Don’t Let Your E-Newsletter Suffer From New Years Resolutions

It’s the first week of a new year, and it seems like everyone is involved with some type of self-examination. Setting goals or declaring New Year’s resolutions is very common.

One remark I’ve already heard a number of times is:

“I’m going to reduce my inbox clutter, by unsubscribing to many of the emails and e-newsletters I get.”

If you’re involved in email marketing, it can make you cringe to hear those types of remarks. But face it, we’re all overwhelmed by too much email. That means you need to work harder to keep your readership.

To avoid your e-newsletter from getting the ax:

• Make sure the content is relevant to your readers. Give them something they want. It may be tips, or coupons, or information they can’t get anywhere else.
• Consider the frequency of emails that you send. Usually the number one complaint with email marketing is that it is too frequent and begins to annoy the reader. We realize that e-newsletters generate sales, get the phones ringing, etc. but make sure you don’t overdo it.
• Make sure it looks professional. Use a professional design, and always have someone proofread your text. Messy emails are like a minor irritation to your reader every time they drop into their inbox.
• Don’t just focus on you, focus on your reader. Share information about yourself and your services or products in a way that is interesting to them.

The bottom line is that people still appreciate well-thought out e-newsletters, but are paring down any that are not worth their time.

Finally, remember that a smaller email list is not always a bad thing. As long as your target market is still receiving your emails, reducing your overall list size may actually work out in your favor.