Marketing is one of those “working on the business” skills that can seem foreign at first. Often, the first part of a marketing plan that small businesses address is getting new leads. The plan for retaining and building those leads tends to be lacking. Yet, it is the leads already in your pipeline that are most likely to convert and be most profitable for you. If you want to tap into that potential in your marketing funnel, newsletters are a great way to start. Today, we’ll talk about how and why to use newsletters to advance your business.
There are a few common objections I hear when I recommend newsletters. Let’s address those right off the bat.
Objection 1: “People don’t want to hear from me that much.”
Some people don’t. Some people do. If you know about the “rule of seven,” you know the idea that it takes at least seven impressions on a lead before they are ready to buy something from you. (Click here to read more on the Rule of Seven). If you aren’t making impressions because you are afraid people will dislike it, you are preventing yourself from closing all those future customers who just needed to be a little warmer. Sure, some people will unsubscribe. But the people who are really your customers will convert once they are warm enough.
The people who are really your customers will convert once they are warm enough. #smb #business Share on XObjection 2: “I can’t think of that much to say.”
Newsletters can take a lot of forms. If you get creative, there are so many different types of content you could share in your emails and you only need to churn them out as consistently as you can maintain. If you want ideas on how to create content for your newsletters, read here for some inspiration.
Objection 3: “I don’t have time to write newsletters.”
I had this objection too about writing blogs (like this one). It turns out, I did have time. Educating was such an important aspect of my business that I was doing it anyway in far less impactful formats. My blogs became the centerpiece of my newsletter. Realistically, if there is a type of content that would be logical and even enjoyable for you to produce, all you need to do is set up your newsletter that first time, and the hard work is done! Now when I sit down to put together my newsletter, it takes me about 15 minutes a week.
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All you need to do is set up your newsletter that first time, and the hard work is done! #smb Share on XThose three objections are the most typical ones I hear for including newsletters in your marketing plan. All of them are surmountable, and I hope you’ll take another look. Because newsletters can do some great things for you.
The HUGE Benefits of Newsletters for Your Business
- Warming your leads. I already pointed out the rule of seven. If it takes upwards of 7 impressions with your leads before they are ready to buy from you but you have not built in a way to make those impressions….how are you supposed to sell your products and services? Warming your leads is an absolutely critical part of the process. In fact, not doing it makes the sales process so much more painful. Wouldn’t you rather try to close a warm lead than a cold one?
- Warming your leads…in volume! So, yes, you could call up every single lead. You could send them a personal email. You could invite them to dinner in your home if you wanted. And you may very well want to include individualized outreach in your marketing plan. But when it comes to keeping the masses aware that you exist, newsletters are a smart time-saving marketing tool. Newsletters allow you to remind everyone what you do. The next time they need you or know someone else who does, they are more likely to think to remember you. And newsletters are far less time consuming than doing individual outreach 100% of the time, so it will be easier long-term.
- Segmenting your messages. If you feel like it is too impersonal to send newsletters, remember that many newsletter services let you split your audience into different groupings so you can focus certain types of messages to the people who need to see them. Read this tip here if you want to learn all about using lists, groups, and segments in Mailchimp, for example.
- Access to analytics. Newsletters are incredibly informative for you because of the analytics they provide. They give you concrete evidence of who is interested and what they are interested in. They also tell you who does not appear to be interested. All of this information is critical for you so you can better serve your audience. You should review the information and use it! I will get into this in more detail in my next blog, so if you want some ideas how to use the information your newsletter stats are giving you, stay tuned.
Newsletters are a wise option for so many businesses. If you are not in some way reaching out to your audience consistently, you are probably leaving money on the table for your business. Maybe even a lot of money is being left on the table. Do you want to leave money on the table?
If the answer is no, it is worth taking another look at newsletters. I know there are objections you may have to it. I probably even had those objections myself in the early days of my business. But if you take a closer look at your objections, you may find that they can be easily overcome. A world of benefit awaits you! Hopefully this blog shows you how and why you can use newsletters to advance your business.