Now is a great time to put the new year in focus and create your email marketing plan. Start by outlining what you want to communicate and how often. You can look to 2009 for inspiration to see what worked with your previous email campaigns and what did not.
The topics you select need to build awareness of your business in a way that is relevant and engaging to your audience. Seems obvious, right? However, a common peril in writing newsletters is to focus on how great you are… Well unfortunately, unless your audience is compelled to learn how great you are, your hard earned mailing list will certainly dwindle. Mapping out your email marketing plan allows you to not only identify the topics you wish to cover in order to create a compelling newsletter, it also helps prepare you to actually write each newsletter.
Let me explain. When you create an outline of each article you will write in the coming months, the material you surround yourself with every day to remain an expert in your field will jump out at you. Save the articles and posts from your industry resources that are important and relevant to your audience. Not only will you stop wasting time digging through industry resources, but you will be more prepared to easily create and share valuable articles for your readers.
A few points to keep in mind:
- Articles should not take too much time to read. In fact, you can (and should) link back to your site or blog for further reading and related information. The click report in Constant Contact is a great way to see what articles your audience finds interesting.
- Do not bombard your audience with too many mailings. Monthly campaigns work well in most situations and bi-weekly is appropriate for some. Send more than twice a month and you will risk annoying your readers, send less than every 1-2 months and you risk losing your value.
- Remember, be an expert and a resource. Create content surrounding topics that are valuable and engaging to your audience.
Sending out regular email newsletters is one of the most powerful marketing strategies you can do to grow your business. Creating a thoughtful outline of your campaigns will keep you better prepared and set you up for success in the coming year. Good Luck!
