4 Ways a Newsletter Can Benefit Your Online Business

If you run an online business, you probably have some pretty tight constraints on your time and budget. This can make choosing the most efficient marketing channel crucial. However, it can be hard to figure out which platform will give you the best return on your investment (ROI).

Fortunately, a newsletter can be the perfect solution in this scenario. By understanding how newsletters can help support your business, you can optimize your emails and take your outreach strategy to the next level.

In this article, we'll cover a few elements you might want to include in a newsletter. Then, we'll take you through four ways this marketing method can benefit your online business. Let's get started!

What to Include in Your Newsletter

Every business is unique. As such, the exact content of every newsletter will look a little different. However, there are a few important features that you might want to consider.

For example, a newsletter can be a simple way to share updates with your subscribers. This can be anything from a new product launch to a website redesign. Regular updates can help your customers stay informed about your brand.

You can also use newsletters to advertise your sales and offers. Drawing a user's attention to discounts gives them a reason to make a purchase now rather than later. You might want to emphasize these points with high-quality product photos like Bath and Body Works does:

By the same token, you should consider including opportunities for your users to interact. Providing links to new blog posts, requests to leave reviews, or even opportunities to enter giveaways can increase your engagement levels.

Ultimately, a newsletter is about your business. As long as you're using it to share helpful information and keep your customers in the loop, it's hard to go wrong.

4 Ways a Newsletter Can Benefit Your Online Business

If you're still on the fence about starting a newsletter, here are a few convincing reasons why you should implement this strategy.

1. Establish Your Business as an Authority

One of the most important parts of advertising a brand is consistency. The more a customer interacts with your brand, the more familiar they become with it. Given that up to 40% of people prefer newsletters as a way to stay in touch, this form of communication offers an effective way to provide that repeated exposure.

As subscribers start to feel closer to your site, they'll probably start trusting it more as well. They may start turning to your high-quality content for information or consider your products more closely. As a result, you could see your sales go up.

Newsletters are also a valuable way for your business to command attention. Social media can be an essential part of a marketing strategy, but you'll also have to compete with an endless amount of other posts. By contrast, newsletters are insulated and can thus help you communicate your expertise with no distractions.

Another way to establish your business as an authority is to add a “how-to” section to your newsletter. This gives you an opportunity to teach your subscribers something new while demonstrating how well you understand their needs.

2. Customize Fields for a Personalized Experience

Personalization isn't exactly a new trend. Studies show that up to 57% of ecommerce websites are already implementing this strategy. If you're looking to do the same, email marketing can be a simple yet powerful solution.

For example, you can address each recipient by name. This subtle touch can go a long way. You could also take this approach a step further by including unique account information. Target, for example, shares each subscriber's loyalty program status:

This is a clever way to leverage the information you've already collected. Additionally, since many newsletter services can automate this entire process for you, it can be as easy as it is effective.

If you want to take full advantage of this benefit, consider a newsletter that offers customized products. For example, it might recommend recently viewed but not purchased items. You can also specifically target customers who are close to making a purchase by including items that are still in their carts.

3. Enhance Your Analytics

Knowing your audience can be a key part of running a successful business. The more you understand how they interact with your brand, the easier it is to meet their expectations. Newsletters can be an essential source of information like this.

There are plenty of different statistics you can gather from a newsletter, such as:

• Open rate. How many people are actually reading your content?
• Bounce rate. How many of your subscribers have false or inactive accounts?
• Click-to-open rate. How many of your users are clicking the internal links you include in your emails?

If new product advertisements get the highest click-to-open rate, you may want to start prioritizing them on your home page as well. However, you can also get much more specific.

For instance, if your data shows that a lot of people are reading your newsletter on their phones, you may want to consider optimizing your site for mobile conversions. As you can see, these insights can help guide your marketing strategy.

4. Provide a Direct Path to Purchases

Newsletters are more than just static advertisements. With the help of a few well-placed links, they can also cut out several steps between your subscribers and their purchases.

For example, your home page probably doesn't focus on a single product. Rather, it's likely more of an introduction to your site. That means visitors will need to click through a few screens to find the item that they're looking for.

By contrast, a newsletter doesn't have to take such a generalized approach. You can use it to advertise individual items based on the recipient's preferences. As a result, you have more space to sell the product's unique traits alongside a direct deep link to purchase it.

You can also combine this approach with other sales strategies. Coupons, for example, might encourage a spur-of-the-moment purchase. The clothing site ThredUp provides a helpful example:

If you want to target customers who aren't ready to make a purchase, consider linking to your recent content instead. Your subscribers may not be interested in buying anything yet, but connecting them directly to your site can increase their exposure to your products.

Conclusion

With all the sales strategies available to online businesses, it can be easy to forget the power of newsletters. However, by understanding the benefits that they can offer, you can use this simple sales channel to support your site.

In this article, we covered four advantages of newsletters:

1. There's an opportunity to establish your business as an authority through repeat exposure.
2. Customizable fields can help you create an extremely personalized experience.
3. They're a simple way to gain more information on your audience.
4. You can offer recipients a direct path to purchasing your products.

Do you have any questions about newsletters for online businesses? Let us know in the comments section below!

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