Voicent how to email newsletters

HOW TO GUIDE:
E‐MAIL NEWSLETTERS
E MAIL NEWSLETTERS
Connect. Engage. Succeed.

APRIL 2012 | NEXT

CONTENTS (CLICK TOPIC OR PAGE NUMBER TO JUMP TO THAT PAGE)
Step 1 Decide what you are going to say
S 1 D id h i Page 3
P 3

Define your objectives
Connect content to objectives
Be sure you can execute
The two inviolable rules of newsletters
h l bl l f l
Step 2 Build your list Page 9

Know the law!
Constantly add; frequently cull
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Personalize and segment

Step 3 Design your newsletters Page 14

Keep it simple
Tips for success
Sample HTML and TEXT formats
Step 4 Broadcast your newsletter Page 19

The beauty of automation
The beauty of automation
The never‐ending final frontier

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© 2012 VOICENT COMMUNICATIONS | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

1. DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY
US
E‐mail Newsletters can be incredibly powerful vehicles for Customer Relationship Management,
E mail Newsletters can be incredibly powerful vehicles for Customer Relationship Management IN
Brand Building and Lead Generation. They can put you and keep you in your customers’ minds,
G
demonstrate your credibility and trustworthiness, and powerfully connect
you to people. You can use them not just to sell, but to survey customer TH
sa s ac o , do p oduc esea c a d ea abou you a e s
satisfaction, do product research and learn about your markets Email newsletters
Email newsletters E
get in front of
Email newsletters can also be a powerful vehicle for driving your
organization into the river. people at a depth PIT
and scale few CH
Remember that old saying about how it’s better to remain silent and be
other tools can
other tools can BO
thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt?
match.
Email newsletters allow you to get in front of people at a depth and
OK
scale few other lead generation or customer relationship management TE
tools can match.
MP
Powerful tools can yield powerful results. We want to make sure that your results are positive.
LA
We want to help you take advantage of the power and cost‐effectiveness of Email Newsletters,
TE
while avoiding the river.

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WHAT ARE YOUR OBJECTIVES?
US
IN
You will know what to say in your email newsletter once you understand its objectives.
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What do you want your newsletter to accomplish? TH
Keep you connected to clients?
Keep you connected to clients? Attract prospective clients?
Attract prospective clients? E
Encourage repeat business? Demonstrate your credibility?
PIT
Promote events? Keep donors or volunteers engaged? CH
Clearly understanding your objectives will help you plan relevant, useful content for your
Clearly understanding your objectives will help you plan relevant useful content for your BO
email newsletter subscribers.
OK
Be deliberate in this. Write detailed descriptions of the content you need. Consistently
focused, interesting content will build readership. TE
Eclectic, inconsistent content will be viewed as time‐wasting, especially if you are marketing
MP
to businesses. If your newsletter doesn’t consistently contain relevant, useful information, it LA
will not be read.
TE
If it isn t read, it will be a waste of your time and money.
If it isn’t read it will be a waste of your time and money

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US
CONNECT CONTENT TO OBJECTIVES
CONNECT CONTENT TO OBJECTIVES IN
What kinds of content do you need? G
Want to keep connected to clients? Educate readers TH
Identify common interests and supply helpful info and tips.
in your area of
in your area of E
Want to attract prospective clients? expertise.
Provide content about their problems, especially those problems that
PIT
can be solved with your products or services. Be open and CH
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generous with BO
Want to encourage repeat business?
your knowledge
Include brief descriptions and photos of new or improved
and experience! OK
items in your catalog. Inform them of the business value and
benefits of innovations the new items offer. TE
Want to demonstrate your expertise or build credibility? MP
Provide answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Educate readers in LA
your area of expertise. Be open and generous with your knowledge and experience!
TE

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CONNECT CONTENT TO OBJECTIVES

Once you decide on your content, stick to it. Yes, you have to keep it fresh, but
also keep in familiar and compartmentalized. Think about the quantity of material you will
need for each edition. Come up with regular features that you can build up material for and
that readers will grow to anticipate.
that readers ill gro to anticipate

If you run a document design business, have a regular blurb
educating readers about particular fonts and their possible uses.

If you have a financial consultancy, include an interesting money related
If you have a financial consultancy, include an interesting money‐related
quote from a current newsmaker or from a historical figure.

If you own a home improvement business, run a regular ‘tips’ item
about home maintenance.

Regular features will make your newsletter easier to produce, as well as more familiar and
interesting to your readers.

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US
BE SURE YOU CAN EXECUTE IN
Who will be producing your newsletter? G
Knowing what to say is half the content battle. The other half is being able to pull it off. TH
Poor execution will not only hurt your newsletter readership, it will put
Poor execution will not only hurt your newsletter readership it will put E
your organization in a poor light.
Your newsletter can
PIT
The good news is, you don’t have to be a Hemmingway.
be a powerful tool for CH
The bad news is that you will need to acquire the skills you need to write
success … Or, a bright,
success … Or, a bright,
clearly and compelling‐‐by developing them yourself or hiring someone to
BO
shining example of
to
organizational provide them (either with original writing or excellent editing.) OK
incompetence,
laziness or worse.
In either case, don’t scrimp on time or money. TE
Your newsletter can be a powerful tool for success, engendering trust,
l b f l lf d MP
and attracting people to your organization, making them want to do business LA
with you—even becoming evangelists for it.
TE
Or, it can be a bright, shining example of organizational incompetence, laziness or worse.

Make sure yours is the former.

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THE TWO INVIOLABLE RULES US
IN
Do you know the limitations of a newsletter?
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No matter how beautiful the writing, newsletter publishing has two cardinal rules that must
never be violated:
TH
1) GET TO THE POINT! Forget about dramatic tension, building to a climax or surprise
E
endings. Forget about cute. Forget about entertaining. Those things are incredible PIT
luxuries for the newsletter that has already achieved useful and informative.
CH
Think about what you want from the newsletters that you read. Like all of us, you want
Thi k b t h t tf th l tt th t d Lik ll f t BO
them to be fast and informative. You don’t want to have to pick the good stuff out of long
OK
lines of hype or sales talk, or cheesy humor.

2) MAKE IT SCANNABLE. Everyone is busy, so we all appreciate communication that enables
TE
us to quickly scan through something to find the stuff we really need or want. MP
LA
Make sure your newsletter has lots of informative headlines and subheads and make sure
they accurately reflect the info in the article. If you recycle your newsletter content from TE
blog posts, or if you archive your newsletters as searchable content on your website (two
blog posts or if you archive your newsletters as searchable content on your website (two
great ideas) accurate headlines and subheads will really help optimize your pages for
search engines, providing a free promotional boost and source of new subscribers.
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2. BUILD YOUR LISTS
US
KNOW THE LAW
KNOW THE LAW IN
G
We no longer look at our email basket the same way we look at our snail mail box.
TH
Unsolicited junk mail is a pain. Unsolicited junk email is a pain, too, but I can also,
E
quite literally, be a crime.

Now, we aren’t lawyers (really. We ARE NOT lawyers, so don’t take this as legal advice) but
PIT
last time we looked, the federal CAN‐SPAM Act provides for fines of up to $16,000 for each CH
violation. That means that if you send out 500 illegal emails, you have put yourself at risk of
violation. That means that if you send out 500 illegal emails, you have put yourself at risk of BO
receiving $5.5 million in fines.
OK
But, if you’re recklessly sending out commercial email, giant government fines may be the
least of your worries. TE
First, though, the law … MP
LA
TE

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2. BUILD YOUR LISTS

KNOW THE LAW US
IN
The Federal CAN‐SPAM Act regulates commercial email messages. Complying with the law
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isn’t difficult. For each email, all you need do is:
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Make sure the Sender name on your email is accurate
Make sure the Sender name on your email is accurate E
Use accurate, not deceptive, Subject lines PIT
Clearly identify your email as an advertisement, if that’s what it is CH
Include your physical street address or postal box
l d h i l dd lb BO
Include easy, free‐of‐cost way to opt‐out of receiving email from you OK
Quickly honor every opt‐out request TE
Make sure any email service you use complies with these rules
MP
LA
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission maintains a website with clear information about TE
complying with the CAN‐SPAM Act. Here’s a link to a concise guide to the Act:

http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61‐can‐spam‐act‐compliance‐guide‐business

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2. BUILD YOUR LISTS

WHO MAY YOU SEND TO?
US
IN
Following the FTC’s guidelines will help you avoid prosecution, but there are other dangers to G
reckless email marketing, such as getting your organization blacklisted as a spammer.
TH
That can happen as easily as someone not recognizing your email newsletter,  and absent‐
E
mindedly clicking on the “report as spam” button in their email basket.

In the worst cases, that can wind up shutting down your ability to send any
PIT
email, not just your newsletter, if your domain name is identified as a spammer. CH
If someone didn’t
ISPs and company mail servers may begin refusing to accept your email.
ISPs and company mail servers may begin refusing to accept your email.
expressly ask for it or BO
Once your organizational domain name (that’s the name after the “@” in your give you permission OK
email address) is blacklisted, it can be very difficult to get un‐blacklisted. to send it, don’t send

The best way to avoid problems, is to follow this simple rule:
them your email TE
newsletter.
newsletter MP
Only send your email newsletter to those who  have expressly asked for it.
LA
That’s it.  Notice we didn’t say AND to members of your college fraternity,
local Chamber of Commerce, your Facebook buddies and all of your contacts in Outlook.
TE
If someone didn’t expressly ask for it or give you permission to send it, don’t send them your
email newsletter.

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2. BUILD YOUR LISTS

CONSTANTLY ADD, FREQUENTLY CULL
US
IN
So how do build recipient lists for your email newsletters? First, do the obvious basics:
G
Place an opt‐in link on your website. Something like “click here to get our newsletter.” TH
Make sure every invoice, online sale, price quote and proposal has a invitation
to subscribe to your newsletter.
E
Ask people if they would like to subscribe, and if they say ‘yes,’ email The best way to have PIT
them an invitation asking them to reply back in order to subscribe. Then, an excellent email CH
save that email as your proof that they really did opt‐in for your newsletter. newsletter list is to BO
The best way to have an excellent email newsletter list is to feed it often and feed it often and
frequently prune it. Make sure your email broadcaster automatically handles frequently prune it. OK
“unsubscribe” requests. TE
Occasionally, check in with your recipients, asking them for feedback on your newsletter—
O i ll h k i ith i i t ki th f f db k l tt MP
including directly asking them if they want to continue receiving it. LA
But the very best way to have excellent subscriber lists is to produce an excellent newsletter,
TE
one that is frequently cited and passed on to friends and associates.

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2. BUILD YOUR LISTS
US
PERSONALIZE & SEGMENT IN
An effective newsletter can become the only promotion and lead generation you need. G
It’s worth the work! TH
In that light, you should consider each and every email newsletter you send
I th t li ht h ld id h d il l tt d Consider each and
C id h d E
as being as important as a personal letter. You want each one to be as every email
thoughtful as possible. That not only means you should ensure it has quality newsletter you send
PIT
content, it also means you should personalize it wherever you can. out as being as CH
Voicent’s BroadcastByEmail software makes it easy to personalize your email
important as a
important as a BO
personal letter.
newsletter. Take advantage of that! OK
Think about your subscribers’ needs, then carefully segment your lists for content,
frequency and format.
TE
MP
If your business has several major elements, and a particular subscriber is really only interested
in one, send him a version of your newsletter that focuses only on his area of interest. LA
When subscribers tell you that they are receiving too much from you, and want to hear from TE
you less frequently, put them on a Reduced Frequency list.
you less frequently put them on a Reduced Frequency list

Regularly ask your subscribers which email newsletter format they prefer—plain text or html.
Then, make sure you send them the format they prefer.
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3. DESIGN YOUR NEWSLETTER
US
IN
WARNING: You are going to be tempted to make this a lot more difficult that it should be.
G
Don’t. TH
Go take a look at your own email basket.
Go take a look at your own email basket. E
Chances are that you are using Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo or Apple Mail.
PIT
Your email basket probably has three columns: one with mail folders, one showing the contents CH
of your In basket, and one with a calendar, advertisements or task lists.
BO
You probably have an auto‐preview or “reading pane” enabled so that you can quickly scan
email content without actually opening an email.
OK
What you have before you are your design requirements for your email newsletter. What you TE
are looking at is how your email newsletter will generally be viewed.
l ki ti h il l tt ill ll b i d MP
So, clearly, it needs to be easily readable in a relatively small amount of space. LA
That actually makes it easier! Here are some tips to follow … TE

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US
1) Obtain a clean HTML template and size it for 600 pixels wide (if you don’t know what
we’re talking about here, get a designer or friend who does and have them create the
IN
template for you. You will then be able to easily use it over and over again to create each G
edition of your newsletter). If you are using Voicent’s BroadcastByEmail software, choose
TH
one of its template files.
E
Do not simply create an email in Outlook and try to make it look like a newsletter. It will
not render correctly in other mail clients. It will look choppy and goofy, and that’s not a
PIT
look you want for your newsletter. CH
BO
Use the Notepad text editor (it’s an accessory on every Windows computer) or download
a free HTML text editor, such as CoffeeCup. Avoid so‐called “Wizzy Wig” editors, which OK
are described as WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors. Although much
easier to use, these editors tend to drop in all kinds of extraneous code that can play
TE
havoc with email clients. MP
LA
We’re not saying that you can’t use such editors (FrontPage and Dreamweaver are
among them), but if you do, plan to extensively test every email newsletter you create TE
against every major email client.
against every major email client

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US
2) Design or have designed, a header image showing the name of your organization and
the name of the newsletter. Make it simple, clear and clean. This will appear at the top of
IN
your newsletter. G
TH
This image will need to be placed in a folder on your web server. When your newsletter
is opened, it will (if allowed) automatically call out to that photo and present it in the
is opened it will (if allowed) automatically call out to that photo and present it in the E
newsletter at the exact location and size the HTML code specifies.
PIT
Do not embed or attach the image to the email. If you do, it will likely appear differently CH
y pp
for every email client or not appear at all. You don’t want that. You want consistency.y BO
3) Decide how the Sender Name and Subject Line will be handled . The rule here is OK
transparency and clarity. The Sender Name must be recognizable or you risk having
someone inadvertently delete your newsletter as spam. TE
MP
The Subject Line also needs to be clear. Use something similar to this: “Smith Law Offices
Spring 2012 Newsletter.”
LA
TE
Avoid words such as “sale” or “free offer, ‘ exclamation points or other attempts to be
attention‐getting. These tactics will trigger spam detection filters and may get your
newsletter dumped directly into a spam basket or even deleted outright.

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4) Choose a common, easy‐to‐read font and keep the background white. Fancy, patterned
backgrounds rarely display properly and almost always make newsletters harder to read.

5) Limit yourself to one or two images at most. And make sure they are properly optimized
for the web, so that it won’t take forever for your email to load it.

6) Don’t forget to add your postal or street address, and instructions for opting‐out of your
Don’t forget to add your postal or street address and instr ctions for opting o t of o r
email list, to the bottom of your email template.

7) Put some dummy text into your email and send it to your own email addresses,
including Outlook, Gmail and any others you have. Make sure it looks good.

8) Now, create a text‐only version, and test that one as well. For the text version, use
repeated symbols or dashes to break‐up text. For example:

====================================================================
A HEALTHIER YOU
Nutrition and Exercise Tips from Metro City Health Food Store
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Spring 2015 newsletter
********************************************************************

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4. BROADCAST YOUR NEWSLETTER
THE BEAUTY OF AUTOMATION
THE BEAUTY OF AUTOMATION
Now, your email is designed, written and waiting to be sent to your subscriber lists.

Ideally, you have a broadcasting tool that will not only broadcast your
email, but will help you with the maintenance work you will need to do.
email, but will help you with the maintenance work you will need to do.
Ideally, you have a
First, you will always get Bounced emails, which are emails returned broadcasting tool that
to you as undeliverable (an incorrect address or one that no longer will not only send
exists). You will want to delete these addresses from your lists. your email, but will
help you with the
Second, people will take advantage of your opt‐out UNSUBSCRIBE offer.
maintenance work
It’s not only a cool thing for you to quickly honor those requests, it’s
you will need to do.
also the law.

Ideally, your email broadcasting software will automatically handle these
d ll lb d f ll ll h dl h
chores for you. Voicent’s BroadcastByEmail software will automatically do both.

BroadcastByEmail will also do something else that’s very important to the success
of your email newsletter program. That is the never‐ending final frontier of successful
y p g g
email newsletters …

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4. BROADCAST YOUR NEWSLETTER

THE NEVER‐ENDING FINAL FRONTIER
THE NEVER ENDING FINAL FRONTIER
Now that your email newsletter is out the door and your broadcast software is handling
all the routine maintenance work for you, what’s left to do?

Well, you can start worrying about whether or not anyone is reading the
Well, you can start worrying about whether or not anyone is reading the
thing. If you are using Voicent’s BroadcastByEmail software, you will be
able to track exactly how many of your emails are being opened. Track the open‐rate of
your emails to know
By tracking the rate at which your emails are being opened, you’ll know how many are being
how many are being deleted unread. That will give you a clear indication deleted unread.
of the perceived value of your newsletter.

As you add new features or make other content changes, keep an eye
on that rate so that you will have a good indication of how you re doing.
on that rate so that you will have a good indication of how you’re doing.

Use the feature to help measure and manage the quality of your email newsletter.

The higher the quality of your email newsletter, the more it will contribute to the success
of your organization.
y g

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VOICENT COMMUNICATIONS

Visit
Vi i www.voicent.com to l
i learn more about V i
b Voicent’s affordable,
’ ff d bl
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