Tweet

5 Reasons Why No One Reads Your Company Newsletter

Guest post by: David Gruttadaurio

Article Overview: There could be a hundred reasons why your company newsletter isn’t getting the results you expect. And almost all of those reasons have the same specific problem...

5 Reasons Why No One Reads Your Company Newsletter

Truth be told, there's probably more than five. There could be a hundred reasons why your company newsletter isn't getting the results you expect. And almost all of those reasons have the same specific problem...

Your readers just don't like it!

There... I said it. It's the ugly truth no entrepreneur wants to hear.

However, don't despair. It's not your fault. No one has ever explained it to you.

So, I've narrowed it down to the five most common mistakes found in nearly every company newsletter.

Mistake # 1: Your newsletter isn't helpful

This is a big one. Bombarding your customers with whole bunch of promotional stuff isn't going to work.

Of course, you probably realize that non-stop, shameless self-promotion isn't going to endear you to your clients.

Yet... most entrepreneurs can't seem to help themselves.

They really do want to send something useful; they mean to be helpful; but in the end, self-promotion wins out. Why? Because it's just easier to do.

It's easier to pitch your products or services than it is to write another article about your stuff.

Trust me. Send a company newsletter like that and your customers will see right through it.

Mistake #2: Your style isn't especially compelling

When you speak to a friend over the phone, you sound animated and excited. Try to write it down on paper and your style suddenly becomes dry, brittle and boring. It just doesn't sound like you.

From voice to print, your style gets lost in the translation. That means your writing doesn't really get across how you feel. Every artist, singer, and yes, writer has a signature style. This ‘voice' needs to be real and authentic.

Try this: Get a friend to ask you questions about the topics you'll be writing about in your newsletter - and record it. Just blab away; then transcribe what you've said.

Yep... it sounds tedious. But it works because it's a great way to find your own unique writing ‘voice'. Also, practice DOES make perfect. Write something every day. Try writing an email to your customers two or three times a week.

Style matters. And you have one - you just have to learn to get it on paper.

Mistake # 3: You're not telling a story

Most people think their newsletter has to be a formal affair - perfect sentence structure that's all prim and proper.

Literary perfection isn't the way to create a great company newsletter. Stories are.

Its human nature: From infancy we learn to be spellbound by stories.

Tell stories about your clients. Write about you... and make it personal. People love to know about you. And the more you tell, the more they will love you. Nothing gets your readers involved like the color and drama of a good story.

And be sure to tell the moral of the story. Explain what you learned or what you should have learned or what someone else could learn from your experience.

Mistake # 4: You have a wimpy call to action

Let's say you need to fill up your martial arts class. In your company newsletter, you're going to create a killer special offer to get them to commit. You need your customers to respond. You can't simply hope they will - you have to make an irresistible buying opportunity for them.

You have to be pretty darned clear what you want them to do, too. Just saying ‘please respond' is wimpy and vague. Tell them to ‘call today'. Provide a deadline to take advantage of your great promotion.

Offer a fast action bonus if they are among the first 10 respondents.

Most biz owners just hope their customers will act on their offers. And most customers don't - because they're usually pretty busy people. So you have to stop them dead in their tracks - interrupt them and get their attention.

Of course, none of this will work if you're a complete stranger to them...

Mistake# 5: You don't mail your newsletter every month

At 6 p.m. turn on your TV. What do you see?

In just about every city in the U.S. you'll see the evening news. Granted, it's usually the same old news, but you know it's consistent.

Most newsletters are NOT this dependable. If you write a company newsletter, you must have a consistent publishing schedule.

The best frequency? Monthly. Just like you get your favorite magazine or even your bank statement every month - people have learned to expect things of importance on a monthly basis.

If you have promised your customers your newsletter will go out every month - then you do whatever you have to do to keep that promise.

Your newsletters can't go to Aruba on vacation. It cannot become ill and call in sick. That won't wash with your readers. Can you imagine the TV station canceling the news because some news anchor didn't show up one evening?

Newsletters are doing the grunt work of relationship marketing for you.

And you want to miss a month? You are crazy?

Although listed last, this mistake is the unforgivable sin of newsletter marketing.

The biggest reason for newsletter failure is because your company newsletter is a stranger to your clients. Muck up the frequency and the other four points become irrelevant. If you send it quarterly or just whenever you feel like it, you're wasting your time and money. The response to your newsletter is directly connected to mailing frequency.

The bottom line

Unbridled self-promotion doesn't work here. It's necessary to promote yourself - just make it useful.

Your tone of writing is critical. Record yourself if you have to; but make sure you connect with your own unique voice.

If you can't get your head around a casual and informal writing structure, use customer stories instead.

And never forget: This is not a hobby. Your send a company newsletter to make money. Don't be half-hearted about promotion - use a strong call to action.

Without consistent frequency - i.e. monthly - your customers will forget who you are even if you do everything else right. It's not fair; but that's the harsh reality.

Newsletters require a lot of work and effort. There's no point in doing them unless you get the results you're looking for. Avoiding these five big mistakes will perk up your response rate in a hurry.

Related Articles
  Top Five Reasons Why Your E-newsletter isn’t Getting Responses
  How to create and send out an email newsletter
  E-newsletters: why they're good for business
  “The Top Ten Benefits Of An E-Newsletter, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”
  Work At Home Online Business Idea - Publishing An Email Newsletter
  Why Waste Time On a Company Newsletter?
  Recommendation: Get A Gmail Account
  Where to Focus Your Newsletter
  Improve Your Life How to Hire A Coach
  3 Little Known Facts About Customer Newsletters That Will Get and Keep Clients For Life
  Tips On How To Create An Email Newsletter
  Company Newsletter Marketing Quiz: Is Your Print Newsletter A Pop Gun Or A Marketing Missile?
  Crafting Your Email Marketing Campaign
  Should the Print Newsletter Die - And Let Ezines Takeover?
  8 Ways That Client Newsletters Build a Fence Around Your Herd
  Email Newsletters That Impress
  Should the Print Newsletter Just Die - And Let Ezines Takeover?
  Release Your Reading! How to Let It GO and Still Read What You Need
  How To Create Your Very Own Client Newsletter
  8 things to do with an article

Article Tags: clients for life, company newsletter, print newsletter



Related Forum Posts
How to valuate a business - Hi Garth - here is how we did it at Northern Crown Capital when I was helping them raise venture capital for Toronto-based entrepreneurs. Assume the start date is 2003 so 2008 projections are 5 years out: How Northern Crown Capital Valuates a Business 2008 Financial Projections Earnings Before Tax $5,865,000 Tax Rate 42% Taxes $2,463,300 Net Earnings $3,401,700 Amount Seeking to Raise Today $3,500,000 Discounted Value of Future Opportunity, 5 Years Out 2008 P/E Ratio 15 Value of Company in 2008 $51,025,500 Discount Rate Applied 30% Year 2008 $51,025,500 Year 2007 $35,717,850 Year 2006 $25,002,495 Year 2005 $17,501,747 Year 2004 $12,251,223 Value of Company at Investment in 2003 $12,251,223 Less: Investment Amount $3,500,000 Present Value $8,751,223 Discount for Risk & Private Company 40% Less: Discount for Risk & Private Company $3,500,489 Private Company Value $5,250,734 Present Value (What the Owner Keeps) $5,250,734 60.00% Financing (What the Investor Gets) $3,500,000 40.00% Total $8,750,734 100.00% I hope this helps!
Re: 10 Reasons Who Startups Fail & Book Recommendations - Great post,but please edit the headline. I presume it is "10 Reasons Why Startups Fail & Book Recommendation
Re: Would you like an EvanCarmichael.com Forum e-newsletter? - Hi Everyone, Thanks for the quick and enthusiastic feedback thus far! Perhaps the EvanCarmichael.com Forum e-Newsletter can be a "tweaked" version of the existing weekly email that's sent to moderators? What do you guys think? Maybe the e-newsletter should be customizable like an RSS feed?
Hi everyone - Hi everyone.I am Alex,SEO Analyst on XSEO Company.Nice forum.
Try Email Marketing, You Will Get Traffic - Do not try to build links with software!! This is my suggestion. Well, if you want to get traffic, you can try email marketing. It's very efficient. You can use a software for email marketing. I am using iKode Newsletter Server now, and it brings a lot of traffic, if you are interested in this free newsletter software, just google it! Hope to help you and your website!


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How to Find a Niche and Make Money Online

How To Improve Your CTA (Call To Action)

Local Marketing: 3 Simple Low-Cost Strategies

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.