Susanne Hornikel says email newsletters remain popular, but there are still ways to ensure they are used to best advantage.

Fast, cost-efficient and simple in terms of handling; more and more companies are using email marketing – particularly for the distribution of online newsletters as an efficient instrument to bind existing customers and to gain new ones. 

Although their distribution rates are still on the rise, online newsletters run the risk of decreasing efficiency. One reason for this is the amount of messages each individual finds in his/her electronic mail box. 

Less time is dedicated to each message. Instead, the mail box owner selects according to individual interests. For that reason, companies should not send out the same mail to all customers, but instead send newsletters personalised for each customer group. This is  the best way to meet the requirements and get the attention of each customer.  

Most companies handle their newsletter marketing internally and there is still room for improvement in terms of the professionalism and execution of newsletter campaigns. 

The addressee wants to receive relevant and interesting information and news he/she has not yet encountered on other Internet sites. 

Short and well-structured newsletters are more easily read, more informative and therefore more effective for the sender. In the B2B arena, people are interested in background details, news and product information. Here, less is more. 

Thus, it is recommended that short versions of newsletters are sent, with appropriate links to further information. 

In the B2C arena, consumers want special deals and entertainment as well as clear product descriptions. 

Personalised newsletters provide the opportunity to target customers. Another way to do so is to employ trigger mails, which are sent out after a certain event has taken place – birthday greetings, for example, which are delivered automatically with a gift voucher, or automatic follow-up mails that appear when the addressee of a newsletter clicks on a certain link and then receives an email containing background information. 

Apart from the content, the right layout is important. The current marketing concept should be reflected in the newsletter’s appearance to guarantee subscribers recognise the firm again and again. This increases brand awareness.  

Subject line

For the newsletter to avoid ending up in spam filters, the sender should not use certain words – such as ‘discount’ or ‘free’ – in the subject line. And, the subject matter should be written  concisely, since most email programs do not display long sentences in full. 

Besides the subject matter line, the timing of the newsletter is critical. 

Newsletters should not be sent out overnight because most spam mail is delivered then. Also, there are quite a number of spam blockers that filter emails between 11pm and 3am. With regard to B2B, newsletters can get lost in overloaded mail boxes at the beginning of the week, but, if sent on a Friday, some recipients can no longer be reached. 

The weekend has proven to be well suited for newsletter mailings in the B2C arena.  

As regards choice of format, multipart newsletters are useful as these leave it up to the recipient to decide whether to choose a text or html version. 

Subscriber agreement

Frequently, there are problems over the addressee’s agreement to receive email newsletters. 

With double opt-in, the sender can be sure the recipient has initiated the newsletter service and agrees to continue with it: the subscriber fills out an online registration form and afterwards receives a welcome message that provides a link. The subscriber is registered the minute he clicks on that link. 

The advantage of this method is that misuse is virtually ruled out (for example, registration under a different name). The disadvantage is that up to 30 per cent of such registrations are not completed. 

The addressee must be able to cancel the newsletter any time and for that reason, each newsletter must provide an appropriate link. 

By law, company details must be provided in newsletters – ideally in a place clearly visible for everyone. It is also useful to provide the name and phone number of a contact person.  That way, the recipient can respond to information and offers by telephone. 

Individual communication

What use is a newsletter campaign if its effect is not apparent? So many firms abstain from statistical analysis after running newsletter campaigns. This is too bad, because the success of the campaign can be measured by such things as the open and click rate, the number of ‘unsubscribes’ and the amount of undeliverable emails.  

The technical opportunities of individualised email communication measures are moving ahead fast. 

They are an excellent means for small and medium-sized firms to target new prospects as well as existing customers. 

Susanne Hornikel is managing director, Direct Success GmbH.