I know…I feel your pain! It can be SUCH a challenge for creative entrepreneurs like you and me to keep up with all the things we need to do to keep our business in front of our list, on social media, in our blogs. The good news? With just a little planning, you can tie it all together into a cohesive, very doable process and execute at regular intervals.
Can you manage once-a-week? Great! Start there. Just write a blog post, send the same information out in your newsletter (link to the post), and share it on all your social media channels–done! For this, you will see results.
Your email newsletter–well, it’s critical. Why? Because it’s without question the best and most direct communication tool you have for your business. The only thing that comes close is the telephone, and I would argue email is better because it’s read when the receiver wants to read it, not when you happen to call.
Your list is full of people who have given you permission to email them. They actually want to hear from you. They’re interested in what you have to say, and they don’t want to forget about you. If they aren’t opening your newsletter you’re missing something… So how do you make them want to open it?
- Know Thy List. Who are these precious people who’ve given you permission to visit them in their inbox? What are their problems? How can you solve them? This is what you write about in your newsletter.
- Make a List of Topics. Now that you know who your people are, you know what to talk about. If you make a list of topics ahead of time, you won’t have to scramble at the last minute to come up with an idea for your newsletter.
Ken Mahar, Founder and CEO of Email Broadcast, says, “The #1 Insider Secret is to create 100 content ideas after defining your audience. That way you’re never scrambling at the last minute.”(Psst: If you want to learn 4 more of Ken’s email marketing insider secrets, I highly recommend you hop on over to his website and join his list–he knows his stuff).
- Capture Attention with a Snappy Headline. Make sure it explains the problem you’re solving using short, sweet, and powerful words. Use a free tool like the Advanced Marketing Institute’s headline analyzer to help make sure your headline is effective.
- Send Consistently. Your people will expect to hear from you (and look forward to it!) if you send your newsletter out at the same time every week (or whatever interval you can manage). I know from experience after taking a year offline for family, it takes a while to build your momentum back up after you’ve lost it. You don’t have to send once a week, either. If once a month works better for you, do that.
In fact, according to Ken Mahar, “Less is usually more. It’s better to send out COMPELLING content once a month, than just “get something out” every week.”Just do your best to stay consistent. You’ll see it pay off in increased opens and engagement–stay the course.
- Keep it Short, Sweet + High Quality. Maybe you’re just sending a link to your most recent post with an excerpt. Maybe you’re sharing a tip that your people need to be aware of. Whatever it is, it doesn’t need to be long. People are busy just like you, so don’t feel pressured to write the Great American Novel. Just offer up some good content and be authentic (show up in what you share–let them know it’s you–your brand–your voice–you get the idea), and you’re golden.
That’s it. Simple right? Just a little planning and follow through and you’re good to go. If you have ideas to add to this list, by all means share them in the comments!
Need help with your email marketing? Reach out to Ken at Email Broadcast–he’ll hook you up. And of course, if you want to talk web design + strategy…I’m your girl. Give me a shout! Enjoy the rest of your week and I’ll catch you online!
Hey there! Thanks for stopping by! I’d love to connect, so drop me a line here or shoot me an email at norma [at] connectinteractivellc [dot] com. If you like what you’re reading, be sure and subscribe or sign-up just below for email updates so you don’t miss a thing!
By the Way… If you like what you read today, you’ll love this post: 5 Reasons Twitter Wins Best Social Media Platform for Busy Entrepreneurs!
The post Create Email Newsletters People Actually Want to Open appeared first on Connect Interactive.