How to create newsletters? – 3 newsletter types you must know

This particular channel of communication should always be given its due attention, also with respect to the e-commerce sector, as its potential is extraordinary. To start sending messages of this type to your customers, you need a mailing list. Read about effective methods of building a mailing list. If you already have a mailing list, you might be wondering about the type of email newsletter you should be sending to your subscribers. What kind of communication will enable you to effectively win new customers and loyalise those you already have? Find out the answers to your questions by reading this article.

Sales newsletter

It is one of the most popular newsletter types in e-commerce. Sales newsletters aim at encouraging customers to place orders in your online store. To boost the newsletter’s effectiveness, you can offer the customer:

• an attractive discount
• 2 products for the price of 1
• free shipping
• a discount on the first order
• a discount on an order exceeding a specific amount
• time-limited promotion

and much more!

A new study by RetainMeNot shows that discounts and special offers have a significant impact on customer acquisition, purchase decisions and brand loyalty. As many as 94% of customers look for bargains or promotions when shopping. According to GlobalWebIndex, vouchers and discounts influence the purchasing decisions of as many as 41% of all online shoppers.

Instead of merely encouraging customers to make a purchase,

try to demonstrate the benefits the customers will receive.

To persuade your subscribers to make a decision here and now, place a call-to-action button in a prominent position. Messages that point to a specific action always work well, for example:

• buy now
• collect your gift
• see more
• don’t miss out

and many others.

Occasional newsletter

Another newsletter example is the occasional newsletter. It is sent to mark special occasions, such as Black Friday, Christmas, customers’ birthdays, Valentine’s Day or Women’s Day. In the run-up to these occasions, consumers are searching for various gifts, so by sending out a newsletter advertising your products, you will increase your visibility and your chance of making a sale. Valentine’s Day spending in 2022 has been estimated at over USD 20 billion in the US alone.

Discover 15 Valentine’s Day tricks to boost your e-commerce sales. Read about useful newsletter ideas to give you some inspiration for other special occasions.

Handy tip: If you want to make your customer feel really special, send them a birthday newsletter even one month before that date. Offer your products or services to help them get ready for their special day. Your customers are sure to appreciate this gesture.

Seasonal newsletter

There are few better company newsletter ideas than seasonal newsletters. After all, we all love a reason to celebrate and we all enjoy planning our holidays, don’t we? Send your customers an attractive seasonal newsletter full of special offers to encourage their custom. A summer holiday newsletter may include discounts on accessories that are essential for a family getaway. A winter break newsletter may advertise promotional prices of winter clothing or sports equipment. Seasonal newsletters may celebrate the first day of spring or the upcoming May Day. How to write such a newsletter? Pay attention to the language used and adapt the tone of your email newsletter to the mood your customers are likely to have on that particular occasion. Here are some seasonal newsletter examples:

Winter break newsletter: Warm yourself up with our fragrant ginger tea so that the cold doesn’t deter you from your winter sporting activities! – and add an attractive discount for the entire family.

Summer holiday newsletter: Feeling hot? Worry not! You can now get -10% off all our domestic fans!

Educational newsletter

Customer communication is not only about making a sale. You should also provide your subscribers with the educational content they might appreciate. This will help to improve your brand awareness and build your expert image. By sending blog articles or other educational material, you can effectively influence the buying decisions of your potential customers.

Find out why customer communication is so vital.

Let’s imagine that your customer is looking to buy a gaming headset. There is a huge selection of such products on the market, and the purchase decision is additionally made more difficult by their high prices. Draft an article about the top 3 models of headsets and describe their functions, advantages and disadvantages. In this way, you will provide your customers with useful information to help them decide on a model and place an order in your online store. You can also provide them with other means of product comparison, for example, a table or a video.

User manuals for your products

Tell your customers how to use the products they are interested in. This newsletter idea is useful both before the purchase – to convince the customer of the benefits and ease of use of, for example, your car navigation system – and afterwards – to facilitate the programming of a new smartwatch, to give another example. Provide your customers with all the necessary details, so they don’t have to go looking for it on Google. In your customers’ eyes, you will become a valuable source of knowledge.

Company newsletter – examples

A company newsletter is an excellent opportunity to increase awareness of your brand. You can use it to let your customers know about:

• your current activities
• the services you offer
• the upcoming changes

and much more.

As your target audience will stay in the loop with your company’s ongoing activities, your relationship will be made stronger. This newsletter example is ideal for SaaS (Software as a Service) businesses. Companies of this type provide their customers with software that does not require installation on a computer or server infrastructure. Such software is continuously improved through the introduction of additional functions, with the relevant information essential to its users.

How to create a company newsletter?

First and foremost, it should be clear and concise. Customers are unlikely to understand technical details related to the functioning of your company. The potential benefits they might be able to draw from the implemented changes will be much more important to them. Identify the most vital things and communicate with them in an engaging manner, for example, using graphics.

When should I send my newsletters?

You should decide on the day and frequency of your newsletters only once you have analyzed your customers’ behavior. How can you do this?

• Use Google Analytics to check when customers visit your shop most often. It is probable that on these days they will be more interested in your product range.

• You should also try edrone Inbox, which will give you access to all your communication channels and customer service functions from one place. You’ll be able to manage messages coming from email, chat, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp using one Inbox. You will also know on what days and times your customers send you messages. With this key piece of information, you will be able to determine the right time to send your newsletters.

When do you receive newsletters most often, and what is your preferred time to read them? This is yet another company newsletter idea worth considering. It might be wise to send your newsletter at the start of the week in the morning so that it arrives in the subscriber’s inbox as one of the first. It might also be the case that your customers prefer evening shopping or they enjoy reading their newsletters on the weekend. Put several options to the test to see when you get the highest OR or CTR.

• Give newsletter A/B testing from edrone a try, as it will provide you with the answers to all the above questions. This tool helps you compare two variants of a solution and assess which one brings better results. Another aspect worth investigating is the time that passes between the dispatch of a newsletter and its opening by your customers. If it’s 3 hours and your peak day is Monday – schedule your newsletter for Monday, at 6 am. Your latest newsletter will then be ready and waiting for your subscribers before they start the new week in earnest.

Read more about A/B testing from edrone.

Our new newsletter creator allows you to create, save and send newsletters in a simple, convenient and more effective way:

• you can easily create messages in the new Template Editor and you will be able to save many templates in the designated place,
• you can quickly plan your campaigns,
• thanks to advanced segmentation, you can target your creations in a better way. 

How do you create the perfect newsletter?

There are several key principles to keep in mind when writing a newsletter:

Create a consistent message template – although each newsletter will look slightly different, the color scheme and the format should remain the same across all your newsletters. The sender’s name should always be identical. This will give you credibility among your subscribers.

Ensure communication transparency of your message – create a concise text and attractive graphics. The entire message should be consistent and accessible.

Send your newsletters systematically – that way, your customers will know when to expect the latest offers, guidebooks or information about your activities.

Personalize your content – you don’t need a lot of data to tailor your messages to individual subscribers. You can gain a lot of valuable information from looking at the age, gender or products added to the cart.

• Provide each customer with an individualized approach and make each message as personal as possible in the context of one-to-many communication. Instead of “Hello, customer”, use “Hello, Monica” – this is a sure way of making your customers feel special. Learn more about Dynamic Newsletters from edrone and group your audience based on their buying behavior, gender and more.
• Personalization also means sending tailored recommendations to your customers. Take advantage of the Newsletter category from edrone and segment your audience based on the products they were interested in or the items they added to their shopping cart. You will then be able to give your customers exactly what they need.

Find out how to create an engaging newsletter for your customers.