Company newsletter – the unsung hero

With all the developments in digital communication methods and evolution of social, the simple newsletter has started to take a back seat, swamped by a lot of alternative options for communicating to your customers. The newsletter is a key form of communication, that, if carefully built can be a powerful tool for the retention of clients and acquiring new business.

Newsletter, really!?

Yes! There are several benefits for using newsletters. There are several listed below however one main overriding benefit for regular newsletters is communication. An open and honest conversation with your customers is the key to most modern business success. The days of lacklustre customer service and poor customer experience is over, to survive in business today, you need to communicate openly with your audience wherever they engage most.

Still open for business

Let your customers know that your business is still operating and thriving above competitors in your industry. This is also a very soft approach to selling your services.

Keep in touch

Keeping your company at the front of your customers’ mind. When the time comes that they need you, you will be part of their thinking.

Thank customers

Showing gratitude and thanks to your clients is an effective way of demonstrating the company rhetoric. Your customers are more likely to engage and support a business whose success is owed and credited in part to them. A simple but highly efficient way to ensure a positive opinion of your business and the views shared by your audience.

Share news & new developments

A newsletter is crucial tool for communicating and promoting new developments or services your business offers. Existing clients will be more likely to consider new services as they have regular updates on your business, feel involved and comfortable engaging with your company. Your existing client base can be a key driver behind new projects, with offers and rewards it is also possible to have your audience truly shape the evolution of your company.

Company ethos

The personality of your business and the people that make it can create a very powerful message for new and existing clients. Customers can see the people they are working with enjoying their work and taking pride in what they do. With regular and timely newsletters, weekly, monthly, quarterly etc. you are can convey an efficiency and dedication to open communication and service.

Ok, but how?

Social

Your newsletter can be built and broadcast through your social platforms. It can be a highly effective mode of communication used to drive customer engagement as well as new business.

Email

Collecting your customers email address, with appropriate privacy permissions allows you to broadcast your newsletter directly to customers you know have engaged with you in the past or have intended to work with you. Typically, marketers will shape the content and feel of the newsletter depending on the type of audience you are emailing.

Blog

A blog or news feed for your business gives you a central, easily controllable format to broadcast. Most blog systems will allow you connect to your social platforms, making it quick and easy to share your newsletter across your own site and social platforms.

Post

There is still a lot to be said about direct mail and post. While it is expensive and slow, the outcome can be personalised, engaging and proven to be more effective for brand recognition over some digital approaches.

What about the content?

The content of your newsletter should be carefully planned considering the purpose, expected outcome and overall message. Whatever the reason or opportunity behind your newsletter, it should be well written and accurate. It’s unlikely to paint a favourable picture of your business if you broadcast a sloppy, error filled newsletter. Consider what your customers what to hear, what previous messages have worked for your business in the past? Give this careful thought and build your content around the audience and the reason they have for engaging with your business. Here are a handful of ideas…

Relevant and simple

As much as we would like to believe otherwise, our customers are unlikely have much need to read lengthy updates without just cause. Keep your content simple and ensure there is relevance to the audience you are reaching.

Testimonials

Giving client feedback to your customers reinforces their option and decision to work with you. If they can see that they are part of a community of happy customers, they are more likely to engage.

New projects or business

Your newsletter is a great way of introducing new services or products. It is also an effective method of gaining feedback on future projects and developments.

Case studies

Highlighting your success through examples of your work with customers, a great research tool for new business and an effective engagement tool for existing customers.

Offers & rewards

Rewarding your current customers’ loyalty or offering deals for new business is always an effective way of sourcing opportunities.

Ask for help

Your customers are a valuable source of honest opinion and insight. Asking for your customers to give feedback on their experience, the product or service and new opportunities can give crucial feedback that could make the difference between success and failure.

While one of the oldest, more traditional forms of communication, the humble newsletter is now capable of being delivered across multiple platforms, for a multitude of reasons. If carefully built and shaped with purpose and direction, the newsletter can quickly prove itself as a business support and generation tool capable of offering your business lots of opportunities.