A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Impactful Small Business Newsletter

An email newsletter is an easy, impactful way to keep in touch with your customers. There are plenty of stats that prove email is the top marketing channel for customer engagement. The expected return on investment for an individual marketing email campaign is roughly $36 for every $1 spent.

Newsletters can help you prime your target audience to respond to your next email marketing campaign. They’re also a good way to gain customer insight and learn more about your target customers. First, you need to create an email newsletter that gets opened and read to get the data you need.

Choose an email service

Before you begin sending out newsletters, you need to choose an email platform, set it up, and populate it with your customers’ contact details. Most customer relationship management (CRM) software platforms allow you to export data as a spreadsheet. Then, you can import that data into your mailing list software.

[Read more: How to Use CRM Software]

If you use a platform like Hubspot or Zoho, your email software will be incorporated into your CRM and social media management, making it easy to reach your customers and prospects through multiple channels. Alternatively, depending on the size of your company and your mailing list, you can opt for a lower-cost email marketing platform such as Mailchimp or Constant Contact.

[Read more: How to Choose the Best Email Marketing Software]

Start with a template

Once you’ve imported the names and email addresses into the platform of your choice, select a template for your newsletter. Using the same template every time you send a newsletter makes setting up the emails easy and sets expectations for readers each time they receive a newsletter from you.

[Read more: 5 Essential Email Marketing Features to Boost Your Results]

When you’re first starting, you’ll want to do some A/B testing by sending the same newsletter content designed on two different templates to separate groups to see which layout performs better. It may take some time to find a design that resonates with your audience, but once you do, you can use that template until you notice a decline in click-through rates.

Once you’ve selected a template, customize it with your company logo and colors to be consistent with the rest of your branding, including your social media profiles and website. This consistency helps build trust and generate brand recognition.

[Read more: A Beginner’s Guide to Branding Your Business]

Build a recipient list

After your careful planning, it’s time to build your email list. Offer an option for people to opt in as subscribers to your newsletter rather than sending it to all of your contacts automatically. Coming off as intrusive will only cause people to unsubscribe. Ask people to sign up using the following tactics:

• Set up a landing page for opt-ins. Most email marketing programs allow you to create a landing page — sometimes with a branded URL — that you can share. The page should include a few sentences about what value your company newsletter provides to readers and a form for people to enter their names and email addresses. Once users opt in, the landing page should redirect them to a “thank-you” page so people know they submitted their information correctly.
• Add a widget to your website. Add a widget in a high-profile spot asking visitors to sign up for your newsletter. Use a call to action that promises them something good, such as “Be the first to hear about new launches.”
• Use a pop-up on your website. The best website pop-ups have a conversion rate as high as 9.28%, with most having an average of just over 3%. Share your pop-up once a visitor reaches half of the average time spent on the page. For instance, if most visitors stay on your landing page for roughly 30 seconds, you want the pop-up to appear after 15 seconds.
• Promote at your brick-and-mortar location. Incorporate signage with the address to the opt-in page for your newsletter, or print it on receipts, menus, or business cards. You can also generate a QR code that, when scanned, takes people directly to your landing page to subscribe to your newsletter and display it at your point of sale or on menus.
• Ask readers to share your newsletter. Always include a call to action within your newsletter that encourages faithful readers to forward the latest edition to their friends and family. This tactic is the easiest way to grow organically.
• Use social media. Share your newsletter opt-in landing page in your social media profiles and create some engaging posts or feeds around your newsletter content. Also consider leveraging data from your subscriber mailing list to create paid social campaigns that target look-alike audiences, or people in the same demographic as the majority of your subscribers.

If you’re taking the time to generate interesting content regularly, you want to be sure you have people reading it. Growing your newsletter subscriber list is one way to reach a larger audience and build your brand.

Monitor your performance

Analyzing metrics helps you provide a consistent experience to your readers. For instance, you can check your open rates to decide the best time of day or day of the week to send your newsletters.

You can also determine the effectiveness of your newsletter by looking at click-through rates and website traffic, as well as new subscribers or those who opt out of your emails. As you draw patterns and understand what works and what doesn’t, you can use this information to better deliver going forward.

What makes a great newsletter?

Pay attention to these five details to build a newsletter that serves your customers and your business.

Great design

The design of your email newsletter plays an outsized role in whether or not it gets read.

“Poor email design makes people click away quickly. The second someone opens your email newsletter and sees that it's wordy and designed poorly, they will exit the screen,” wrote Mailchimp.

There are a few best practices to follow when designing an email newsletter. Make sure that your newsletter can be read on any device (laptop, mobile, tablet, etc.).

Keep the layout simple: Emails cluttered with multiple fonts are difficult to read. Include headlines, bulleted lists where appropriate, and other text formatting so users can skim through the content. Add images to break up the text.

Of course, you’ll also want to include design elements that reflect your brand. Many small businesses use a newsletter template, adding their logo and brand colors to make it unique. Campaign Monitor has a helpful infographic that breaks down every design element you’ll need to customize for your business.

[Read more: How to Create a Newsletter for Your Business]

Compelling content

A great small business newsletter must offer value to its readers.

“In your email newsletters, get rid of the self-promotion (most of the time) and focus on sending your subscribers educational, relevant, timely information,” wrote HubSpot. “Unless you actually have an exciting, big piece of news about your product, service, or company, leave out the promotional parts.”

Choose three to five items to keep your newsletter interesting, but make sure to keep each section short. Most importantly, focus on providing information that will help your readers rather than placing your company in the spotlight. For instance, an automotive mechanic may send out tips on how to winterize your car for the cold months ahead, along with a few testimonials from satisfied local customers.

Email is a visual medium; although your message will depend on the right copy, images, GIFs, and video also make your message more engaging. Text-only emails can be boring. Show, don’t tell, and ensure your images are properly formatted for the template and device on which a customer may be reading your newsletter.

Looking for inspiration? Email newsletters can include short segments covering the following:

• Relevant industry news to establish your company as an expert in the field.
• Tips that may be helpful to someone using your product or service.
• Short case studies.
• Testimonials.
• Promotions or sales.
• A survey for your readers.

Finally, always end with a call to action. Do you want your readers to visit your website, make a purchase, follow you on social media, or view your latest webinar on demand? Whatever it is, make it clear and include a call-to-action button so it’s easy for people to take the next step.

Flow

Most people have short attention spans. As you design your business newsletter, keep in mind that readers will drop off the longer your message is. The best practice for keeping your audience engaged is to follow the inverted pyramid design model.

Start with an enticing headline that grabs the reader’s attention. Then build anticipation with compelling copy and an image that continues to engage the reader. Finally, end with a call to action that clearly tells the reader what they should do next. For instance, your newsletter could direct readers to read a full blog post, sign up for a presale, or read more about a company announcement.

As you can see from this format, you should prioritize the most important information at the top of the email. Keep each email concise but relevant with the information someone needs to stay engaged with your brand.

Technical considerations

There are a few technical elements you’ll want to consider for your email newsletter. First and foremost, every email has to pass a spam filter. Make sure your subject line is optimized for this test.

“Avoid using exclamation marks or having words in all caps as these things can increase the chances the email will go in the recipient's spam folder,” wrote Huffington Post. “Also try to keep the subject line to 50 characters or less to prevent it from getting cut off when it reaches the recipient's inbox.”

Including an unsubscribe option is another way to ensure your message doesn’t get marked as spam. An unsubscribe button is both a good way to maintain an active reader list and comply with privacy regulations. You can also include links to your social media channels in the footer to build your social media following.

Timing

Finally, finding the right cadence for your email newsletter ensures that customers don’t get tired of hearing from you. There’s no golden rule about how often you should send an email newsletter. The frequency you choose depends entirely on what you’re comfortable with, and it can change as you grow your business or adjust to writing newsletters.

However, what you don’t want to do is overwhelm yourself with sending so many newsletters that you sacrifice the quality of your content. It’s better to send fewer newsletters that offer valuable and engaging content rather than more newsletters that lack substance.

Test your cadence with different audience segments to find your sweet spot. Once a month or twice a month is a good option, especially if you plan to send other email marketing campaigns.

[Read more: Need a Subscriber Boost? How to Promote Your Company Newsletter and Grow Readership]

Subject line best practices

As with any marketing email, a strong subject line can boost open rates and improve your overall campaign results. Over a third of recipients decide whether they’ll open an email based on the subject, so it’s important to choose a relevant yet attention-grabbing line.

Again, don’t be afraid to experiment with different subject lines to see what types perform best. Stick with industry best practices, which include keeping subject lines short and enticing. Give people a reason to open your email instead of the million other messages they see in their inbox. A great way to do this is by personalizing it, as adding the recipient’s name to the subject line increases open rates by 26%.

Personalization strategies to increase engagement

Personalizing an email’s subject line is one of many opportunities to boost engagement by tailoring each email to individual readers. Depending on your email newsletter platform, other dynamic content fields such as the greeting, product recommendations, and audience segmentation help ensure each newsletter feels unique to the reader.

“You can also take dynamic content further by creating content for different audiences,” wrote Mailchimp. “For example, if you're a pet product company, you likely sell products for cats and dogs. Dog owners won't need to see content for cats, so you can send cat and dog owners the same email campaign but tailor the content to meet their needs.”

Some newsletter platforms also allow you to create custom share links. That way, you can track which of your readers is forwarding your newsletter to new subscribers and send a personal thank you.

Examples of great business newsletters

Business newsletters are a dime a dozen, but there are a few that really stand out from the crowd.

The Moz Top 10 is a newsletter from SEO software company Moz that covers valuable SEO and online marketing trends on a bimonthly basis. It’s a well-curated digest that helps busy marketers direct their attention to the most pressing issues impacting their work. It also positions Moz as a thought leader in marketing, showing expertise without any hard selling.

VeryGoodCopy is a newsletter by writing expert Eddie Shleyner. In it, he shares micro-lessons about creative copywriting targeted at copywriters and marketers of all levels of expertise. The micro-lessons give a brief glimpse into what a more advanced course on a topic would include. Readers can then sign up for advanced tutorials through a unique landing page.

The Strategist newsletter from New York Magazine is also a popular example to emulate. This newsletter is unique because it includes a lot of product promotion. However, that’s the point of this media property: to curate shopping guides and product recommendations tested by experts. “The newsletter does a great job of including relevant shopping information and paying attention to the trends. The Strategist also includes various products and services to shop for, casting a wide net,” wrote HubSpot.

Finally, check out the newsletter from MiMOKO, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based ceramics brand. The company sells online, but its newsletter is dedicated to high-quality photos and tutorials that inspire shoppers to explore further. Their newsletter is full of tips like how to style tall vases, using different flowers in one vase, and how to care for arrangements. It’s an email that can be segmented and personalized based on the reader’s shopping history.

CO— aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation.