Let’s say you’ve already posted that signup form on your homepage where your community of users and customers can signup for your email newsletter, but you’re not yet sure about what the next step in your successful email marketing campaigns will be. Well, don’t worry because I’ve got you covered.
Once you’ve got a sufficient number of email addresses collected, your first email should be a welcome email in which you let your readers know what they can expect and how often they can expect it. Decide if you want to send startup updates, communications directly from the founders, useful tips, or special web deals. Maybe you’ll want a combination of the above mentioned.
This first email in which you outline what to expect lets the readers decide whether or not they want to opt out right then. Of course, they’re not going to because you’re going to send them useful, interesting, and butt-kicking content on a regular basis. Let’s look at more email newsletter tips for startups…
Newsletter Look
Your email newsletter needs to match the look and feel of your startup. You’ll probably have to tweak a few things here and there if you’re using a template to create your newsletter. Branding is important so anything associated with your startup needs to include colors that are consistent with your online presence or product as well as your startup logo.
Your Tone
The tone of your email newsletter should be casual and overall friendly. Chances are that you’re not a funeral home so you don’t need particularly formal or stiff language. Readers want something easy to read that’s also straightforward.
Also, you’ll want the text to come across with the sense that it was written by someone the reader can relate to easily. The more friendly your tone, the more likely they are to contact you with any questions.
Easy Access
Since you’ll be including such great content in your newsletter, you’re going to want to make it shareable. The best way to do this is to include a public link that’s the web version of your newsletter. Even better, include links to Twitter and Facebook. That’ll allow even more sharing via the sites we know they’re already using.
The Mobile Factor
Not only are you going to need to test your newsletter by first sending it to some test addresses or friends to see how it looks, you’re also going to want to make sure it performs well on mobile devices. If it’s not optimized for the mobile device experience, by far the majority of users will probably just close it and never get to your awesome content. If you’re using a template, make sure it’s mobile friendly.
Easy to Read
Besides using a familiar voice in your newsletter, you’ll want to use subheadings and short paragraphs as part of your form. If the article is very long, then think about using a “read more” link that will allow them to bookmark it and read it at when they’ve the time to do so.
Those are some of the fundamentals when it comes to designing your email newsletter. Remember to make the content interesting, educational, and always compelling. If you follow these simple steps you’re well on your way to keeping your users happy while on the path to getting new ones.
