Do Businesses Still Need Newsletters in 2020?
There are many modes of business that are slowly becoming obsolete. As a business owner, you need to make sure that you are always staying at the forefront of business development. There are so many areas that can be picked up or let go as the years change and technology does too. One thing you might be questioning whether you need in 2020 is the humble newsletter.
What is a Newsletter?
A newsletter is a simple document that can either be circulated through print or by email. There is so much that you can choose to include in a newsletter, from details about new products to even just a catch-up with loyal customers.
Newsletters are some of the best ways to convey information to your customers, so they should definitely not be discounted. However, in a world where a piece of information can be circulated worldwide in seconds by social media, do we really still need newsletters? They used to be an important way to keep up with your favourite company, but social media has replaced that. Nevertheless, there are still some great reasons to include a newsletter in your business plan.
Not Everyone is on Social Media
While it is true that many people now get their brand updates through social media, there is still a large percentage of the population who are not on these sites. If you devote your entire time to just appealing to your social media followers, you are running the risk of missing out on a massive part of your audience.
You need to make sure that your reach is as wide as possible. A newsletter is an easy way to ensure that no-one is being left behind. Though email and print newsletters are the most common, you can also send out quick SMS updates and reach out through other channels. Think a little outside the box, there is bound to be a way you can let your best customers both old and new know what is happening within your business.
However, even if your customers do not have a social media account, there is a strong chance that they will have an email account. This is why most brands, even the big household names, still use newsletters to some capacity. There are just too many people that you can miss if you refuse to consider adding newsletters to your business.
Easy to Set Up
Even if you do not consider yourself to be the most technologically-minded, it is still very easy to set up a newsletter and get it into circulation. All you need is a free newsletter software and some ideas about what you want to put into it!
You could still be at the stage where it is just you working tirelessly to get your business off the ground. This could mean that you don’t have much time to devote to social media and other marketing channels yet. However, a newsletter is easy to set up and manage. It could be the first of many things you choose to introduce to your customers to help turn them from one-time customers into loyal repeat ones.
Anything Can Go in Them
What do you want to put into your newsletter? There are plenty of options that you could choose from and each one could be selected to best fit your business practices. For example, if you have a small, family-owned business, your newsletter could be like a snapshot into family life. Use it as a chance to bring the customer into the store and make them feel like a valued member of the family.
Many brands also use their newsletters to push out new promotions and other notes of interest. If you have a big product launch approaching, or if there is a red-hot deal that you are about to launch, you should definitely consider sending out some teasers through your newsletters. There is so much content that can be poured into these, and it gives you the chance to create something very special. Remember, the biggest household brands are still making use of newsletters and for good reason. You need to make sure that you are creating one that matches your business goals perfectly.
A Good Way to Drive Up Engagement
One of the best things you can do with newsletters is create your own marketing campaign with them. When run in tandem with something like a social media campaign – or even a traditional print one – you could easily drum up interest for your business.
If you want to track how engagement is being shaped between your various platforms, consider offering a special code just through your newsletters. Many companies offer 10% off or free shipping coupons that are hidden inside their email newsletters. If a consumer wants to get their hands on them, they need to sign up to it.
Make the code just a small part of the newsletter. If you include some of the other points above, such as the sneak peeks of the new products, it can be a great way for you to try to score some good sales in the first week of a product going live. Take a look into some of the different uses you could combine together to create killer newsletters.
Do You Need a Newsletter?
In 2020 and the age of social media giants, do we still need newsletters? Of course we do! Social media does not rule every aspect of our lives yet, and there is still a chance that someone could miss out on a great deal you have on your business’s Instagram stories just because they are not following you.
Newsletters are easy to set up and can be packed full of information you want to relay from your business to your customer. They are so flexible and they can be made to accommodate anything you can think of. Take a look at some of the uses of newsletters that you could grab and see how they could fit into your brand’s marketing today!
