Many people receive at least one e-mail newsletter every day. They are sometimes chatty, sometimes informative, sometimes useless dispatches originating from customers, competitors and, often, total strangers. They contain articles, promotions, ads – and links to more articles, promotions and ads.
Experience shows that when an e-letter is well-researched, well-written and loaded with fresh, interesting information, people look forward to its arrival. On the other hand, when e-newsletters are dull, unsolicited and laden with information of minimal interest, receivers curse the senders and regret the day e-mail was invented after promptly deleting these messages.
With e-mail costing a fraction of what it takes to print and mail hard copies, and the bonus of access to accurate and quick feedback, it's easy to see why a lot of small companies are embracing e-letters.
As a result, landscape contractors who take iMakeNews.com’s Kathleen Goodwin’s recommended e-newsletter tips can gain client recognition instead of losing their loyalty.
· Shop around. Before settling on the outfit you will entrust with the responsibility of sending your e-letter, do your homework. Some mass e-mailers do nothing more than distribute whatever it is that you provide. Others will help you find subscribers and manage your mailing list. Still others provide templates, allowing you to simply plug content into the blanks. And remember, the e-mailer you choose should be able to provide detailed statistics and analysis to help you determine how the newsletter is being received and whether it's a cost-effective marketing tool.
· No surprises. Content should be germane, timely and expected to avoid having your message confused with the spam flooding people's inboxes. First ask customers if they would like to receive your newsletter, and then provide a link so that signing up is a matter of a simple click. Include a prominently displayed "opt out" link.
· Make it worthwhile. You can include new product information, market data you've collected, quick polls, the opinions of your staff experts and surveys. Carefully crafted polls also invite customer feedback – which you can feature in follow-up e-letters – and prompt questions about your company or products.
· Mutual benefit. From the sender's perspective, an effective e-letter provides insights about customers and helps shape a profile of the target market. However, don't use your e-letter as an in-your-face promotions tool or repetitive customer-service message. Instead, make sure it contains value-added information to make it worth your customers' while.
· To the point. You don't need tons of content – but you do need to produce your newsletter on a regular basis. Send out the newsletter no less than once per quarter. Ideal frequency is once or twice per month.
· Monitor the reception. A good e-marketing firm should also be able to tell you which articles your customers are reading first, second, last and not at all. Also, how much time they're spending with it and whether they are forwarding it to someone else. This is all valuable information that should help you decide if your investment in e-marketing is paying off.
· Be polite and secure. Look for an e-marketing firm that sends only permission-based, opt-in e-mails – and never considers selling your customer lists to third parties. Don't send an e-letter as an attachment: Too many people are justifiably fearful of contracting computer viruses by opening attachments. Also, overdone graphics complicate the letter – keep it simple so the message doesn’t lock up clients’ computers.
The author is Managing Editor for Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at nwisniewski@lawnandlandscape.com.