Effective Newsletters: They are LOve Letters

I’m working with a company that’s trying to upgrade it’s ecommerce site (which it badly needs to do), and they are looking at a comprehensive solution provider, i.e., a company that specializes in designing, building ecommerce web sites and marketing its products. The design and building of your ecommerce site is definitely something you want to delegate/outsource, but –

my gut tells me that marketing is the most difficult aspect of one’s business to delegate to someone outside your company. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t delegate at all, it just means you need to know what can and cannot be delegated.

For example, some third party marketing companies have great services, e.g., sophisticated email tracking so you can target email newsletters to customers who’ve previously purchased specific products. This is a terrific idea because you can suggest other products your customers are likely to buy. Amazon.com actually invented this type of marketing, e.g, when you log in, you get a ton of helpful, effective recommendations based on your purchase history.

But no package or service can, will or should write your email newsletters for you – you have to do that.

Now, you can hire an outside expert to write your newsletters for you, but — you need to be careful. This is very personal marketing, and hiring someone to do this is like hiring someone to write love letters to your boy/girlfriend/husband/wife.

You make love to them — don’t hire someone to make love to them.

You really should be writing your own love letters. If you do hire someone, they’re not replacing you — to continue the “making love” analogy, think of them like a sex toy you’ve purchased on a dark street corner and then scurried home.

Once home, you then need to be VERY involved to make sure the emotional tone and style is just right. Your customers are your babies — part of being successful is knowing them, knowing what they want and how to make them feel loved. Here, your own gut, heart and experience is all the “expert” knowledge you need.

But — you can still benefit from expert advice and — example. For example, you may be confused about how to structure/format/organize a great business to consumer newsletter. “Follow by Example — Follow the Leader” is a great way to learn anything, i.e., find people who are great at doing what you want to do, and then do what they’re doing.

So — go right now and check out Magic Beans and — right this second — sign up for their newsletter.

Magic Beans is a retailer of baby products with a storefront and online presence, sends its beanstalk newsletters once a month. While the goal of the newsletter is to make customers aware of new products, Magic Beans includes helpful educational information as well.

In the April issue, highlighted here, the content on the left side of the newsletter has an Earth Day theme. Articles give ideas for how moms can be green and point out the opportunity to reuse the shop’s bags.

On the right rail of the newsletter are featured products, many of which relate to the “going green” theme.

From a design perspective, the newsletter is attractive to look at, easy to read, and is a great representation of the company’s visual brand. (From Constant Contact’s Hints & Tips Email Marketing)

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