Many small business owners have a love-hate relationship with their newsletter. On one end, they understand its value but on the other, they don’t like having to put in the work to make it happen.
In any case, here are 7 good reasons why your newsletter should become your best friend.
1. A newsletter gives you access to an email list.
In Canada, the rules around spamming are very strict. Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) dictates what you can and cannot do. At the very least, you need to get implied consent from the people you are contacting, and in many cases, express consent.
But don’t let that scare or discourage you. Follow the rules, learn a few (honest!) strategies to gather email addresses and you’ll do fine!
2. It allows you to stay connected with your audience.
Staying in contact with past, current and potential customers is the best thing you can do. You know the drill. Someone walks in your store – “I’m just browsing!”. Another person asks you for a quote but is not quite ready to commit. It takes time and effort to convert. And sometimes, it’s just about timing. You want to be top of mind when the day comes that your client is actually ready.
3. It helps you gain customers’ trust and loyalty and increases your chances of repeat business.
A customer who purchases your product or service might love it so much that he or she will come back for more – it’s just a matter of time. But we all need a little push every now and then and your newsletter can help clients come back faster.
This being said, trust doesn’t always come easily and some customers might be on the fence about purchasing from you again. You need to earn that trust and It takes time. Having a newsletter allows you to share bits and pieces about your business that might prove convincing in the long run and earn you lifelong customers.
4. It helps position your business as the leader or the authority.
In the same way, your newsletter is an opportunity to demonstrate your value and to educate your audience. Whether it’s by explaining why your product is better quality or how you keep yourself abreast of the industry, a newsletter gives you a chance to offer more in-depth information and therefore position your business as the authority.
5. It’s a quick and inexpensive tool that can reach many people.
A newsletter with a decent email list allows you to reach many people in no time. Looking to promote a last-minute sale? Forget about printing a flyer or placing an ad in the paper! These methods can be time-consuming and very costly. A good CRM like Mailchimp will make it that much easier and will only run you a few bucks a month if you choose the paid version.
6. It can be personalized.
Personalizing emails is a way for you to show your customers that you care while also generating additional opportunities for your business. You can personalize it with the recipient’s name but can also tailor the actual content to his or hers interests and needs, based on previous purchases, surveys or web browsing habits.
Personalizing your newsletter will generate more interactions with your content, increase customer satisfaction towards your actual newsletter, increase open rates of future newsletters and provide you with valuable data about your audience.
7. It generates traffic on your website.
A newsletter should always direct readers to your website, even if you don’t have an online store. Whether you want to increase views on your latest blog post, ask people for feedback or advertise your upcoming event, more website traffic increases your ranking in search engines and shows that your website is relevant. People don’t necessarily think of visiting your website over and over if they are not prompted to do so.
Your newsletter should also include links to your social media so that customers can follow you and interact with you on different platforms.
