We’ve been talking about company newsletters a lot in this space lately and I thought it might be helpful to share the Crossman Communications Eight-Step Process for success in the area. They might not be the same steps you would use for your own business – every business is different, of course – but they might give you an idea of what might lie ahead if you decide to develop one in-house.

Here Goes:

1. Set out an editorial calendar to lay out a production schedule that aligns with your promotional opportunities for the coming year. I like to have a theme for each issue of a client newsletter and if your business is seasonal in any way, you can readily develop a theme for each issue that relates to the issues that are relevant in your business at specific times of the year.
2. Book regular planning meetings between your key team members and the person who is going to actually create each issue of the newsletter. Your writer needs to have access to current information and is probably going to have questions about how things work. The members of your executive team will probably want customers to know about specific issues or products. Great internal communication is key to making sure the newsletter serves its purpose.
3. Establish a content funnelling system so that your writer has a reliable process for collecting content for each article in each edition of the newsletter. And don’t forget about images! While you can purchase images from online sites, it’s less expensive and more effective if you can use good quality images that relate to your company, product line or industry. You want at least one graphic on every newsletter article. Who collects the images in your company and how can your newsletter Lead get their hands on them?
4. Develop a clear and consistent approvals channel so there are no delays in finalizing and posting content.
5. Make a decision around how the newsletter is going to be distributed. Is it going to be available only on the company’s website? If so, will it be available as a web page or as a PDF that people can easily print and copy? Are you going to distribute it in PDF form to salespeople so they can send it to their key contacts? Are you going to email it from head office to all of your customers?
6. Develop and/or modify an email channel so you can send the newsletter to your customer database. Numerous companies offer automated email services and there are advantages and disadvantages to each one. Check out Constant Contact, MailChimp and Infusionsoft and see if any of them resonate with you.
7. Determine who is going to take primary responsibility for ensuring that the newsletter gets published. Your people are busy. Is someone going to be able to add this in to their workload or do you need to hire it out?
8. Determine where you are going to funnel leads that the newsletter generates. Usually it’s sales@xyzcompany.com and one salesperson is assigned to monitor that email address and pick up on any leads generated.

If you’re using an email service like MailChimp you can easily track how many people are reading your newsletter and what sections they liked best. That allows you to duplicate that type of article or topic in a future edition of the newsletter so you can keep interest and visits to your website high.

A newsletter marketing program is a tremendously creative endeavour and it’s rewarding for companies to see their story unfold online. My team and I often find that new needs arise during the course of a content marketing program, and new opportunities present. So it’s important to be flexible and respond to the changing business landscape. But if you keep to some basic “rules of the road” your newsletter will help you develop greater brand recognition for your company, a consistent opportunity for customers and potential customers to connect with you and a the opportunity to create a stronger community of supporters for your business.

Need some help with that? Contact me at susan@crossmancommunications.com and let’s have a conversation about how me and my team might be able to support you to success!