Some of my service providing clients didn't initially understand the value of producing a monthly email newsletter, until they saw for themselves the amazing results. The impact of a well put-together newsletter is impressive, more often than not resulting in significantly higher website visits and many new requests for appointments and/or queries for services.

So, why don't more small businesses and healthcare providers use newsletters? My suspicion is that it starts with having no idea for what to write about. Coming up with interesting news articles can be a challenge when you're busy dealing with customers, patients and clients every day. This is why it's far better to hire someone outside of the business who is gifted at writing, knows how to research and is tuned into what people want to read about.

Email marketing can be an extremely effective way to share information and encourage company and client interactions. It's by far the best way to build a community of supporters. Email newsletters are a great way to keep clients, patients and social followers updated on what's going on with an organization, to present news related to your field of expertise and to share information about the work you do. An email communication strategy can be a very effective addition to your existing online marketing mix, in fact I think it's imperative for any growing business to have a monthly newsletter.

The Great Tenets of a Email Newsletter

Newsletter Articles Need to Live on Your Website

I don't know how many email newsletters I get every day that contain 500 words of a winding topic, obviously something important to the sender, but not very compelling to the reader. This type of newsletter essentially lives and dies in that email window. And more often then not, they die with the click of the delete button. No matter what you're trying to convey in a newsletter that information needs to be compelling and brief with links that take the reader to your website, where the full story lives. Without this sort of 'call to action' directing people to your website, writing a newsletter is pretty much a waste of time.

Newsletters Are Newsy

Like you, I get a fair number of newsletters by email every day. Unlike you, I scrutinize every one of those newsletters, looking for what works and what doesn't work. The first thing about any newsletter is that it needs to be attractive and second thing is, it needs to deliver news. There needs to be something interesting to pull the reader into the content. This usually includes a striking photo, a good headline and a couple of sentences about your article that is guaranteed to leave them wanting to read more. Every newsletter should contain brief intros to at least 3 main articles - news about your business, news that expands on your expertise or industry, trends in your field or helpful tips and tricks. People respond more positively when they feel like they can get something for 'free', even if it's just good information.

Newsletters Give Easy Access to Your Products & Services

Unless your business is selling specific products rather than services, there should be no hard sell in a newsletter. Newsletters that shout at the reader out of some kind of desperation or a relenting need to 'sell' will end up experiencing the dreaded 'delete' quicker than you can say, 'But wait! There's more!' Try to remember that the people who subscribe to your newsletter are your community. These are 'your peeps'. They trust you and they want to feel valued and part of something greater. This is not to say you can't provide information that will lead to sales, it just means you need to be subtle about how you do that. One way to do that is by including a roundup of links to your website where they can learn more about practitioners, providers or special offers and services.

Say Something Nice

It's always a good idea to brag about yourself by ending your newsletter with a patient comment, client testimonial or product review. A positive note from a person who has had a good experience with your business or service helps to instill confidence in the reader who will be automatically compelled to dig a little deeper into what you have to offer. These need to be upbeat as well as short and to the point.

If you own a small practice or business and are interested in learning more about how to set up a newsletter, feel free to use my online request form.