5 Tips for Creating Effective Newsletters!
Be it a startup or an established company, a newsletter is something that is symbolic of the company. A newsletter can say a lot! It is how you want to project your company and newsletters can be a very useful way of marketing effectively. This point can be leveraged especially if you're a startup but many startups fail to do so; be it for lack a of time or the ability to do so. There are very few startups who've managed to crack this nut successfully and Yo!Potato is one of them. We asked the man behind the viral newsletter, Krishna Chidambaresh who is also the founder to give out some tips. Here's what he had to say:
Don't be boring - When was the last time you read a newsletter that you found funny that you forwarded to a friend? Probably never. Don't be that guy who writes boring newsletters. Updates are important but hey, how many times would you have updates that are absolutely fascinating to your users? Find stuff to write about. It need not be always about updates or vital information about the product. Don't take yourselves too seriously. No body does. Be fun and your customers will take you for one and will remember you!
Don't beat yourselves up with schedules - One thing people always tell you is to stick to the same day every week and make sure you write something so your customers won't forget you. I disagree. It's OK to skip a week or two if you don't have something interesting to say. You would rather hang out with a friend you remember having a good time a year back than a guy who is an inch from your face who bores you to death, right? It's not very different with newsletter. Quality of your content is far more important that the frequency.
Be expressive - A lot of folks are afraid of writing with freedom. That's because they don't want to polarize your users and end up not being liked by some of them. That prevents them from building a personality and they end up in the pool of mediocrity. Take those half chances to express yourselves and make it easier for your users to form a mental impression of your brand's personality. That's what creates passionate users. When there is a divide, you get talked about more. Besides, who doesn't love an underdog. Newsletter is one of the ways you can elaborate on what your stand for. We all develop stronger relationships with people we understand and make strong emotional connection with. Don't be afraid to express. That can make for an interesting read and create a powerful brand.
Experiment - Write when you want but send your newsletter on a day that most of your users tend to read them. It's widely accepted that Wednesdays are the best day to do that. But, that might not be true for you. Experiment on all days and figure out the day you get maximum results. You might write interesting newsletter but it will drop in a no mans' land if you don't time it right.
Brand is a person - Your startup might someday become the largest employer in the world but remember, your brand is a person. It has life, personality, taste, preferences and all the traits you relate with a human being. Keep that in mind and start sounding like a person to your customers. Steve Jobs carefully transferred his interesting traits to the brand "Apple" and it sells. Doesn't it ?
These are some very important points to be kept in mind and well, just give it a spin. Create those fun, wacky and interesting newsletters. People will subscribe automatically. Check out Yo!Potato and subscribe to their newsletter and you'd know what people like.
