Marketers are always on the hunt for new ways to attract customers, not to mention retain their existing ones. 

But what if we told you one of the most successful ways to boost business has been there all along?

Yep, we're an email marketing platform singing the praises of…email once again. But for good reason.

With over 4 billion users of email and average ROIs at $42 for every $1 spent - any business which isn’t using email marketing at all or to its potential is missing out.

Beyond standard email campaigns, an email newsletter can set your business apart.

Offering a curated, value-driven experience, get email newsletters right and your campaign will be something users genuinely look forward to receiving. 

Translation: clicks, customers and conversions! 💰

So here’s where to start with email newsletters, and more importantly how to squeeze every last open, click-through and conversion from them!

👋 While you're here, we just launched our own EcoSend newsletter. Every new subscriber is appreciated!

What Is An Email Newsletter?

Email newsletters are advanced email campaigns that are crafted with purpose. They contain content which has a focus on value, whether that’s summarising lots of information, or providing helpful insights for customers.

Some of the key things that set email newsletters apart from typical campaigns include: 

• Regular and fixed distribution (i.e. weekly, monthly or quarterly)

• Curated content beyond a standard email campaign

• Delivered to subscribers only

• Considered use of design and branding

• Has an exclusive feel

Email newsletters are similar to physical newsletters, in that they often provide a summary or round-up of recent news and events. But marketers can also use them to delve into relevant topics for their audience. 

The above image an is email newsletter sent by Ahrefs. While this is on the lengthy side (we've shortened the message), marketers can choose the right amount of content to suit their objectives. But, it does give you an idea of how a newsletter can help your customers to get the most out of your business.

Why Should I Create A Newsletter For My Business?

As a marketer or business owner, naturally you want to know that any investment is going to be worth your time and energy. There’s no need to worry with all things email!

Beyond the stats we mentioned above, it's also worth knowing that the average user checks their emails 15 times a day.

These are some of the top benefits of newsletters.

Drive Traffic To Your Website

It’s common practice to include links to your website within your email campaigns. Email newsletters work much the same, as they ensure the user journey doesn’t stop at opening the email. 

Instead, links can be used to provide helpful resources, or even highlight your best selling products.

Be sure to check that all the links work before sending your campaign for maximum success!

Any links included can also be tracked so that you can understand how much traffic your newsletters are driving to your website. 

Newsletters Nurture Leads

“Blog posts and short articles are the highest performing for building brand awareness, while email newsletters are highest for nurturing leads” - Content Marketing Institute Benchmarks Budget & Trends 2020 report

If a user is considering becoming a customer but they aren’t quite over the line yet, then an email newsletter could just bridge the gap. 

Email newsletters hold onto leads rather than letting them leave your website never to return. They refresh brand awareness, while re-capping your USP and value propositions.

Enhance Customer Relationships & Loyalty

Despite the goal of any email campaign being to sell your products or services, email newsletters go about things in a much more subtle way.

Make no mistake, email newsletters are still designed to boost clicks and conversions. But they deliver their messaging in a much more authentic way than a straight up sales pitch.

Some examples include using your newsletter to show customers how to make the most of your product. Or providing behind the scenes content to educate users on how your products are made or developed.

In short, whatever content users may find interesting and valuable, your email newsletter is the place for it! 

Newsletters Are Cost-Effective 

The effort to make a weekly, monthly or quarterly email newsletter might seem intensive. But in reality, it’s anything but! 

In fact, you could even use Notion or a dedicated Slack channel to collect content suggestions from your team. For instance, industry news, popular blog posts, upcoming events or anything else of interest.

By developing a slick system, you don’t have to invest lots of money to produce a winning newsletter campaign. For seasoned email marketers especially, newsletters should feel enjoyable to create rather than a taxing experience.

Results Are Fully Trackable 

Since email newsletters will be sent through your email platform, this also means all metrics can be traced.

This includes the likes of open rates, click-through rates and every other metric that matters.

If you’re an existing EcoSend user, you can find your campaign performance information in the EcoSend Insights dashboard.

How To Create A Newsletter

New to all things email newsletters? Don’t worry, it’s actually super easy to get going!

In fact, marketers require a mere three magic ingredients to create and distribute an email newsletter.

These include: 🪄

✉️ - An email platform - A place where user data can be securely stored, that also provides the functionality to send mass email campaigns. The platform should also provide analytics and email automation. EcoSend is an example of an email platform. 

🧑‍💻 - Subscribers - Build a list of contacts who consent to hearing from you, including receiving your email newsletters. A tool such as EcoSend Forms can be used to capture subscribers from your website to grow your list on your behalf.  

🗞️ - Newsletter content - Consider what your audience would most be interested in. Some examples of what to include in a newsletter are company news, product updates, case studies, event promotion, video marketing or behind the scenes insights.

Maximising The Success Of Your Newsletter

Now you know what email newsletters are and why they offer a winning strategy for your business, all that’s left is for you to excel at them.

Just like following your favourable recipe, here are the secret ingredients for a truly tasty newsletter.

Focus On Providing Value For Subscribers

Newsletters should be something people want to take time out of their day to read. So think carefully about the content which will most interest your subscribers. 

If you’re not sure where to start, look at the data held about them in your email software to tap into their interests, wants and needs. 

As a business owner, you might come across common customer queries. Or even have ways to enhance the experience of your product. All of these invaluable insights need to be communicated with your customers, and your newsletter is one of the best ways to do so.

Consider User Experience

Users may open your email on any number of devices or browsers. So it’s essential to test your campaigns before sending them to ensure they are fully responsive.

It sounds like such a mundane piece of advice. But in reality, if your email doesn’t display properly, or if the buttons aren’t clickable, your newsletter will have a reduced ROI.

Why let that happen, when some simple testing can pick up such issues before sending so that you can fix them?

Make Sure Your Email Marketing Is Fully Compliant With Data & Spam Laws

Talking about spam and GDPR might not be a thrilling topic of conversation. But if you want to maximise open rates, click-through rates and overall engagement for your newsletter, you need to play by the rules.

So definitely no email scrapers, misleading subject lines or withholding the ability for users to unsubscribe.

Furthermore, Yahoo and Gmail are on a mission to cut down on spam. Now is the time to make sure your email platform and campaigns are fully compliant. 

💡 Read more: The Huge Changes Coming To Gmail & Yahoo In 2024

EcoSend - Email Marketing Software For Email Newsletters 

What’s that? You don’t have a platform that allows you to send email newsletters? Or you do but you’re interested in switching to a climate-conscious tool instead?

Well, let us help you there! EcoSend runs on renewable energy sources and plants trees on behalf of your business. All while giving you all the tools and features you need to send incredible email campaigns.

Sign up for your free trial today to see what we’re all about.

Or drop us a message if you’d like to talk further about your email marketing requirements.