Creating an email newsletter is a very effective way to connect with your fans. Newsletters that are compelling help drive traffic to your site and maintain your audience’s interest in your content. That said, a newsletter should match your online brand; your newsletter subscribers shouldn’t feel like they’re listening to a different person or voice. So, it is very important that you ensure your newsletters reflect the brand of your website.
Opting for newsletters
At this point, you’ve already established your brand identity and ensured that this brand is reflected on your website. When someone signs up for your newsletter, it’s likely they will have been following you online, through your blog articles or social media. A person who chooses to receive your newsletter is saying, “Your content is so great or important that I want to know about new content almost immediately.”
Creating an email newsletter that’s a huge departure from your website or social media content disrupts that expectation. Once they read the newsletter, and it differs wildly from what they were reading online, they’re more likely to unsubscribe instantly.
There are a few ways you can harmonize your newsletter and your website.
1. Design for a newsletter, not a website
Remember: a newsletter is not a website. Though it is important to make sure the design of your newsletter complements your site, it’s not a good idea to automatically transfer all website design elements to your newsletter.
In this AWeber video about email design, the speaker discusses how a newsletter relates to a website in the same way that a business card relates to a letterhead. So, ensure that elements like your logo, brand colors, and business address details carry over, but don’t include things like your header and footer navigation, as this will only overwhelm the reader.
2. Maintain your website’s voice and tone
Some businesses try to be too friendly in their newsletters while their website tone is very corporate. Others may go for corporate-sounding newsletters but their website has a very relaxed feel. Both of these are mistakes.
Because the person who has subscribed to your newsletter has already established an expectation for your content, you should try to carry the tone of voice of your site over to your newsletter.
3. Introduce your content clearly
The most effective newsletters are those that encourage users to click through to new content on your website. By thinking of a newsletter as the introduction to your content, you create a natural reading process that flows for your audience. The goal is to engage them quickly and then encourage them to continue on the journey. If someone reads the newsletter, likes what they see enough to click through to your site, and continues reading further on your website, you’ve succeeded.
So, take the time to ensure that your newsletter matches the tone of your brand, doesn’t directly copy your website, and provides compelling reasons to read more on your website. There’s no better way to speak directly to your audience.
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