Email newsletter tips for accountants
Email newsletters are a marketing staple, and have been for decades. For client retention, it’s still a popular tool for many businesses – even more so than social media. Yet we all have unopened email newsletters in our inbox. So how do you create an accounting newsletter that won’t be left unread? Let’s take a look at how to optimise your chance of success with email marketing.
Why send a newsletter?
Newsletters are not typically a client acquisition tool. They’re intended to go out to your existing mailing list on a periodical but regular basis. Email marketing for accounting firms serves several purposes. At its most basic, it reminds clients that you’re there and ready to help whenever they need you. But it’s also about offering up high-quality, engaging content that your clients will find useful.
So what are the best practices for email newsletters for accountants?
Audience
Email service providers enable you to create specific lists of contacts for your marketing. By utilising this feature, you can ensure the content of your newsletters remains relevant. Use email addresses you already have on your database, and ensure that you have obtained permission to use them for marketing purposes. You can then segment your audience into, for example, businesses and individuals, with content tailored for each group.
Subject line
A lot of research has gone into the efficacy of various email marketing subject lines. To maximise the chance of recipients opening your email, your subject line should entice them in. You can experiment with subject lines for your newsletter and analyse open rates to find out which are the most effective. Avoid things like multiple exclamation marks or all upper-case subject lines though, as these will appear spammy.
Content
The content of your newsletter is, of course, highly important. Newsletters typically link readers to a full article, giving them just a taste of what to expect in the body of the email itself. This is where having a blog comes in handy, as you can simply link recipients to content you’ve already created. It will cut down on the time you spend putting together the newsletter too, as all you’ll need to do is offer bitesize chunks that engage the reader enough to click through and learn more.
Call to actions
It’s tempting to put a call to action on every paragraph to encourage recipients to convert, but as a client retention tool, newsletters don’t need them. If anything, it’ll create a hard-sell feel and put your readers off. Instead focus on ensuring the content offers something of value, and keep calls to action like “Click here to find out how we can help!” to a minimum. Let your readers explore the topics that are most relevant to them through the links to your website articles.
Timing
Whether you decide to send your newsletters fortnightly, monthly or quarterly, you’ll need to ensure you’re consistent. Decide when in the month you’ll send them out, and keep to your schedule. Experiment with the timing to optimise your open rates too. First thing on a Monday morning isn’t a good time to drop a newsletter into a busy client’s inbox, so think about a lunchtime or afternoon mailing.
If you’d like help with your email newsletters, contact us at Whitefish Marketing today. We’re a specialist marketing agency for accountancy firms and can help you ensure you’re taking an effective approach to your digital marketing.
