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Email newsletters continue to be one of the most important ways to communicate with customers on the Internet. Newsletters build relationships with users, and also offer users an added social benefit in that they can forward relevant newsletters to friends and colleagues.
How to start your own Email Newsletter
 Establish what type of ongoing information will be beneficial to your customers
Establish who will benefit from this communication
Establish when this information will be distributed
Organize the information in a personalized email template
Personally send one copy of this email to each of your subscribers
Rules about your own Email Newsletter
Always ask for permission
Always provide your readers with a way to unsubscribe
Tips and Tricks your on how to design your own Email Newsletter
Always have valuable, relevant content
Provide expert information for free
Track your reader interests and feedback
Provide links on your newsletter
Provide a text version of your newsletter
Use bullet points and large headings
Be consistent with your newsletters
Send newsletters out on a regular basis
Try to keep your content readable within 10 minutes
Use a tidy design, lots of white space, and don’t overuse graphics
Use similar fonts
Provide contact information
Use a designer if you have access to one
Once you have the layout you like, you can reuse it over and over again
You want your customers to read your newsletter, so the information should benefit them in some way.
Perhaps: Calendar events, company news or new products and services.
Establish who will benefit from this information by allowing your customers to opt-in to receive this information on a regular basis.
This is most commonly done through a web site opt-in page or printed sign-up form posted at your place of business.
Delivery must be regular and frequent. Choose when your email newsletters will be distributed and stick to that delivery time. Most businesses have a minimal delivery of every 3 months.
Organize the information in a personalized email template so that the information is clear, understandable and represents your company identity.
Personally send one copy of this email to each of your customers that have opted in and whom are anticipating this message from you.
Make sure your company name and their name will appear on the email as if you sent a personal email specifically to each of your readers containing the information you want to share with all of them.
Never abuse customer information. Always ask for permission. Make sure the customer knows what they are giving permission to.
Once you have their permission only use it as intended. You do not want to surprise the customer in a negative way.
Always provide your readers with a way to unsubscribe. This should be point-and-click simple and easy to find.
If the reader senses a sales pitch then your email might be tossed in the trash folder. Content should be interesting and benefit your customer.
Providing information for free builds a sense of trust by giving your reader a sample of what you can do for them. Remember, this is the beginning of a long-term relationship.
Tracking your customers' interests and feedback will help you discover new ideas for products and services or improve existing ones.
If you are getting free feedback from your target audience, then make sure you use it.
Increase traffic to your website by providing links on your newsletter. This will help you bring in new visitors and existing ones to new areas.
Very few email programs do not support HTML (a type of programming language) but by providing a text version of your newsletter you will ensure all your customers can view it.
By using bullet points and large headings users can scan to the areas that are interesting to them. Then there is less of a greater chance your newsletter will be read.
Maintain a similar look and feel so your readers can recognize your newsletter and where the various headings are. This ties in with the last point, most readers scan, we want to find the information that is important quickly.
Help you readers find the content that is beneficial for them by maintaining a consistent design.
Sending your newsletter out on a regular basis keeps the customer anticipating something from you.
If you choose to send the letter out every month, make sure you send it every month, and around the same day. This way there are no surprises.
A good rule of thumb is to keep your content readable within 10 minutes. Reading something longer might seem like a daunting task and your readers may put it off or not read it at all.
A tidy design with lots of white space is easier to read and scan for information. The use of graphics should be reasonable and not overused.
By using two or three fonts throughout your newsletter you increase readability and the likelihood of your newsletter being read.
ALWAYS provide contact information on your newsletters. Make sure to list your Email, Address and phone numbers front and centre.
If you have access to a designer, ask them to help you with your layout. They will have some great advice to help make your newsletter more readable.
Once you have the layout you like, you can reuse it over and over again. The only part that you will need to regenerate is content, and that is really the heart of your newsletter. It needs to be updated every time you send your email newsletter out.
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Tips and Tricks on how to develop your own Email Newsletter