With budgets taking a hard hit these days, online marketers are reverting back to e-newsletters as a viable way in which to keep in front of customers. But how do you know if your impending e-newsletter campaign will be relevant or effective?

Simply, make it worthy.

The single most important way you can improve your e-newsletter performance is to increase relevance through greater use of segmentation and dynamic content.¹

Focus on defined goals. Although open rates are important, consider concentrating on business-focused goals. E-newsletters provide brand exposure, company awareness against competitors and an opportunity to soft-sell.

Create trust. Trust drives everything from the initial opt-in to engagement and on through preference updates and even unsubscribing. If your e-newsletter-related processes and messages don't create trust, recipients will unsubscribe – and even worse, virally complain to others.  

Communicate-don’t sell. E-newsletters are as close to a one-on-one conversation as you'll get with your customers. You have more to say than just "buy from us." Customers want and expect more from their relationship with you – specifically content that is important to them.

Measure, measure, measure. Integrating e-newsletters with Web analytics and other behavioral data will pay off in more relevant content, engagement and ultimately conversion.

In summary, e-newsletters should contain useful, relevant content and reflects what it's like to do business with your company. The e-newsletter should focus on solidifying relationships with your clients and prospects over the long term, not on hard sales and quick promotions.

Source: 

¹ Forrester Research, March, 2009

Best

Denice MacDonald