Winning Reliable Sales From a Digital Newsletter

21 Apr

So you’ve heard you need a digital newsletter but you don’t know where to start or what to do with it. Let me give you the lowdown on email newsletter marketing.

The idea behind a digital newsletter is that you build a list of raving fans who happily support your business by asking them to subscribe to your email list (and sending them emails regularly - don’t forget about that part!) It’s a list of contacts that you own. You have access to the contact information of your subscribers which you can download and transfer between different email marketing tools. You don’t get that with many marketing techniques.

You have full control, including control of the experience you provide your email subscribers. Your email newsletter will go straight to their inbox so there are fewer hoops to jump through to get in front of potential clients. On top of that, you can set up automated emails in response to certain actions subscribers take such as a welcome sequence to optimize and personalize the experience. I’ll write a blog on that soon.

The result? Engaged leads and consistent sales. If these stats don’t impress you:

how about my experience of getting clients for my SEO web copy beta package from one email no longer than a couple of lines?

Disclaimer: these kinds of results aren’t immediate. You need to show up consistently with valuable content adapted to your ideal client profile AKA nurture your community. Show up for them and they’ll show up for you. Here’s how to do that.

Getting Digital Newsletter Subscribers

Before you can sell to your email list, you need to get email subscribers to send email newsletters to. There are three main ways to do this:

An Email Newsletter That Sells Itself

If you just ask people to subscribe to your digital newsletter, you’ll get a couple of subscribers but you need something more if you want to grow and get sales. Come up with a concept for your email newsletter. What are they going to get from letting you into their email inbox?

Offer some kind of value beyond the vagueness of tips, advice and updates from your small business. For example, you could promise examples, ideas or strategies each week on a specific problem your ideal client experiences. A concept I’ve been liking lately is a newsletter that keeps people up to date on a specific area of expertise because the world moves so quickly these days it’s hard to keep up with ongoing news.

Don’t: Try to solve all your ideal client's problems in one newsletter because that’s overwhelming for everyone.

Do: Give your digital newsletter a catchy name and a persuasive blurb and stick that on your email sign-up form.

An On-Demand Freebie

You can also build your email newsletter by attracting subscribers with a freebie they can use to get closer to their end goal. It’s usually in the form of some kind of document with information or a quiz that helps them to take the next step. Whatever it is, subscribers can implement and complete the freebie themselves.

When a lead signs up to receive the freebie, you send them an automated email with the freebie then usually a few more automated emails related to the freebie before they receive your digital newsletter along with everyone else. You put it together once and then promote it on repeat.

The same rules apply…

Don’t: Try to solve all your ideal client's problems in one freebie because that’s overwhelming for everyone.

Do: Give your digital newsletter a catchy name, deliver a specific outcome and highlight how easy your freebie makes solving the problem.

A Live Online Event

If you hold a webinar, workshop or some other kind of online event, you need to collect attendees’ emails so you can give them access to the event. Why not use it as a list-building exercise, creating a tangible result from this brand awareness activity?

I find online events can be super effective for attracting engaged leads to my list and speeding up the time to conversion. They interact with me directly during the event and see that I know what I’m talking about. It’s a highly valuable and highly convincing interaction.

Can you guess what I’m going to say next?

Don’t: Try to solve all your ideal client's problems in one event because that’s overwhelming for everyone.

Do: Give your event a catchy name, deliver a specific outcome and clearly communicate you are offering a solution that is worth attending live to witness.

Once you’ve put in place one or all of these entry points to your email list, promote them! Promote your email list every week at least once a week on social media, potentially more depending on the frequency of your posting. Reference an entry point to your email list in every blog too. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to keep leads in your world for longer.

Making Sales From Email Newsletter Marketing

Now turning digital newsletter subscribers into clients all depends on the content of your emails. They could love the concept of the entry point through which they joined your email list and perfectly fit your client profile but they’re waiting on an email to convince them. More likely a series of emails because most customers need to have multiple interactions with a small business before buying from it.

Here’s how you can write emails that bring clients to the point of conversion:

Irresistible subject lines

First things first is your subject line. That’s what is going to get your emails opened or ignored. The best way to make your subscribers think “I’ve got to read this” is to be specific. Talk about a specific result, problem or insight. If you have numbers, use them. They heighten intrigue and believability.

Relatable opening story

A great way to introduce the topic you want to talk about is a story. It gives the topic context and highlights its importance. Essentially, you’re answering the questions of how this topic shows up in real life and why it matters in a way that is relatable and digestible. The story could be from your perspective, your client’s perspective or a hypothetical story from your ideal client’s perspective.

Change their perspective

Talking of perspectives, change the reader’s perspective. Aim for the reaction “Wow I’ve never thought about it like that”. It will make your newsletter marketing memorable and prove your mastery of the subject matter. Reveal secrets for how to make hard things easy. Share new ways of doing things. Talk about mindsets and myths that could be holding them back without them realising.

Clear outcome

At the end of each email, your subscribers should be able to recite something they learnt from reading the email. It could be a piece of information, strategy or new perspective. There’s something tangible they can take away. That establishes your email newsletter as providing clear outcomes and therefore being worth opening time after time. Remember it’s the repeat interactions (and interactions that provide real value) that lead to sales.

Link to your services

Now bring it back to your services. Your email newsletter could prove the value of investing in your area of expertise. It could be an example of the kind of value you provide in your paid services. It could help them to skip to the good part if they don’t have time to do everything you suggest in your newsletter. Some way some how link your email newsletter to how they can work with you.

Blurb your blog

Some email newsletters will be longer than others. It’s nice to mix things up with shorter emails that are easier for you to write but still provide value. The trick is to promote your blog in your digital newsletter. Give a blurb incentivising them to click through and read the blog. This doesn’t have to be long. In fact, it’s best if it’s shorter because you’re asking them to read a long-form piece of content.

Piecing Together Your Email Newsletter Marketing Strategy

That’s the basis of getting started with email newsletter marketing. Set up at least one refined entry point and promote it regularly. Then craft emails that capture attention provide specific value and highlight your services. All that’s left for you to do is start.

If you want to start your digital newsletter but in all honesty know that you don’t have the time, patience or love for writing to follow through, I can help you out there. I can write your email newsletter for you. I’ll come up with the concept, discuss email ideas with you and do all the writing so you only have to commit a few hours a month to scheduling your digital newsletter. Find out more about my email newsletter services by booking an initial consultation.

Rebecca Clark