Why is the Company Newsletter Failing?

According to the 2013 Email Marketing Industry Census from Econsultancy and Adestra Email Marketing, 55% of companies attribute more than 10% of their total sales to email marketing. Since this channel definitely works, it can be frustrating if you're not getting the type of results you want.

Even if you feel that your email newsletter has been stuck in a rut for awhile, the good news is you can improve its performance. The main thing you need to do is identify what's holding it back.

When it comes to company newsletters, the most common reasons they fall short of their goals are because they're not:

Consistent

Unless you run a social deals site, it probably doesn't make sense for your company to send out a daily newsletter. And depending on your specific industry, even a weekly newsletter may be too often.

While different frequencies work best for different businesses, what is important is that you stick to a consistent delivery schedule once you find the frequency that works best for your business.

Capturing Attention

In order for your newsletter to accomplish anything, people need to open it.

Since your newsletter is competing for attention with everything else that's in someone's inbox, you need to write a great subject line.

You also need to make sure the first couple of sentences in your newsletter continue to hold people's attention.

And since it's normal for online readers to scan, if your email has a fair amount of content, be sure to use catchy subheadings throughout its body.

Telling Readers What to Do

A common reason businesses feel like their newsletter is failing is because after they email it out, they see very little activity from the people they sent it to.

Although a common assumption is that the majority of readers just aren't interested in what they received, that may not be the problem.

Instead, people may simply read the content and then move on with their day. If you want your list to take a specific action, you have to tell them!

Whether it's taking advantage of a special offer or simply sending you a response with their opinion, be sure to end your newsletter with a clear call to action.

Focused on Providing Value

People who have taken the time to sign up for your newsletter are definitely interested in your company and what it has to offer.

That being said, it's important to remember that at the end of the day, consumers always want to know the answer to a single question: what's in it for me?

Whether it's informative content or coupons for saving money, if you make delivering as much value as possible the goal of every newsletter you send, you'll start seeing the results you want.

When used correctly, a company newsletter can serve as a powerful marketing tool.

If you consistently send your newsletter, use catchy subject lines and subheadings, remember to provide readers with guidance, and make delivering value your top priority, you'll be very happy with just how well your email newsletter performs.