Looking to build, engage and nurture your organization’s target audiences? Consider an e-newsletter! Whether you want to showcase your business or nonprofit, educate stakeholders, support marketing, or announce a new product or service, this versatile tool is a great way to update clients, prospects, tenants, partners, members, employees and others.
E-newsletters are vibrant and current. They can include topics, photos and graphics to distinguish your brand and interest your readers with articles ranging from short, descriptive briefs to informative columns and in-depth features (headlines alone often tell a story!). Because they are varied and attractive, e-newsletters – when done right – generate a positive image and set organizations apart from the competition. They serve key communication channels both internally (keeping employees up to date) and externally (informing those you want to be “in the know”).
Topics Run the Gamut, Appealing to a Variety of Stakeholders
Everyone has news to share. Your e-newsletter can feature a mix of pieces on some of the following topics:
- New products and/or services
- Industry trends
- How-to and advice columns
- Upcoming events for your organization and industry happenings
- Positive results (this makes everyone happy!)
- Employee updates:
- New hires
- Promotions
- Features on key people who are experts in their fields and those who have direct contact with your target audiences
- Additional spotlights on staff for those who go “above and beyond” at the office or with community service
Even highlighting challenges shows the integrity and honesty of a company or nonprofit, reflecting its resilience by addressing issues and progress through bumps in the road.
Frequency and Style
E-newsletters must be timely and current, so plan to produce one regularly – monthly, bi-monthly or perhaps quarterly, depending on the individual organization. The choice to DIY or outsource content and design is yours. Keep in mind that both the writing style and design are critical, as newsletters are complex and unique, unlike any other marketing or collateral project. The writing process is best if it includes interviews of individuals and quotes – written news style – to reflect the energy and inspiration of your people. On design, be sure to develop the look and feel of the newsletter, including the masthead, to reflect your organization’s brand.
Email Newsletter Services Make Dissemination Easy
Programs like Constant Contact and Mailchimp enable you to distribute email newsletters with ease, as well as maintain segmented target lists and evaluate the results, including the open rate. In addition, consider posting the newsletter to your website as another means to keep your site active. By hyperlinking keywords in your content, your newsletter and site may be found by search engines, which are always seeking strong content.
Once You Start, You Can’t Stop
Once you publish your first e-newsletter, sometimes even before it’s distributed or printed, you will find yourself thinking about the next. As you go through your workday, you will find that ideas keep popping into your head – messages you want to convey and trends you observe. Be sure to save them and you are well on your way to the next edition!
Please reach out to us with any newsletter questions at (201) 796-7788 or info@caryl.com. We are experts in all facets of the newsletter process, from developing concepts, to creating professional copy that resonates, to working with design partners, to assisting with distribution and list management.