Tech Column

AVOID BEING TRASHED

Try these tips to develop electronic communications that don’t send readers scurrying for the “unsubscribe” link.

Create sharp e-newsletters that will stand out in a crowd.

The web is filled with “sign up” buttons these days; everyone wants a piece of your inbox. Try these tips to develop electronic communications that don’t send readers scurrying for the “unsubscribe” link.

Be Worthy of a Read

How do you keep delivering what your customers (or potential customers) want? Well, you could ask. Put the question out there: Do you want to see more tips, recipes, news, customer case studies, etc.? Also, make use of tracking tools. Many email marketing providers, such as Constant Contact, allow you, the sender, to see which links people click on the most. Take this insight and give the people more of what they want.

Stay Consistent

Readers want to know that they can depend on you. If you say it’s a weekly newsletter, it should arrive every week— and on a consistent day. Readers also feel comfortable when you adhere to a common look and feel. They don’t want to relearn how to read your updates every week; they want to know where the news is, where to find tips and where the sales or coupons are. Yet, Abe Tamir, founder of SubjectSuccess, an email marketing intelligence firm, says that occasionally refreshing your newsletter’s look will help keep readers’ attention.

Drive Sales

You’re not doing a newsletter out of the kindness of your heart. You want it to drive more business. If you’re a company, you want your newsletter to sell more of what you provide. Nonprofits may want it to bring in volunteers or donations. If you’re only the manager of a single department in a larger organization, maybe you’re doing a newsletter to let the rest of the company know that you’re doing a great job or offering more services—thereby justifying more hires or a bigger budget.

When you develop content, constantly ask yourself if it supports your bottom line.

Check Twice, Send Once

For many companies, particularly smaller ones, an e-newsletter may be the only way they stick in their customers’ minds.

It should go without saying that it should look professional and come without spelling mistakes or broken links that land people in cyberspace dead-ends. Before you pull the trigger and launch your message into hundreds or thousands of inboxes, send a test copy to your yourself and have a second pair of eyes look it over to ensure all is in order. —Lee Gimpel