If you’re thinking of sending an email newsletter to your clients or customers, here are some tips to help you…

1) Focus on design

Don’t try to design the email newsletter yourself if you don’t have design skills. Professional email newsletters require a good level of design, HTML coding and CSS styling and it can be quite testing to get the newsletter to display correctly in different email applications such as Outlook, Hotmail and Gmail. The good news is you can either use a designer to create a unique template or you can opt for a pre-built template that are offered by many email newsletter software programs. Using a designer will give you more control over the design and ensure that the newsletter is adapted and designed to fit your own business identity.

2) Focus on content

Quality is the key. Short and concise is better than lengthy paragraphs. A good subject line is also important. Remember when writing content for newsletters to ask yourself what’s in it for your subscribers?

3) Pick the best time to send

There is no wrong or right time to send as it depends on your business and what information you are sending. The best thing to do is monitor how successful each campaign is and vary the times you send. Some email marketing software allows you to track who clicks on what and also allows you to send split campaigns so you can send half at one time and half at another time.  For maximum results always monitor your campaign and make changes according to results.

4) Don’t spam

Sending an email newsletter to someone who hasn’t specifically requested to receive news from you is considered as spam. If you do so, you run the risk of being blacklisted from email servers and listed as spam by your recipients. If you can show that you received permission from everyone on your subscriber list to contact them then you can send email campaigns. Permission to send an email newsletter generally applies to

• People who have specifically signed up through your website
  eg. by ticking a checkbox on your newsletter signup or contact form
• People who completed offline forms & indicated they wanted to be emailed
  eg. by filling in a competition or survey form where they specifically agree to receive email
• People who gave you their business card and asked to receive email
  If someone gives you their business card and you have also explained to them
  that you will be in touch by email, you can contact them.
• People that purchased something off you in the last 2 years
  By making a purchase from you they have provided their permission implicitly,
  although it is much better to explicitly ask them.

If in any doubt, consult your web designer or seek legal advice.

5) Proof, proof and proof again

And proof again. Check that all your links work and are linking to the right places. Make sure there are no spelling mistakes or typos. Send test emails to different email programs to ensure it works across different applications. Read the text carefully and get at least one other person to read over it before you send.

In the last few years, several email marketing solutions have appeared on the market making the process of sending an email newsletter far more efficient and effective. If you’re still unsure about the best solution for you or you need any advice contact Jin Designs.