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Writing Content People Will Beg For

Three ideas to keep your e-newsletter content fresh

by John Arnold, Constant Contact Regional Development Director and author of Email Marketing for Dummies

Contacting the subscribers on your email list is easy. Getting them to pay attention isn't. When people subscribe to your list, they share personal information with the expectation of receiving something valuable, if not awe inspiring. No pressure, right?

The good news is you can give them what they want and you don't have to be a professional writer to do it. In this article, I offer three ideas to make it easy to write content that is in high demand.

1) Be an Expert

If you own a business, you're an expert. At least, that's what your customers believe. Even if you don't think of yourself as a leading authority, you certainly know more about your business than your customers do. Use your newsletter as a platform to solidify your expert status by providing credible advice and information.

• Share your knowledge with your customers. The easiest topics to write about are the ones that you know well. Because you live and breathe your business, you have insights and information that your customers don't. Build your credibility by providing advice on timely issues that can help them in their daily lives. For example, a company that sells motorcycles might give their readers advice about riding in the wintertime, while a tax accountant may include tips for preparing taxes in January.
  
• Justify purchase decisions for your customers. Your customers don't have time to keep up with all the reasons to buy what you are selling. When you know about products and services that could be a great fit for them, tell them why. Write an expert article about the benefits of the services or products you have available. For example, a web designer who also offers search engine optimization (SEO) could write about how website activity and online sales increase when SEO is implemented.

2) Rely on Your Customers' Expertise

Another option is to make your customers the experts. Sometimes they have a simplified perspective and they often value things about your products and services that you aren't aware of.

• Let your customers give advice. Instead of giving subscribers your tips, ask a few of your best customers what advice they would give other customers. For example, a gardening center might send an email newsletter with customer tips and ideas for creating indoor gardens. The gardening newsletter could include related offers for plants mentioned in the newsletter.
  
• Be an expert interviewer. Interview your customers about their experience or expertise and share the interview with your audience. For example, a travel agent might interview a customer who recently took a trip to one of their destinations. In this case, including a few photos from the customer's trip would be a great addition.
  

3) Tell a Story

There's nothing more powerful than an authentic customer testimonial. While collecting and sharing quotes from customers who have great experiences with your business is always a good idea, try including the following types of testimonial content in your emails for a fresh change.

• "Felt and Feels" articles. When writing an article about a customer experience, use the "Felt and Feels" approach. For example, an online jewelry retailer could offer a new engagement ring in the context of a story about a customer who Felt nervous about buying a discounted engagement ring online and now Feels that he made the right decision because of the quality, the buying experience, and the positive response from his new fiancé.
  
• In their own words. Ask some of your most satisfied customers if they would write a brief story (a few paragraphs) about an experience they had with you or one of your employees. For example, a hardware store customer might write about a home project that went awry and the difference the advice of an in-store expert made.
  
• Writing customer case studies. Customer case studies are stories that demonstrate a challenge, a solution, and a result. They are fun for your customers to read and can help you to futher convince readers of your expertise or their need of what you offer. Start with the challenge your customer was facing (she needed to lose weight for a wedding), then the solution (a friend referred her to a weight loss program), and end with the results (she lost 30 pounds in 6 months and had fun doing it).

Spread It Out; Survey When in Doubt

Creative ideas for content aren't easy to come by. When you have a good idea for content, try spreading it out across several communications.

When in doubt, send your audience a survey and ask them what types of information they find valuable and relevant. You just might find yourself with enough good ideas for a whole series of emails.

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