Have your email newsletters become so formulaic and routine that you could do them in your sleep? If that’s the case, you risk putting your readers to sleep. When you send the same thing over and over, your message fades into the background as someone else’s new and exciting efforts catch their eye. Perhaps it’s time to shake things up; here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Freshen Up
Don’t get us wrong: consistency is a key element of branding. But when something always looks the same, it starts to become invisible. If you can’t remember when you launched your current look, maybe it’s time to refresh your newsletter design or even just your color scheme. Experiment with adding new features or call-out boxes to keep things lively.

Be Seasonal
Reference what’s going on in your customer’s life - whether it’s a recent snowstorm, a headline from their industry or the fact that they’re planning for their golden years. If your writing and imagery speak to their lives, it will be more relevant and meaningful. Of course it’s hard to do this with a big, diverse mailing list, so here is where smart segmentation can really come into play. 

Stop Playing Pavlov
Customers are easily trained. If you continually rotate offers, they’ll catch on - and they won’t bite on the 15% off coupon when they know that 33% off is right around the corner. Remember that the value you add is not just in reducing prices; offer useful content and smart ideas that make their lives easier and you can win sales and loyalty.

Look beyond the Usual Suspects
Competitors tend to try to keep up with each other, but that can lead to an entire industry repeating the same messages and tactics. Look beyond your field for new campaign ideas. Think about what your customers’ other interests are and start subscribing to those types of newletters. You might just become the next game-changer in your space!

Invite Guests
If you’re writing-weary, invite a guest writer to bring a fresh voice and energy to your newsletter. A new perspective will add excitement and give you a much-needed break. Look to your company’s management, a respected expert in your field or even someone from a partner firm to pen a few thoughts.

If you are stuck in a rut, let OpenMoves help. We work with clients across a range of industries, countries and customer demographics, so we can always bring a fresh perspective.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 10:06 am and is filed under Content Creation, Email, Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.