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Four Easy Steps to Turn Your Newsletter into a Powerful Marketing Tool

We’ve all received newsletters in the mail that we’ve instantly relegated to the trash can. But there are some that captivate us, ones we find inexplicably interesting and that draw us in.

What makes the difference? Why do some newsletters take us to a place of caring and involvement while others don’t make the cut past the “junk” pile?

The answer can transform your newsletter from a narrowly focused community circular into a valuable, far-reaching lead production tool.

Here are four easy steps to help transform your newsletter:

1. Define Your Purpose, Hook Your Reader
   
   Are you trying to reinforce your identity, overcome ill perceptions, encourage purchases? Tailor your articles to each specific purpose.
   
   Remember that no matter the subject, an article should offer a lead-in or headline that serves to hook the reader early on. Make headlines sound new and exciting so that readers will feel they are receiving exclusive information that others haven’t yet been allowed to receive. This will encourage them to continue to check your newsletter for proprietary or exclusive information that may benefit them and that they think they may not otherwise hear about.
   
   
2. Know Your Audience
   
   Before including an article, ask yourself what reader need it satisfies or what reader problem it solves. It could be direct — announcing a new fitness facility that will improve residents’ well being — or indirect — like an editorial tour of cultural events in your area that positions your community as a place where life is better than anywhere else.
   
   Remember to tailor your ideas to your readers’ lives.
   
   
3. Call Readers to Action: Tell Them How to Respond
   
   Ask readers to pass your newsletter along to an interested friend. Or include an attached business reply card in your newsletter to encourage reader response.
   
   If you are announcing a new neighborhood, specifically urge interested readers to call immediately for the best selection. If you are showcasing upcoming community or city events, ask out-of-town readers to call to schedule a coinciding visit. If you have the resources, offer mini-concierge services that will position your community as a high-service, personally involved host.
   
   You can even ask for reader feedback. Knowing what readers would like to read about in future editions is useful, and it’s an easy way to track what type of articles are garnering interest.
   
   
4. Make It Beautiful, Visually and Mentally
   
   The best way to get your newsletter opened is through an eye-catching design. Full color images and an unusual format or size will help it stand out from other mail.
   
   Focus on ease of navigation, legibility and professional design. But do more than make it visually beautiful. Take advantage of your community’s best features to evoke a pleasant feeling in the minds of your readers.
   
   For instance, if you are in a subtropical location, include the weather forecasts for the upcoming months. Readers in cold climates will look forward to their monthly “escape” via your newsletter as they dream about a warm, lush locale. Design and write your newsletter to convey the feeling of your community and to transport readers to a special, inviting environment of your making.

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