It’s easy to overlook the importance of a newsletter in your small business. After all, there’s a dozen or more other marketing channels that are yelling for your time. Social media, Google search ads, SEO content, referrals and reviews, and more; they all feel like the priority in the fast-paced business world that’s clambering for attention.

However, a newsletter is more than a marketing channel. It’s a ready-built customer base. Unlike social media, you own your list of followers. Those subscribers are customers and potential customers compiled in a form that you have complete control over. It’s a way to build direct relationships with people who have already expressed an interest in your business.

Why Newsletters Are So Valuable for Small Businesses

For all intents and purposes, you own the relationship with your subscriber list. You will not find that anywhere else in your marketing channels. Newsletters don’t depend on an algorithm, like social media. Your newsletter isn’t owned by another company and vulnerable to being taken down, spammed with bots, or presented to people who have no interest in your work.

If you are consistent, a newsletter keeps your business top-of-mind with potential customers. Your business stays relevant so you are the first choice when they are ready to buy. It sets you up as the authority in your field and builds trust over time.

Newsletters are also a primary source for repeat business. Existing customers are your easiest audience to market additional services, new products, maintenance, seasonal needs, and upcoming promotions. Plus, it can increase website traffic, which is invaluable for e-commerce.

Arguably one of the greatest advantages of newsletters is the information it provides you about your customer and client base. Email analytics on your regularly scheduled newsletters can give you a detailed look at what your customers are interested in, what works and what doesn’t, and demographics that can guide your business and promotional practices.

A Newsletter Shouldn’t Be All About Selling

One of the biggest mistakes small businesses make with newsletters is making every one about the sale. When every newsletter you send out is nothing more than a sales pitch, subscribers quickly learn that opening your emails are not particularly valuable. Instead of keeping your customers apprised on the latest deal, this “constant sales pitch” becomes the reason why your open rate tanks.

Instead, what you want to do is focus on a value-add approach. Think about the ratio of value to promotion. What can you provide that makes your newsletter worth opening? You are looking to help, educate, entertain, or inform…before you sell. Provide the value before you give them the deal.

And keep in mind that every newsletter doesn’t need to result in a sale. Your main focus is building a relationship with your customer. You want to give them something that will keep them coming back to your business because they know you and trust the service or products you provide.

What Should a Small Business Put in Its Newsletter?

So, if you’re not constantly selling in your newsletter, what should your newsletters be about? And how do you organize it so that it provides more value than promotion?

Below are content ideas and a basic format plan to help you build a better newsletter:

Content Ideas:

• Provide Helpful Tips: Consider ones that solve a common customer problem.
• A Look Behind the Scenes: Show your customers the people and the processes behind your business.
• FAQs: Answer questions your customers frequently ask.
• Case Studies: Show how you helped a customer or client.
• Seasonal Advice: Provide timely recommendations.
• Customer Stories: Highlight successes and experiences.
• Blog Content: Direct readers to useful website articles.
• New Products / Services: Tell customers what’s changed.
• Special Offers: When you do give a promotion, make sure some of them are ‘subscriber only’ special deals as an incentive to stay on the list.
• Industry Insights: Explain something customers might not understand.

The 5-Part Newsletter Template

1. Personal Opening: Something relevant to the business, season, or customer base
2. Helpful Information: One useful tip, answer, or insight
3. Supporting Content: Link to a blog post, resource, video, product, etc. that ties into your opening or helpful information
4. Relevant Offer: Mention a product, service, event, or promotion when appropriate
5. Call to Action: Tell readers what to do next

How Often Should a Small Business Send a Newsletter?

Business owners often wonder how frequently they should send out a newsletter. While it can depend on the business or industry you are in, there isn’t one magic frequency that businesses should follow. Whether it’s weekly, every other week, or monthly, the important thing to remember is consistency. For example, if you plan to send out a newsletter twice a month, set yourself a regular schedule like the second and fourth Monday of each month. And stick to it!

A good rule to consider: Choose a schedule you can realistically maintain. For those who are just starting a newsletter (or your newsletter has been sporadic), once or twice a month is typically a very manageable starting point. As long as you are consistent with your schedule of releases, you will still be building a relationship with your audience.

How to Get People to Sign Up

For many of us, the problem with newsletters isn’t how to build them and when to send them out, but how to get people to sign up for our newsletter in the first place. There are several avenues to gather email addresses from interested parties, some of which you may not have considered.

On Your Website

We all probably have that little place at the bottom of our homepage asking people if they want to sign up for our newsletter. But you shouldn’t stop there. Have your newsletter signup be a consistent part of multiple pages, not just in tiny print at the bottom in the footer. Make sure it has a visible place on your homepage, blog page, and contact page.

And set up a dedicated newsletter sign-up page, as well. A QR code on printed material can direct customers directly to that page. Plus, consider an exit-intent or sign-up pop-up that is designed to show when a visitor moves to exit the site. They may not be ready to commit now, but they may be interested enough to want to know more.

In Person

Don’t be afraid to ask customers to join your newsletter list. Make it a regular part of customer interactions, like checkouts or events. It should also always be a part of any printed materials you give out with information about your business.

On Social Media

You may not own your audience on social media, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it to build a more permanent audience. Use social posts to encourage people to move from someone who follows you to someone you can communicate with directly.

Give People a Reason to Subscribe

Instead of the generic, “Join our newsletter” …try offering something a little more meaningful. You could provide a discount, but the incentive doesn’t necessarily have to be a discount or promotion. A phrase such as, “Get our monthly small business marketing tips delivered straight to your inbox,” could garner just as much leverage. Knowledge frequently trumps savings, especially if your potential customer isn’t ready to buy.

The Importance of Privacy and Permission

In our world economy, it is worth noting that small businesses have to be aware of privacy and permission policies for newsletters. And they vary from country to country. For example: The EU’s privacy policies are much more stringent than those in the US.

That being said, here are some simple guidelines to help you avoid potential problems down the road:

• No matter your sign-up method, people should voluntarily subscribe.
• Don’t purchase random email lists. These are typically scraped without permission and likely few are your ideal potential customer.
• Don’t automatically add people without appropriate permission. This can erode trust.
• Make unsubscribing easy.
• Use an established email marketing platform.
• Follow applicable email marketing and privacy laws.

Common Newsletter Mistakes to Avoid

Here’s a quick checklist you’ll want to keep handy for your small business newsletter:

Start Small: You Don’t Need a Perfect Newsletter

There are many things about having a small business that can seem overwhelming, but your newsletter doesn’t have to be one of them. You don’t need a huge email list, a professional copywriter, a newsletter a week, elaborate graphics, and hours of content creation.

All you need is an audience, some useful information, and consistency. After that, you simply need to allow yourself room to grow.

Just starting out? Here’s a simple plan to get started:

• Month One: Create a signup form and email template
• Month Two: Send the first newsletter
• Month Three: Look at what readers engaged with and make adjustments in next newsletter
• Month Four and Beyond: Continue to improve based on what you learn each month

Note about leveling up your newsletter

For established newsletters, sometimes it makes sense to periodically upgrade the look and feel of your template. Adding a fresh look to the graphics, title, and layout, based on feedback, can keep your newsletter appealing and prevent it from looking dated.

However, avoid doing this too often. Frequent changes can destroy trust value and the connection your customers have with your brand. Look to lightly refresh the visuals every twelve to eighteen months. A substantial redesign of your template is recommended every two to three years, depending on your industry.

Build an Audience You Can Take with You

It’s good to remember that, as useful as social media and advertising is at getting our businesses in front of new people, your newsletter is the only marketing channel that gives you a direct line to people who have chosen to hear from you. It’s a permission-based audience who are interested in what you do.

And interested people are your warm market. They are those who are most likely to become customers, repeat customers, and referral leads for your business. Need help building a sign-up page on your website or a template for your newsletter? We’d love to discuss design and website options that fit your business!