Okay, dear readers, it’s time for some tough love. Ready?
Stop putting off your company newsletter. Whether you tried to do one, felt overwhelmed and gave up, or you’ve never believed that a well-constructed, well-written newsletter can benefit your business, it’s time to put all doubts aside and get started.
Still feel a pit in your stomach? Still don’t believe newsletters can strengthen your business? Let me ease your nausea and change your mind. Read on.
Internal newsletter benefits:
Rallies the troops. Busy, stressed out employees appreciate it when you acknowledge their hard work and long hours. Newsletters that motivate, excite and inform staff can result in happier employees…and therefore higher productivity.
Creates a cohesive community. Presenting the company’s message, goals and accomplishments keeps everybody on the same page. With a clear understanding of the corporate culture, folks will work together more effectively and present information to clients via a united front.
Gives a family feel. Humans feel more secure as a part of a group; it’s part of our nature. With the right items in your newsletter, you can really create camaraderie among your staff that will translate to loyalty, respect and support of your company and those within it.
So what will motivate, excite and inform your staff? Probably more than you realize. For instance, employee of the month or success stories will make your staff feel appreciated. New employee profiles and product initiatives will keep everyone abreast of new additions to the company. You can even let them know about upcoming events, good local deals or ways to relieve stress. Those are just a few suggestions.
And if you’re a large company, each division could have its own internal newsletter, so they can stay focused on their department initiatives while still participating in the company culture as a whole.
Has that pit subsided yet? Let’s move on to…
External newsletter benefits:
Puts your name in front of your customers…again and again. Even if they’ve only bought your product or used your service once, reminding your customers who you are keeps you fresh in their mind. The next time they – or one of their friends/colleagues need a service/product like yours, they’ll be more likely to pluck your name out of their memory.
Builds trust and a subtle bond. Remember how humans like to be a part of a group? That goes for your clients and customers as well. Your newsletter reminds them that they are considered part of your community and will be treated like family when doing business with you.
Creates customer retention. What follows from trust and bonding? Loyalty, of course. If you remind your customers on a consistent basis who you are and build trust in the relationship, then you’ve taught them that they can count on you every time. And they will come back. Again and again.
But just what the heck do you put in a newsletter to customers that doesn’t sound like you’re selling your company to them every time? You need to make the newsletter about them. You want to inform, help, alert and excite your target audience. So you might let them know about anything new in your company, from products and services to promotions or websites. You might have good advice on a topic in your industry. (eg: plumbers might have ideas about how to save water.) Or you just might have some great lifestyle ideas or local announcements. As long as it serves your customer base, you’ve achieved greatness with your newsletter.
How’s your stomach? Should be feeling quite settled now.
Why this copywriter likes newsletters:
The reason I personally like writing newsletters is because it gives me a chance to really get to know a company and be a part of their fold. (Yup, I’m human, so I like that community feel too.) I wrote a quarterly newsletter for a midsize theater company and loved it because I really got to know them. After the first newsletter, where I spent time learning about their mission, the types of productions they did and their outreach groups, I was ahead of the game for every subsequent newsletter. I knew their tone and overall culture and was able to weave their language into every new item I wrote. My understanding of their business made it easy for them to put out a newsletter each quarter and fun for me to write about a company that began to feel like an old friend. (The free theatre tickets were a plus, too!)
So guess what? Aside from being good for business, newsletters give you a chance to make people feel appreciated and informed, too. And that can really feel good. Isn’t that better than nausea and apprehension? Of course, it is.
Ah. I can see you’ve relaxed, dear reader. Consider this tough love session closed and your mind opened.
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