Newsletter to put people at the centre: 5 practical tips

Personalization, listening and involvement are the keywords for creating a lasting relationship

Newsletters are a valuable tool for establishing and maintaining a meaningful and direct connection with people, sharing relevant content while telling them about the brand’s distinctive values.

To truly engage our recipients and create newsletters truly oriented towards their interests, it is important to take care of 5 aspects in particular.

1  – We personalize mailings (for real)

Creating unique messages for contacts does not mean putting abused formulas such as “just for you” or “exclusive” in the subject line or title and then proceeding to send them to the entire list. People have become accustomed to these types of messages, which are perceived as empty promises with no added value.

Conversely, people understand when they are receiving a genuine, targeted benefit. For example, in the case of an e-commerce, we can reserve a higher discount for the most loyal customers by segmenting the database (e.g., filtering out those who have made frequent purchases or reached a certain level of spending). It is important to make explicit the reason for such special treatment, thanking and rewarding customers in order to strengthen the bond and foster loyalty.

Furthermore, we can use merge tags to insert the name of our contacts directly into the subject or even in the incipit of the emails, guaranteeing an even more authentic and personalized experience.

2  – We make the experience clear, fluid, consistent

Clarity, fluidity and consistency of the user experience are key to ensuring a positive first impression and maintaining a lasting relationship. During the registration phase it is important to request only the necessary data: usually name, email and possibly date of birth in case we want to set up an automated happy birthday greeting, perhaps with a gift discount.

Furthermore, it is important to maintain communication and visual consistency in each step. For example, a very formal tone during registration and a very friendly message in newsletters would create a discontinuity in the user experience, generating confusion and reducing the effectiveness of communication.

Even when unsubscribing, it is important to ensure a simple and transparent process, respecting the user’s choices and offering an option to provide constructive feedback that can help us improve.

3  – Welcoming begins with language

Most subscription confirmation newsletters begin with, “Welcome to our newsletter!” or (less frequently) “Welcome to join us!”

Even if we know that our target audience is predominantly male or female, it is always preferable to avoid gendered formulas and choose neutral ones.

4  – What do our contacts like?

Each list is unique and composed of individuals with different preferences and habits. A/B testing and insight analysis and reports allow you to understand what contacts like and optimize your newsletters.

For example, through A/B testing we can find answers to these questions:

• Do your contacts prefer to receive the newsletter in the morning or in the afternoon?
• Emoji in the subject: yes or no?
• In which position does the CTA generate the most clicks? And is there a CTA color that attracts the most attention?
• Better a longer text or a smaller content?

Analyzing the data from each mailing is important to understand what worked and what can be optimized. Did a newsletter generate fewer interactions than average? Let’s ask what influenced it. The day or time of sending? The content itself? The clarity of the message? By carefully analyzing these factors and comparing the data with other successful mailings, we can identify areas for improvement and optimize future campaigns to maximize engagement.

5  – We actively involve the public (not just online)

Reports are important, but why not ask contacts directly what they prefer? Surveys and questionnaires are a valuable source of data. We ask subscribers what they think of current products or services, what they would like to see improved or added, and what their preferences are in terms of newsletter content and frequency. It is a good idea to also include one or more open-ended questions, leaving space for any free suggestions. As an incentive to fill out the survey, we can provide a reward or discount code.

In addition to online feedback requests, there are other solutions that allow you to collect opinions, suggestions and advice directly and immediately. At TSW, through focus groups, we can better understand how recipients perceive newsletters, what they appreciate and what they would like improved. In addition, individual interviews provide a one-to-one conversation opportunity to get comprehensive and highly personalized feedback.

In this way, newsletters will be able to put people at the center not only because they are created for people, but also with people.

Thanks to the information collected, we can intervene effectively to optimize the e-mail marketing strategy and, at the same time, the 360° communication strategy, creating more relevant and interesting content for the public and strengthening brand perception over time.