How a Newsletter Can Increase Engagement and Grow Your Business

There Are Many Ways to Engage Your Clients 

Customer engagement is exactly what the name suggests: engaging with your customers in a targeted and personalized way. This engagement can happen in many different ways over a variety of communication channels. Social media posts, satisfaction survey emails, and loyalty programs are all examples of customer engagement.   

And there’s another, often overlooked method to engage your customers—newsletters. This simple but powerful tool can be employed by every local business owner. A monthly newsletter, sent out to your curated email list, is a cost-effective way to engage with your customers on a large scale. 

What to Include in Your Newsletter 

The great thing about newsletters is they’re really versatile.  There are really no rules that dictate what you can or can’t include. The key to a successful newsletter is including information your customers will find helpful and will want to read. 

Industry News

News and updates about your industry can be interesting to customers, but don’t overdo it. Remember, your customers are laymen, so industry jargon or highly technical explanations aren’t going to hold their attention. Your customers will be most interested in industry updates that affect them directly as consumers. 

Recap the Prior Month's Blog Posts

A newsletter is a great place to recap your recent blog posts. Do this by giving readers a short blurb from the blog and then linking back to the original post. This also has the advantage of driving customers to your website, which is yet another form of engagement.  Not blogging yet? Need help getting started?  Click here. 

Upcoming Events, Sales, and Special Offers

There’s no better place to share news about the goings on at your local business than in your newsletter. Tell readers about the new showroom you’re opening across town or share the details of your upcoming sale. Even better, offer special discounts or early-bird pricing exclusively to your newsletter subscribers. 

Community Involvement

As a local business, there’s a good chance you’re involved in your community. Whether you’re sponsoring the local youth basketball team or you’re hosting a charity dinner, be sure to include these community events in your newsletter. Your reputation as a trusted, local business will benefit. 

Stay Focused

Though you might be tempted to cram in every piece of information you have on hand, don’t do it. Your newsletter items should be relatively brief, sharing high-level information and news items that will interest your customers. If it’s a topic that deserves a full-blown article of its own, consider writing about it in your blog and link the post in the newsletter. 

Remember, this newsletter is coming through as an email so too much information or huge chunks of text will be a turnoff, particularly if it’s being viewed on a mobile device. Keep the text on point and the design clean and easy to digest. 

Grow Your Newsletter - Grow Your Business

Your newsletter can help your business grow by engaging with your current and potential customers. And as your business grows, your newsletter subscriber list should grow, too.  Keep in mind the golden rule for your newsletter: its purpose is to engage your customers, provide them with helpful content, and establish your local business as the go-to in your community.