Stop Sending Monthly Newsletters

If you print and mail a monthly newsletter…Stop it! That's our suggestion. Read on to see why we think monthly newsletters are a waste of time and money and aren't the best way to market your print business.

Before we do, however, you should determine if your newsletter delivers real value to your customers. Or, is it simply a monthly annoyance that immediately goes in the trash? Consider what kind of message that delivers.

If you're like many print shop owners, your customer base is increasingly broad and less knowledgeable about printing and direct mail…perhaps even marketing. Your customer are less likely  to be interested in discussing envelope sizes, bleeds or the nuances of mailing. Newsletters that focus on such topics probably offer little value to most of your customers. This type of narrowly focused newsletter may tell customers that you don't really understand what they want and need.

They want you to make them look good and make their jobs easier and they look to you more-and-more to do what is right for them. For this reason, your newsletter should address broad, simple business communication and marketing ideas and solutions.

Even if you have the right newsletter content, we suggest not sending it monthly.

Mailing a monthly newsletter only demonstrates your capability to print and mail. Why not save money, show more of your capabilities and make customers happier? Consider changing your marketing-communication program to a monthly email and a quarterly printed newsletter.

A monthly email should be short but packed with value for customers. For example, include 4 to 6 very short but valuable/interesting communication and/or marketing tips, tricks, reminders (e.g. ordering Christmas material) and a monthly special offer of some type (buy this and get that, call for a free something, etc.). Short and valuable are the key concepts for the email. The goal is to make your monthly email easy to create yet something customers look forward to receiving.

When your newsletter comes only quarterly, customers will tend to view it as something more special than the monthly version. Since you have raised interest, give your customers something special… something that demonstrates why you are the knowledgeable, creative and talented professionals they want helping them. Make your newsletter such an interesting and valuable piece that they want to save it, share it and act on it. 

Stop sending monthly newsletters, save money, save time and make your customers happier and more confident in working with you. Consider the simple monthly email and a quarterly newsletter. While you're at it, see if your current newsletter provides interesting and valuable content to your customers…or something that might reflect poorly on you.