What Every Newsletter Needs
Electronic newsletters have taken the place of their conventional paper cousins. With the change in delivery mechanism comes the demand for change in format and content, too.
A newsletter sent over the Internet needs links to other sites that the audience may find useful, allowing readers to transition to additional information with a click of the mouse. The audience of an electronic newsletter, published either embedded or attached to an email attachment or microsite link, is already online. Take advantage of that immediacy when marketing new initiatives and promotions.
A newsletter also needs to include keywords. This marketing tool should employ similar search engine optimisation techniques as your website. Tags, phrases, and words that have proven to help in search engine ranking should used liberally, especially on the version that you link to your parent site.
And from a legal perspective, a newsletter needs a disclaimer. The Internet is a global audience. An electronic newsletter's distribution cannot be curtailed. If an offer is intended only for a local or regional organization, say so. When linking to other sites or to material that is not original to your company, make sure that is clearly stated as well.
And, finally, a newsletter needs a sell-by date. The concept and allure of a newsletter’s content is that it is topical. Readers expect to find information that is fresh, direct and upcoming.
A newsletter should respond with substance that feeds this expectation and build anticipation for the next issue.
