before you start writing, ask yourself, "What do I want to achieve with my newsletter?" After you have the answer you can start working. 

Some examples of newsletter objectives are:

• Sharing news about the brand or about your products. 

• Establishing yourself as an authority in the market.

• Increasing interactions. 

• Driving traffic to your blog and social networks.

• Getting new customers.

6. Select your template or design it from scratch

If you already know what the objective of the material is, and you have a significant database and the profile of each audience, it's time to choose your template or to design it from scratch. 

The truth is that we suggest you choose templates that are already created because it saves you time and money. Also, you need advanced design and editing skills to create a format that is pleasing to the eyes of the audience. 

Make sure it conveys the value and tone you want to send with the brand. In other words, make sure the music matches the film. 

7. Write valuable content

Valuable content is fundamental to the success of any newsletter. Today's users would rather scan than read the full text, so you will need to focus on creating headlines and first paragraphs that are really eye-catching. 

A good formula is the inverted pyramid. In a nutshell, it's all about telling the most important things at the top and then finishing with data that fills in the information at the bottom of the screen. 

If you do this both in the title and in the first two paragraphs, you will increase the rate of opened emails, which will improve your percentage of sales, engagement and interactions. 

8. Don't forget the calls to action

How little is said on the internet about the importance of calls to action in texts. Your content can be valuable and educational, but if you don't encourage the reader to do something, it is very unlikely that you will achieve results with your strategy. 

But do what? What you want them to do and what you have set out to do as a brand. It could be clicking on a link to visit the website, watching a product review or watching the new video you uploaded on youtube. 

However, we know that creating a CTA is more complex than many people think, so here are some tips for you to apply next time:

• Contrasting colour to make it stand out in the text.

• Add it at the top of the text.

• Words like "buy now" or "sign up now" increase your chances of success. 

9. Include an attractive email subject line

When was the last time you opened your inbox and got a headache just looking at all the commercial emails you had to open? You probably did what most people do: deleted them all before opening them. 

Well, this is what you want to avoid when sending a newsletter, and the best way to do it is through a subject line that invites the reader to open the email. 

Make sure they are short, concise, direct and promote value to the user. Also, don't forget the "magic formulas'' such as lists, bullets and numbers. 

10. Test and edit

OK, your email is ready to be sent, the only thing left to do is to press "enter". Shall we do it? No, first you have to check that everything is in order to send it to your subscribers. 

Put together a test email and send it to close friends so they can give you an honest and objective opinion. Never forget to state that it's a test version so that it won't be confused with the official version. 

Make sure that the design looks good, that all the images load and that the links work perfectly. After you do that you will know it's time to send your newsletter. 

11. Send it or schedule it

Now the time has come. Send your newsletter and wait a few days to start studying the results. 

After you get some experience you will determine the best days and times to send your mailing. Go on, take a chance and dive in before you get too scared. 

12. Analyse the results 

To get the most out of email marketing, it's essential that you interpret the metrics that you get from your strategy. 

Wait a few days after you send the email and analyse what happened. Here you can take into account the following points:

• How many people opened the email?

• Did it meet expectations?

• Did it improve traffic to my website?

What is a newsletter for?

Yes, believe it or not, there are still people who doubt the potential of newsletters today. 

Now let's see what you can use this tool for. Maybe you will be convinced that it is an excellent alternative for your brand: 

1. Promoting products or services

The main objective a brand seeks with a newsletter is to promote its products, although this is not always the case. 

In most cases, they are sent to users who have known the brand for a long time and who know what value the company provides. From there, you can send promotions with a good audiovisual design to increase the likelihood of sales. 

2. Increasing interactions

Interactions are a fundamental indicator that shows the engagement that the brand has with its users. Before thinking about selling at all costs, it is a good idea to pay attention to this item to improve the company's position in the market. 

So, you can use newsletters as a way to notify your customers about your social media news, latest posts, giveaways and live videos. Do it and you will be surprised with the results! 

3. Brand loyalty

Loyalty is one of the most important metrics. You can sell as many products as you want, but if you don't get a customer to repeat their purchase you will always have to start again. 

Therefore, focus on creating valuable content that solves the user's day-to-day doubts. Find out what their pain points are and what problems they have to help them improve their quality of life. 

The truth is that the newsletter is a very underrated communication tool. There is no doubt that it has everything you need to take your brand to the next level, so it's time to take it into account. 

Today we wanted to give you all the information you need to see how a newsletter is structured and what are the elements you should take into account before writing. 

Now it's your turn to take the ball and be the protagonist of the game. Build your email marketing strategy and keep your audience informed, they will thank you for it. 

Do you already have your own newsletter?