How to use an E-newsletter to engage your list!

To a lot of people, the e-newsletter may seem like a relic of a bygone era, a time when we used painfully slow dial-up Internet services like AOL and “surfed” the web using Netscape. In spite of becoming a little long in the tooth (in Internet years), the e-newsletter is still an exceptionally powerful marketing tool your business shouldn’t ignore. E-newsletters remain an excellent medium for engaging customers, building authority and driving sales. The Direct Marketing Association says that every $1 spent on email marketing creates $40 in revenue. Aweber tells us that 77 percent of small business owners report that email helps them increase revenue.

Not your grandmother’s e-newsletters anymore!

Don’t be buffaloed into thinking that your e-newsletter must be as bland and un-sexy as those you’ve made the mistake of opting in for. Here are some eye-catching examples of e-newsletters that rock! Also, ensuring that you’re not just selling, but engaging your readers with useful, compelling content. Kayak, for example, isn’t just about telling you about the latest travel deals, but rather getting you salivating on the thought of travel and fun. Additionally, they go out of the way to engage their readers.

Quick tips for an engaging e-newsletter

Here are some tips for writing an E-newsletter that gets opened and acted upon!

• Talk as if you’re talking to a friend – Customers are affected by a friendly tone, and are far more likely to engage.
• Encourage communication – Give them every opportunity to respond and specifically request it!
• Be specific and don’t ramble – Keep on topic, and don’t be boring!
• Offer useful content – More than anything, offer content that’s fresh, useful and that resonates with your list.
• Don’t be afraid to use emotion – Writing with emotion is powerful and is almost certainly going to stir others as well, promoting more engagement.

Don’t settle for simply autoresponder messages! Create a meaningful and useful e-newsletter today!