In today’s fast-pace marketplace, consumers want information at the touch of a button. If 
they cannot learn about your products and services quickly, they will move on to your competitor. A newsletter, digital or print, is a great way to keep your clients informed about what you offer. It’s also a convenient way to post testimonials, promote sales, ask for feedback and more. Following are ten tips to help you get creative with your newsletter. 1. Write to your target demographic Unlike short print ads or radio spots, a newsletter allows you to present a range of information. Tailor this information to your target demographic. For example, if you sell women’s shoes, you can also include tips on pairing shoes with outfits and other fashion accessories. For example, a purse and a shoe does not have to match in color as long as they are in the same color palette. 2. Share Information Explain how your services work behind the scenes. You could also write some articles on your employees, and let your customers get to know the people in your organization better. Highlight the places where you source material and provide interesting facts about those locations. With our shoe example, if the leather comes from Italy, you can tell your audience some facts about the region and why their leather is your first choice for your shoes. 3. Keep it Friendly and Professional Write for reader engagement, but remain professional at all times. If you do not have a communications specialist or media team on staff, consider outsourcing your newsletter. 4. Go Easy on Buzzwords Don’t go overboard with buzzwords. You may think it makes your business sound current, but to many people buzzwords are annoying and overused. Also avoid text speak (R U interested in fashion? – don’t write like this!) and avoid calling out and maligning celebrities. Using our shoe example once again, you can do a celebrity highlight (Kerri Russell was spotted in Chicago wearing pumps from our summer line!) but keep it friendly. Don’t say things like, “What was Kerri Russell thinking, wearing those shoes last weekend? She would have looked far better in our black pumps from our summer line.” 5. Recycle Content You don’t have to write everything from scratch for your newsletter. You probably have a lot of content, and brochure material you could rewrite with a different angle. 6. Don’t be too sales-focused Your company newsletter is not the place to be pushy on sales. Don’t use a lot of jargon or make it read like a hard sales pitch. Newsletters are mainly informational, not promotional. 7. Make it Appealing, Clear and Concise The quality of the information in your newsletter is more important than how much content you have in it, so don’t cram it full of articles. Make it visually appealing, add pictures and graphics, and make sure there is adequate negative space. Negative space is the space between articles and graphics. It’s the space that keeps the page looking clean and not crowded. Without negative space, the reader finds the page too distracting and will discard, rather than read, it. 8. Keep Your Consumers Updated A weekly or monthly newsletter is a great way to keep your consumers updated with current events in your industry, but don’t spam them by making it too frequently. If you have stock that changes rapidly or limited-time specials, a weekly newsletter would work well. If you have stock with seasonal changes, a monthly or even quarterly newsletter may be a better idea. 9. Think About Going With Black and White If you’re on a tight budget, rather than having a colorful newsletter, consider going with black and white. It’s classic, easy to read and just as tasteful as its colorful counterpart. 10. Get Professional Help You and your employees may be too busy to deal with all the aspects of creating a high-quality newsletter for your customers; particularly, if you don’t have the skill set to lay it out professionally. At iti Direct Mail, we love creating exciting, impactful, affordable newsletters. Contact us today for a free consultation, or check out our newsletter products and services on our website. Image courtesy: FreeDigitalPhotos.net