[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Menu – global” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#fce1c1″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” next_background_color=”#000000″ custom_padding_tablet=”50px|0|50px|0″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.8″ global_module=”549″][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title admin_label=”Brand Marketing Newsletters: Failsafe Ways to Breathe Creative Life into Your Company’s Content” global_parent=”549″ _builder_version=”3.8″ meta=”off” date=”off” background_image=”https://iriscontent.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/bigstock-Grunge-Texture-606383.jpg” text_orientation=”center” text_shadow_vertical_length=”0.1em” text_shadow_color=”rgba(201,211,178,0.4)” title_font=”Aclonica|700|||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_font_size=”79px” title_letter_spacing=”17px” title_line_height=”1.2em” title_text_color=”#fdf3e7″ meta_font_size=”6″ text_shadow_blur_strength=”0.1em” /][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#fce1c1″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” prev_background_color=”#000000″ custom_padding_tablet=”50px|0|50px|0″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text text_font=”Trebuchet||||” text_text_color=”#1f041e” background_color=”#fce1c1″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” _builder_version=”3.8″]
Email marketing: some brands swear by it, others either don’t see the value or just don’t know where to start. Marketing newsletters are one of the many ways you can leverage your email list and build rapport with your audience. To set your company’s content apart, you’ll need strategies that make sense for your company’s niche and your target demographic. That said, there are some useful tips to maximize impact and give your company a competitive edge when it comes to content marketing in 2019 – no matter what your brand does or who you serve.
Know Your Goals
Before you create your actual newsletter content, you must understand exactly what you are trying to accomplish. An absence of clear goals can lead to unfocused and lackluster results.
The most effective brand marketing newsletters are those that are created with specific objectives in mind. Are you trying to:
Improve click-through rates for your cornerstone content?
Sell products or services to prospective customers?
Upsell products or services to existing customers?
Rebuild trust with customers after a less-than-ideal product launch?
Build social media engagement?
Segment your audience?
Increase awareness of your less-popular offerings?
Build authority in your company’s niche?
Clearly, with such a wide range of potential goals you need to get your content as finely focused as possible. Creating quality content is predicated on understanding the purpose it will serve.
Short is Sweet
According to Litmus Email Analytics, average readers’ attention spans have increased by 7% in the last several years – to a grand total of approximately 11 seconds per email. That number should give you pause, and make you really consider how much content you are including in your newsletters.
Arguably, the clock starts ticking as soon as your readers see your email headline and click. As a result, your first goal must be to arrest their attention with a subject line that piques their interest. From there, you should provide clear and relevant reasons why they should want to keep reading. Whatever you do, don’t bury key information within huge blocks of text or down below the “11-second window.”
If you absolutely must send out an unusually long marketing newsletter, your readers will appreciate an early warning. State upfront that this particular email is a bit longer than usual, then provide compelling hints to why patient readers will benefit from sticking around.
Keep Your Formatting Friendly
Within the parameters of your brand’s style guide, make your content as appealing and fresh as possible:
Break text into small, bite-sized sections. There’s no need to adhere to your grammar school’s 3-4 sentence minimum for paragraphs when it comes to modern marketing.
Use fonts that are easy to read on mobile devices, and when in doubt, go with a slightly larger font size to make things easy on your readers’ eyes.
Allow for some white space between different elements of your newsletter. Uncluttered content helps your audience stay focused and prevents skimming.
Offer Value
Every time your reader interacts with your content, they are subconsciously judging whether your content and your company are worth their time. You have to earn their interest.
Make sure the opening hook for each section of content is attention-grabbing and communicates a clear reason why the reader would benefit from clicking on any links or calls-to-action. And remember, value doesn’t always come in traditional forms. Don’t limit your content to informational articles or discount codes. Consider providing value to your readers in the form of:
How-to guides
Checklists
Instructional videos
Podcast episodes
Templates, presets, or other niche-specific tools
Networking opportunities (hosted locally or online through social platforms)
If you don’t have the option to switch up your value offerings, make sure you at least emphasize the value of what you do have to offer. New blog post? The readers can take it or leave it. Premium blog post for subscribers only with five practical tips on how to overcome their biggest pain points? Now there’s a link they might actually click.
Include Images (Cautiously)
The judicious use of images can be a great addition to your brand marketing newsletters, but be careful – there are a few points to keep in mind:
Limit file size. This is not the time to overload your readers’ browsers or email apps with high-resolution photos.
Choose impact over detail. Don’t force your readers to squint or zoom in order to see your content!
Never rely on pictures alone to relay your information. Some email providers or devices may not automatically load your images. They may even block images completely.
The Proof is in the (Social) Pudding
Like so many other aspects of life, consumers take comfort in the approval of the herd. Seeing that others are benefitting from what your brand has to offer creates a mindset that makes your readers more open to your pitches, upsells, and more. In many cases, social proof can yield better results than even the most carefully-crafted sales copy or snazziest product demonstrations.
Whenever you can and wherever is appropriate, including some form of social proof is an impactful use of newsletter space. Look for ways to demonstrate that your brand has satisfied customers – and connect their experience directly to your readers’ pain points. A picture might be worth a thousand words, but so is a well-placed quote from a happy customer or a link to a video testimonial for your product or service.
Staying Current with Content Marketing in 2019
Brand marketing newsletters can be an excellent way to maintain and build rapport with your audience, as well as create new opportunities for profit. To make the most of every newsletter your company sends, remember:
Identify your main goals and craft your content around the outcomes you want to achieve.
Keep things as short and sweet as possible.
Format your content with mobile devices and distracted readers in mind.
Offer value that appeals to your target audience.
Incorporate images (carefully) for added impact.
Provide social proof to increase trust in your brand.
The most effective content marketing in 2019 will be executed by brands that understand their customers and take steps to address their pain points in user-friendly ways. Are you ready to get started?
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When it comes time to pick a content provider, a bargain isn’t always the best way to go. Content is more than filler; it’s what draws visitors to your site, but inspired content keeps them there. It keeps them coming back. Content is a relationship. It’s your brand. We get it. Furthermore, we can deliver it. Contact us today for a quote.
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