Newsletters play a significant role in businesses and the way they engage with their customers. Cost-effective, economical and most importantly, a revenue generator, newsletters are a great way to spread the word about your brand online.
Did you know? For every one dollar spent on an emailer strategy, businesses can enjoy up to $38 in revenue! After all, the staggering 3,800% ROI is a good number to start with!
So, if you’re someone who’s looking to sell online using newsletters, it is crucial that you create them with an engaging and interesting theme. With the average office worker receiving up to 121 emails a day, it is important that your newsletter must stands out for the reader to click on it.
That’s where good templates can make such a big difference! By choosing a template that suits your brand, you can send your messages across while creating a brand identity of your own in this domain.
Don’t have enough time to build your newsletters from scratch? Check out our own set of 1,500 free e-mail templates that you can choose from. We’re also up for your suggestions, so share your favourite email templates in the comments below.
Now, let’s learn all about newsletters, and how you can create one for your business to get the traction you require online.
What Is a Newsletter Email?
A newsletter email is an email sent out by brands or companies with an agenda to advertise about themselves or push offers. These agendas include pushing offers, launching new products, informing customers about their purchase, recommending products and in general, talking about the brand to the customer.
Brands online have managed to create entire marketing campaigns around newsletters as they can bring in a sizeable chunk of revenue. These brands tailor their campaigns in a way which is intriguing enough for customers to click on and head to the website. Leading content marketing agency, Brafton was able to increase its subscriber list by 532%, because of its effective newsletter marketing. So, you know it’s a legitimate success story!
With the help of newsletter emails, you (as a brand) can push products which customers could potentially purchase and engage further. Now, the question is – how often your newsletters be sent to your target groups to maintain a good brand recall? Let’s find out.
Why Send A Weekly/Bi-Weekly Newsletter?
To stay relevant!
With intense competition on digital media, staying in the mind of the consumer is crucial. How to do that? By giving them engaging content that doesn’t just push offers and products, but acts as a reflection of your brand’s values and identity.
If you can successfully get consumers to click on your newsletters, which include blogs, you know they have a higher chance of purchasing when you push out an offer. While recent reports suggest that the majority of the companies have 4% or lesser click-through rate, how will you ensure that your newsletter stands out in your customer’s inbox? It all boils down to the format you choose!
A Text-Based Newsletter or An Image-Based Newsletter – Which One Should You Choose?
Two of the most commonly used newsletters are image-based and text-based. Depending on what the agenda of your emailer is, you can make a call. For instance, if you’re a cosmetics brand launching a new product, then an image-based newsletter is a great way to let consumers know about it.
Beautiful shots of your product, coupled with nice backgrounds, are always going to catch the eye of the consumer in this regard. After all, an image-based newsletter does enjoy a 42% higher click-through rate over text-based newsletter.
While the above statistics may seem to be reassuring to deal with, image-based newsletters can backfire if the right template isn’t used. You must double or triple-check the alignment of these photographs and ensure that they do not enter the email of your customer in a skewed format.
Also, image-based newsletters are bulkier in size and could take time to open. In most cases, certain spam filters suspect image links to be spammy and could automatically send your emailer to spam.
This is where text-based newsletter can be a smart move, especially for brands starting out. Text-based newsletters are a great way to send a message across in a matter of a few words. HubSpot’s recent evaluation of analyzing 500 million emails has revealed that text-based emails have 5.3% greater click-through rates, resulting in an increase of 30% or more clicks.
Amazing, right?
Confused on which format to go ahead with? Aim for a perfect blend of image + text. However, if you are a newbie on to the arena of newsletter marketing, we suggest opting for Text-based emailers. They are a better way to test out what your customers like – offers or aesthetics.
Now that we know which format to choose for your newsletter. It’s equally important to know the crucial elements that every newsletter campaign should contain for making it a success!
Basic Prerequisites for A Newsletter Campaign:
Newsletters are used not just to generate leads but also to sell and keep customers interested. To make sure that your newsletter is a hit amongst your target group, here’s what you need:
- A relevant email list – Relevant Email lists help you target the right customer at the right time. Create relevant email lists, and you’ll be able to generate better results through targeting. With time, you’ll be able to guarantee purchases by sending the right emails at the right time.
Start segregating your customers into smaller lists based on action points. Sending emailers on behaviours like – Add to Cart, Products viewed and so on, is also a great way to know if they’ll respond positively to a certain newsletter.
- Good content – This is the crux of any newsletter and is pretty much a no-brainer. Get your creative team together and create content that will please readers rather than annoy.
Want to take some inspiration from the best? Check out Airbnb’s newsletters which have been effective enough to get customers to book a holiday! Here are a few other brands who have leveraged mailers to get them business.
- A proven high converting template – It’s always good to use templates which have a proven track record of being successful. Don’t take risks at an early stage as your first impression from an emailer perspective matters a lot.
Search through various templates and select the one which has a higher chance of converting. Mix it up with different styles till you find a template that works for you.
Planning on building a newsletter but confused about which one to choose? Do not fret, because we have listed out the top 7 examples of the best newsletter emails in the market, making your job of creating a perfect newsletter – easy breezy!
Seven Examples of Great Newsletter Emails:
There are different types of newsletters, so finding the one that works best for you needs a bit of research. Here are some great examples of newsletters which make you stop and pay attention.
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Creating Intrigue and FOMO:
This emailer is excellent because it catches your attention and talks about a mystery flash sale. By creating a FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) premise, it makes customers click and explore as they probably will be tempted to know more. Such newsletters play with the curiosity of the customer who wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity at hand!
Minimal colours are always a hit as they draw more attention towards the messaging.
Using icons (such as the above) helps in immediately connecting with a specific header as it gives it more relevance. It also makes reading the rest of the content easier as you can associate it with an image which sticks in mind longer than text.
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Sending Welcome Emailers:
Welcome emailers help customers feel happy and wanted. Giving new subscribers an offer code on joining your site is also a proven technique to get more traction. It prompts the customers to be more interested in purchasing at a lower rate.
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Using Colour Cues All the Way:
Using the right colour cues makes it easier for customers to enjoy a more aesthetic feel to the mailer, making it more pleasant to the eye. By creating a colourful presence, you nudge the interest of the customer who has a higher potential to click.
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Don’t Be Afraid To Keep Your Newsletter Brief:
A brief but informative newsletter that briefly encapsulates everything it needs to say is by far much more appreciated. In this fast-moving world, everyone loves to get to know everything at that very pace. So why not? Additionally, this is a newsletter that can be easily read on any screen or device.
Leave Enough White Space in Your Newsletter Layout:
Despite the amount of content your article has, make sure to leave a good amount of white space within your newsletter. This helps the layout look neat, organized and draws the reader’s attention to specific points. With all of that white space, the text is easier to read from any device.
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Use Topical Days to Your Advantage:
Topical days are a great way to get people to purchase as they’re always looking forward to holidays. Reminding them or having a great sale on those days make it easier for you to engage and sell your products to them.
Now that you have got a cue on creating a newsletter that can work in your favour, it’s time to choose the template that fits your bill. Here are some of the best sites we’ve curated for getting excellent templates for all your newsletter needs:
SendX: With SendX, you’ll be able to grab up to 1,500 FREE templates to launch your newsletters! These templates have been tried and tested and have helped many brands get themselves off the ground with regards to their digital marketing campaigns and more.
Want to know the best deal? Along with the variety of choices available, you can also try and test all the templates as you want before finding the one that works!
Some of its most notable templates are suitable for:
- Product Launches
- Announcements
- Retargeting emails and more
Litmus: Litmus is another popular site which enables you to not just design and build, but tests emails as well. This platform has been tested and used popularly and has garnered a reputation in the market. With up to 39 responsive templates to choose from, you can select the template that will work for your brand.
Some of its most notable templates are suitable for:
- Product Launches
- Receipts
- Announcements
- Stationery
Themezy: This is a site which allows for direct download of your templates and ensures that you’re able to choose templates precisely for your need. Apart from product announcements, they also have beautiful themes for E-Commerce, allowing you to mix your newsletter templates a bit.
Some of its most notable templates are suitable for:
- Emailer templates
- E-Commerce templates
- Product launches
99 Designs: An excellent platform for you to outsource your work, 99 Designs helps you connect to some of the best and talented designers in the industry. They’ll ensure that you get your newsletters in the dimensions that you need and also choose among many pre-existing newsletter templates as well.
Some of its most notable templates are suitable for:
- Emailer designs
- Product launches
- HTML templates
Email Octopus: Head on to this platform if you’re looking to choose between free HTML templates without having to go through a big catalogue. Two great templates, lesser the hassle, easier your work! 🙂
Some of its most notable templates are suitable for:
Product launches
Sale Events
Conclusion
We hope that now you are all set to launch your newsletter that will convert and help you gain the sales you need. With time, you’ll notice that newsletter planning and execution is a fun activity. It not only helps people form a perception of your brand but also generate revenue to keep the juggernaut on!
Want to check out more options for your email marketing needs? Get the best Mailchimp alternatives which will help you get your fledgeling business off the ground! All the best!