While marketing trends continue to tap into ongoing advances in technology, email marketing— especially newsletters—is still an essential component of effective B2B marketing plans. In fact 93% of B2B marketers use email to distribute content. Additionally, 86% of professionals prefer to use email when communicating about business matters. A consistent company newsletter is one of the best ways for companies to share news, expertise and other relevant information with clients, prospects, employees and other subscribers—especially if it’s done right. To help you maximize the ROI from your newsletter, here is a list of 18 tips to consider. How many of them are you using?

Email Newsletter Tips

1. Continually build your subscriber list. In addition to prospects and customers, invite peers, colleagues, vendors and other stakeholders to sign up for your newsletter. Add a popup on your website to facilitate sign-ups.
2. Do a test run before distributing to your list. Send your email to yourself and your team first to ensure emails are properly formatted, edited and optimized. Be sure to test any links you are including in the body of the email.
3. Use automated platforms to distribute your newsletter. Constant Contact, Survey Monkey and others make distribution fast and easy and enable you to segment, manage and track subscribers’ engagement.
4. Utilize graphics, images, statistics and interactive content to drive engagement. Incorporate royalty-free images to add interest and reinforce your brand.
5. Deliver valuable and relevant insights. Demonstrate thought leadership and address the challenges of your target markets. Avoid self-promotional content. Keep content simple, and focus on the needs of readers.
6. Produce your newsletter consistently. Use a content calendar or automated scheduler to make sure your newsletter is not an initiative that falls through the cracks.
7. Add a call to action at the end of your newsletters. It will encourage readers to engage and interact with your company.
8. Establish a consistent voice when developing content. By intent, it will increase readability.
9. Optimize emails for mobile users. Mobile opens account for 46 percent of all email opens.
10. Personalize content when possible. When appropriate, use an individual’s or company name. Segment lists and distribute targeted content based on known interests and previous engagement.
11. Give subscribers the option to determine how many and what kind of emails they’ll receive from your company. It’s the law to include an opt-out option in every email. But also give your recipients the option to hear from you more or less frequently, based on their preference for communication.
12. Send emails at high engagement times. Traditionally, the best times to email newsletters are weekdays Tuesday through Thursday, from 8-10 in the mornings. However, some companies choose weekends to set themselves apart from the pack and lessen competition.
13. Devote time to creating interest generating subject lines. It’s well worth the effort to test different subject lines with various target markets. Use A and B testing to determine effectiveness. Subject lines that resonate will increase open rates.
14. Use marketing content across platforms. For example, make sure newsletters link to new content on your website or re-purpose content from articles, white papers and customer success stories in your newsletters.
15. Reward loyal subscribers. Offer exclusive content, special pricing or other incentives for being loyal followers.
16. Encourage readers to share content. Include links that make it easy for subscribers share or like your content on social media as well as through traditional channels. This  generates more visibility in the marketplace.
17. Humanize your brand. Share successes, testimonials, and employee features. Gamify emails with interactive content to boost engagement.
18. Test, test, test. Email marketing is an art and a science. Continue to fine-tune your approach and content to see what most resonates with your target market. Remember to measure and analyze results on a regular basis.

Communicating Through Email Newsletters

Remember, the purpose of email newsletters isn’t to overwhelm readers. It’s more about providing consistently valuable, meaningful and relevant information at the right time. Email newsletters are one of the easiest ways to communicate with prospects and customers. However, they are one of the most difficult types of communication to get right. When successful, e-newsletters can increase engagement, boost brand awareness and drive new leads into the sales funnel. For a complimentary review or evaluation of your current newsletter, please contact Trade Press Services at 805 496-8850 or send an email to [email protected].