Email newsletters are an extremely popular route of communication for the majority of businesses. In fact, if you just check your email inbox, there is almost a 100% chance that you have received some sort of newsletter in the past couple of days.

In fact, over 80% of B2B marketers make use of email newsletters for their content marketing. And there is a very good reason for that.

In this article, we’re going to be looking exactly at how an email newsletter can benefit your business, some essential qualities of a well-performing newsletter, and even an easy-to-follow process for starting your own newsletter with Benchmark Email.

What is an Email Newsletter?

An email newsletter is the sum of the words that make up the term: the concept is the same as a regular newsletter. But, instead of appearing at your doorstep or your mailbox outside, email newsletters are distributed through (you guessed it) email.

An email newsletter is just one of the types of emails you should be sending, but unlike other emails, it can have multiple purposes. The primary purpose, however, is to deliver informative content to the subscribers.

It can also be used to let your users know about any changes within your company, new features added to your software, the release of new products, or for upselling opportunities.

Email newsletters are sent out in certain time intervals: daily, weekly, monthly, etc. They are a great way to engage with your users, and by sharing snippets of your newest articles, you will be giving them a reason to keep coming back to your site. Email newsletters are an essential component of your email marketing. 

Why is it Important to Have an Email Newsletter?

There are a number of reasons why your business should have an email newsletter. 

1. Helps Drive Sales

If a person chooses to subscribe to a brand’s newsletter, it is because they are interested in receiving more information from them. 

Therefore, a newsletter gives you the chance to present your product to a customer that is already predisposed to a conversion. 

You don’t want to sell out the gate, though. You want to focus your newsletter on sharing high-quality content so you can build trust and stay top-of-mind with your new subscribers. With that said, if you want to include a promo, time-limited offer, or explainer video, it’s not a bad idea. Doing so can help you increase your revenue and eventually close more deals.

2. Directs Traffic to Your Site

People don’t usually know when you publish new content on your site. Most people don’t just come back to a website hoping that you’ve posted a new article.

But, if you send out a newsletter that includes mentions and links to your newly published content, it’s a great way to not only let your subscribers know about it but also give them an incentive to come back to your site.

3. A Way to Collect Emails

Your newsletter is like an incentive for site visitors. First, you have to show them the great content you create by driving traffic to your blog. Once they engage there, you want to entice them to subscribe to your newsletter for more great content. This urges them to provide their contact information, including email addresses. 

In turn, you’re able to grow your email list, as well as enroll them into your email marketing campaigns for continued nurture. 

4. Engages Your Audience

Most people check their emails at least once a day, making an email newsletter an effective and cheap way to connect with users.

By being a regular source of helpful information, you establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche, which is essential for building trust with your audience. Beyond that, you can showcase your content from other mediums, such as a podcast you host, webinars, your Youtube channel, or other social profiles.  

Engaging your audience and building their trust are the first two steps towards building a loyal customer base.

5. They’re Cheap and Easy to Set Up

The common misconception around email newsletters is that they’re very tedious and time-consuming to create. 

And sure, if you cram a whole blog post into it, it can take a long time. But, in most cases, it is very much unnecessary. Nobody would read a long newsletter anyway.

All you need to create an email newsletter is a clear purpose for which you’re doing it: content promotion, sales, increased engagement, or whatever else your goals may be. 

Once you have your purpose, you need an email automation tool to help you get your newsletters off the ground. But more on that later. 

Essential Qualities of a Good Email Newsletter

Now that we’ve established why you need an email newsletter let’s look at some points which make an email newsletter stellar.

It Has a Clear Purpose

One common mistake that people make while creating an email newsletter is that they try to cram everything into it: new blog post alerts, social media posts, new products, all in one place.

This is too much. A good newsletter is short, sweet, and dedicated to a singular task. If you’re just letting your subscribers know about your latest blog post, keep your product announcements out from the newsletter.

Also, you should keep your newsletter as short and digestible as possible: users should be able to understand what you’re sending them as why as soon as they see it. If your message is not immediately clear, people are very likely to click off. 

It’s Consistent

This goes beyond just the time and day when your newsletter is sent out. Your subscribers need to know what to expect each time they see you in their inbox.

Be consistent with your format and the type of content you’re delivering. Also, your newsletter needs to provide something that the rest of your channels don’t. 

This can be some user-generated content, discount codes, or anything else that your users can’t find on your social media or blog.

It Taps Into Industry Insights

You don’t have to be the only expert in your industry. You can get opinions from other thought leaders or influencers like yourself and make them a part of your newsletter by including quotes, tweets, links to content they’ve written about their favorite brands-whatever you want!

Your newsletter should be a fun read, and it should be informative. You want your readers to connect with the content, and you can do that by using humor or popular events/topics as hooks for attracting attention, interest, and engagement.

How to Start Your own Email Newsletter Using Benchmark Email

Benchmark Email is an email automation tool that makes it very easy to get started with an email newsletter. In fact, it has various templates that simplify the process even further.

To get started with Benchmark Email, sign up for a free Benchmark Email account. Once logged in, you can use our drag and drop builder to create an email newsletter design to your liking. Or, you can select a template from our bank of templates. Whatever strikes your fancy!

From there, you just follow the prompts and fill out our Email Checklist and you’re ready to send your first email newsletter in just 15 minutes or less.

We also have great tools, like landing pages and website forms that will help you build your list so you can reach more people with your amazing new newsletter. 

Conclusion

Email newsletters are vital for your email marketing strategy and business as a whole. Get started with your own and capitalize on your website traffic by turning visitors into subscribers, subscribers into leads, and leads into customers. 

Author Bio

Managing brand partnerships at Respona, Vlad Orlov is a passionate writer and link builder. Having started writing articles at the age of 13, their once past-time hobby developed into a central piece of their professional life.