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With so many different marketing options available to our businesses these days, knowing which one to choose can feel like an overwhelming decision? Should you put your time and effort into social media? Dedicate a day a week to networking? Or rely on word of mouth?

One option that many people overlook in the digital age is one of the most time proven of them all – the newsletter. In the furniture retail industry, when you may only see your customers once or twice per year, it can be a great way to stay present in customers’ minds, let them know about any new products or services, and importantly – offer something of real value.

Here are 6 ways to do a newsletter well.

Give Value

Everyone is so busy nowadays, so you really have to make sure it’s worth their while opening your email. What can you give them that they may not find elsewhere? Insights about your industry? An opinion piece? Links to products or events they may not find elsewhere?

Know Your Audience

Your clients might be the people that buy from your store, but to really connect with them, try to see them as more than that. Yes, they have a need to buy your products, but behind this there is a person that may well be interested in anything from your local community to interior design to innovations in technology. You know your customers – what would they like to read about?

Track

The great thing about modern mail-out systems such as MailChimp is that they allow you to track fairly accurately what people are interested in and what they are clicking. Use this knowledge to help refine your strategy and do more of what works well. You can also learn the best times and days to send out your mails.

Sell – But not too much

Of course the end goal of your newsletter is to make your customers aware of your product or service and hopefully sell more. But these days people are very wary of being sold to, and if they suspect that’s the only purpose of an email newsletter it’s likely they’ll stop clicking pretty quickly. Nobody likes the person who turns up at the party and only talks about themselves. So aim to be more diverse in your newsletters and not to make every article a thinly disguised sales pitch.

Be a Curator

If all this seems a bit daunting, remember that you don’t have to create every item you share in your newsletter. Keep an eye on relevant industry communications and share these as part of your ‘content strategy’. Becoming known as a curator of good, interesting content can help make you seem like an expert in your field. (As a side note, avoid software that does curating for you on platforms such as Twitter – it’s obvious you haven’t put any personal thought into these)

Keep Going

You might not get many clicks or responses the first time you send your newsletter. It doesn’t mean that people haven’t noticed. Stay consistent, and over time a carefully thought through newsletter will pay dividends. You’ll build an audience, keep yourself at the forefront of your customers’ minds and learn more about what they like.

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