How to take control of your company messaging
In the world of digital communication, there is a lot of noise. Just think about your news feed on Facebook. And if you are one of the many dabbling in social media advertising, you learn really fast that if you want people to see your content, you have to be prepared to pay. But there is another way to get your target audience into the right hands—with a company newsletter.
Now more than ever, e-mail marketing should be a staple component of a business communication strategy. It is the only form of communication that allows you to control the messaging, distribution and confirm that it gets in front of the right people. While not every recipient will open every email you send, it's a fantastic way to stay top of mind for your customers—so then when they are ready to pull the trigger, you are right in their inbox.
To start a company email list, you have to capture email addresses. There are so many great ways to do this, from an opt-in on your home page, to a pop-up on your blog. If you want to create a surge in registries, then create a raffle, survey or giveaway that requires people to add their email addresses to enter. Have each form link back to your email database to keep the list growing. As for databases, I like MailChimp and Constant Contact, but there are many great options.
As for distribution, a monthly newsletter is a great place to start. Pick a consistent date to send one out and stick with it, like the first or last day of the month. Your readers will appreciate hearing from you on a regular bassi, so if the open rates are high and the process seems manageable, we suggest that you increase the sends up to weekly.
If you're wondering how to keep newsletter content fresh and interesting, use your editorial calendar to help you populate the content. Include recent blog posts, links to your social media pages, and then a unique fact or piece of information that is exclusive to your newsletter readers. This could be industry news, upcoming promotions or a special quote. The key is to compartmentalize the communication so it is formulaic to produce, but not redundant for your readers.
When launching a company e-newsletter, remember to keep the communication regular and always try to grow your list. This is the best way of directly communicating with your fans, followers and target audience, without having to pay a premium for engagement. Plus, as Marie Forleo, founder of B-School, likes to say: if any of the big social media platforms disappear, you will still have your internal contact list. #Winning.
For information on how to write or distribute your company newsletter, let's YAK.
About Yakkety Yak
Yakkety Yak LLC is a Chicago-based full-service content marketing company that produces custom written content for businesses, including blogs, website copy, case studies, newsletters, social media marketing, public relations and more. We want to be an extension of your marketing team to help you connect to end users and decision influencers, based on the principle of one common voice, for one target audience. Ready to get started? Let's Yak.