Sample Email Newsletter that Grabs Readers’ Attention

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    Lisa Photoshoot May 2011 006How to Increase Email Click-Through for Your Content Marketing Strategy

    In order to help stay on top of marketing trends, I subscribe to a few exceptional email newsletters in the content marketing arena. I just received this excellent newsletter (see below) from Simply Measured. For small businesses, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and professionals who employ a content marketing strategy, it may be an example you’ll want to consider emulating. Here’s why:

    1. The email subject line catches readers’ attention with a problem that’s common to the target audience. Makes them want to click through.

    2. The content is contained in the body of the email – no attachments. Important when executing a content marketing strategy.

    3. Gray background makes the content pop. Allows for the use of white space in content boxes.

    4. Logo at the top left – prime position for building brand awareness & recognition. (It also contains a link to their 14-day free trial.)

    5. “Social Media Newsletter” at the top right – no guessing what this is!

    6. Each article is separated visually with blocks. Easy for scanners to grasp quickly.

    7. Each article has an image associated with it. Use of images is becoming very important because of the staggering competition for attention.

    8. Strong titles and short teaser introductions tell at a glance what the articles are about – with distinct “read more” calls to action.

    9. The company’s own promotional content is at the end. Readers feel that they’ve been given a lot of value FIRST and so by the end, they don’t mind the promo.

    10. FOLLOW buttons at the bottom (I’d put SHARE buttons there, too.)

    11. Don’t want to receive this email newsletter anymore? Simple, easy opt-out link at the very bottom.

    I suggest that for branding consistency, instead of using these colors, lean toward your own branding color scheme that you use in your website, landing pages, articles, brochures, and other marketing pieces.

    Your email newsletter campaign may be an important piece of your marketing mix. By incorporating some or all of the above elements, you could significantly increase your click-through rates and readership – which leads to higher conversion rates.

    Does anyone have other suggestions for improvement?

    Ps – Thanks to Simply Measured for this awesome example!

    Here is the body of the email – opened in a browser

    (Note: posting the image to this blog required cutting it up into 3 sections, but the email itself appears continuously with no breaks.)

    email newsletter Simply Measured

    email newsletter Simply Measured

    email newsletter Simply Measured

    For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

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    ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

    Lisa Chapman helps company leaders define, plan, and achieve their goals – both online and offline. After 25+ years as an entrepreneur, she is now a business and marketing consultant, business planning consultant, and social media consultant. Online, she works with clients to establish and enhance their brand, attract their Target Audience, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert them into Buyers. You can reach her via email: Lisa (at) Lisa Chapman (dot) com.

    Social Media Marketing for businessHer book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

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