4 Secrets to a Successful Newsletter

by / ⠀Startup Advice / December 3, 2012

These days too many businesses are making the critical mistake of leaving money on the table.  Potential customers that would have inevitably purchased your products and services in the future visit your site, disappear, and are never to be heard from again.

Unfortunately, this often has little to do with your actual company.  It’s a matter of consumers not remembering your site once they have left the computer.  Statistics show that the average customer does not buy products the first time he or she visits a website. Unless you happen to be a corporate mogul like Amazon, or have the catchiest domain name on the Internet, the average person will completely forget about the name of your site shortly after leaving it.  If he did not happen to make a purchase prior to leaving, they may never find you again.  This is money left on the table.

Then there are times when we do manage to make sales through the money we spend advertising and acquiring customers.  A sale is nice but we are losing out on the potential for follow up sales when we fail to keep in touch with our customer base.  These previously satisfied customers will be completely unaware of our new products, or even worse, forget we exist.

For all the reasons above, it is critical to create a newsletter that captures the email address of your potential customers.  This will enable you to stay in contact with your customers long after they have left your website or made their first purchase.

See also  All Students: Enter to Win $70,000 in the Tulane Business Plan Competition

In order to do so, we must create newsletters that give people a good reason to sign up.  People are wary of junk mail filling up their inboxes, so we must make the extra efforts to convince people.

Here are a few tips for creating a successful newsletter that people will want to sign up for:

1.)     Create a valuable coupon

Creating an exclusive discount that customers will receive only when they sign up for a newsletter is a sure fire way to get potential customers to sign up.  Everybody loves a bargain, so give people some motivation to fork over that email address.

 2.)     Provide useful information

The best way to establish a great relationship with customers is to provide useful information.  Nobody likes junk mail.  Providing quality content and useful coupons will build trust with your clients and establish positive relationships.  Even if you are just selling information in the forms of E-Books like I do, give away some of your secrets free of charge, and let clients know that you are the real deal.  Money is tight these days.  People want to know that they are spending their hard earned money on useful products, so show them you are an expert in your field.

3.)     Don’t spam your newsletters too often

Too many companies make the mistake of spamming their customers with endless newsletters and updates.  This won’t convince people to make purchases.  It will have the reverse effect and annoy your potential customers into unsubscribing.  Limit your newsletters to no more than once every two weeks.

See also  A Great Resource for Internet Business Owners And How Use To It Effectively

4.)     Give them a gift

These days customers want an incentive if they are being asked to do something.  So offer your customers a complimentary gift for joining your newsletter.  For example, I send my customers two free chapters of my E-Book every time they sign up.  Why?  This not only provides them with useful information, but also allows them to see how effective my products actually are.  Providing a gift is just another way to establish a positive relationship with your user base.

There you have it.  Four tips that will have people itching to sign up for your newsletter.  Just remember to make sure your material is good.  Customers should feel happy and look forward to getting your emails every week.  If not, there is a problem!

Joshua Pompey has providing help with online dating at a success rate of over 99%.  Click here to learn more about his risk free online dating guide, The REAL Online Game.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

About The Author

Matt Wilson

Matt Wilson is Co-Founder of Under30Experiences, a travel company for young people ages 21-35. He is the original Co-founder of Under30CEO (Acquired 2016). Matt is the Host of the Live Different Podcast and has 50+ Five Star iTunes Ratings on Health, Fitness, Business and Travel. He brings a unique, uncensored approach to his interviews and writing. His work is published on Under30CEO.com, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, Huffington Post, Reuters, and many others. Matt hosts yoga and fitness retreats in his free time and buys all his food from an organic farm in the jungle of Costa Rica where he lives. He is a shareholder of the Green Bay Packers.

x