How To Grow Your Audience & Revenue By Using Newsletters Effectively

Newsletters have been around in various forms since the year dot and it is estimated that 306 billion emails are sent and received each day. (Statista, 2021). That’s a huge amount of emails flying through the global internet ether. In a study done by the Content Marketing Institute, 81% of B2B marketers say their most used form of content marketing is email newsletters. In a further study by OptinMonster in 2020, 99% of email users check their inbox every day, with some checking 20 times a day. 

Newsletters have been proven to engage, convert and retain leads and customers and should form a crucial part of your marketing. In an artworld dominated by a mass of beautiful visual imagery and competition, it is important to stand out and connect with your existing customers and potential leads. A newsletter is an effective one-on-one way to communicate information about artists, upcoming exhibitions, and gallery news.

The reality is that the average prospect or customer will receive many emails, newsletters, and articles to read each and every day. It is therefore essential that your newsletter stands out to ensure its effectiveness.

Here are some best practices for an engaging and successful newsletter:

Consistency

Before you embark on your newsletter campaign, it is imperative that you clearly envisage how often you are able to send out your newsletter. Be realistic. Consistency is key to creating a connection with your art business. According to a study by Campaign Monitor, 61% of consumers want to see at least one email a week from brands they follow. According to the article, you should send a newsletter out at least once a month and no more than twice a week. 

Personalise your newsletter

Consumers are far more likely to open and read an email that is personalized ie. using their name and personalizing the subject line. In fact, studies suggest emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened than those without personalised subject lines. According to Rich Relevance, revenue is 5.7 times higher in emails that are personalised. 

Subject Line

The subject line is probably the most critical point in the whole process. So many newsletters are sent out with the company name, the month, and the word newsletter. Tartan October Newsletter. This is the biggest mistake you can make. Your subject line has to draw the potential reader in from a menagerie of other titles in their inbox. Use short, and personalised subject lines that will stop the potential readers in their tracks. Be mysterious, alluring,  interesting, and relevant to gain the most traction. Give the reader a reason to want to open the mail.

Design

The artworld is known for its exclusivity and anything related to the artworld needs to be highly crafted and exquisitely designed to be deemed vaguely acceptable. Make sure you create a stylish newsletter with beautiful imagery, fonts, and drop-dead images.  There are many software packages that offer templates for newsletters or alternatively, you can easily create your own. Your newsletter should strongly tie in with your gallery’s look and feel as it is an important communication tool. It is also worthwhile considering creating a template for your newsletter so you don’t have to spend hours redesigning each month. 

It’s all about the beginning, the middle, and the end

The Welcome…

Everybody loves a warm welcome and your newsletter reader is no different. Connected to your welcome, should be a great opening line. This is your chance to draw your reader in. Keep it short and sharp. For some great opening lines, read here.

The Body

The body should include a quick roundup of happenings etc. and interesting, relevant information. Keep it short, clever, and concise. Readers have limited time and will move on if your mail is too lengthy. Imagine you are a host and meeting someone arrives at your front door - you would shy away from a lengthy conversation, keep it introductory and keep it short. Your newsletter body is exactly the same. The purpose of the body of your mail is to connect with your reader. Connection to you or your gallery leads to higher conversion rates and bigger sales. Use language that is meaningful, captivating, and relevant and which establishes a strong connection between you and the reader.  

The end…

The finishing line needs to keep them enthralled, excited, and wanting more. It should never be a goodbye but rather an ‘until we meet again'. Consumers are far more likely to connect with a newsletter that comes from a person rather than a business, so rather use your name than that of your gallery. 

At worst, the reader should be left feeling they have gained key insights and at best they should feel as if you changed their life in some small meaningful way.  This is not an easy task but it is definitely doable. 

Manage your own expectations

It is critical to monitor each newsletter’s open rate. Most email software platforms offer campaign monitoring which can be open rate and click-throughs to links.

Expecting everyone on your mailing list to open your email is just not realistic. While the open rate is different per industry, the standard open rate is 21% according to Campaign Monitor. That is roughly a fifth. If your open rate is under that, you should relook what you are saying, how you are saying it, and slowly work through the list above. A/B testing is also a powerful tool in gauging which campaigns, headlines, content forms are more effective. 

Artfundi offers a host of marketing services, including newsletters and email campaigns. Book a FREE consultation to find out more here.