{"id":2405,"date":"2018-07-03T16:11:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T16:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=2405"},"modified":"2023-10-18T17:35:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T17:35:43","slug":"4-e-mail-newsletter-formats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/4-e-mail-newsletter-formats\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Fresh E-Mail Newsletter Formats Marketing Departments Should Try Today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are now so many e-mail newsletters most of us probably can\u2019t remember the first one we ever received. That\u2019s because it might have arrived unexpectedly, in the days when simply doing any kind of business with a company gave them permission to add you to their database.<\/p>\n

In the era of more strict legal regulations that require customers to opt-in directly for any kind of mass-mailing, however, marketers have to work harder than ever to make sure they\u2019re able to offer an e-mail newsletter that makes signing up irresistible. That may mean thinking differently about the format and content of what goes in the newsletter, along with when you send it out and other choices.<\/p>\n

Most organizations have likely used an e-mail newsletter format we\u2019ll call the \u201cHere\u2019s What\u2019s Happening.\u201d This tends to be an update on recent activities taking place within the company sending it, whether that\u2019s new product launches, the appointment of new members to the team, the opening of new locations and so on. Another variation on the \u201cHere\u2019s What\u2019s Happening\u201d are special promotions or discounts on the products and services the company offers.<\/p>\n

There is nothing inherently wrong with the \u201cHere\u2019s What\u2019s Happening,\u201d but it faces one major limitation: it is always inward-looking, with the expectation that your customers only want to hear about your company. As content marketing has evolved, though, more organizations are recognizing they also need to provide information and insight about what\u2019s going on within their customer base, the market or even the world at large. By doing so, they show they are tuned into what\u2019s relevant to their customers, that they want to genuinely help customers and not simply sell, and that they are able to create truly engaging content.<\/p>\n

Here are five different e-mail newsletter formats you can try to shake up what you\u2019re creating, sending and managing through tools like Marketing Cloud:<\/a><\/p>\n

1. The Trend Report<\/h2>\n

Whatever you\u2019re marketing is intended to help customers overcome a business challenge. But why does the business challenge exist? Where did it emerge in the first place? How does it relate to the other business challenges companies in that market might be going through?<\/p>\n

The \u201ctrend report\u201d format can point to other assets in your resource centre, such as blog posts, white papers or infographics, that paint a fuller picture of what\u2019s going on within your customers\u2019 lives, rather than simply what\u2019s going on within your own office walls. The use of statistics and data is always helpful here, if your firm conducts or commissions original research. If not, you may be able to tell a more qualitative story based on trends you\u2019re seeing in the way customers are trying new technologies, a new form of leadership technique or responding to the macroeconomic changes in their particular vertical.<\/p>\n

2. The Explainer<\/h2>\n

Marketing teams have a long history of creating great lists of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the products and services they offer. This e-mail newsletter format takes that approach, but extends it to other areas customers care about. This could include:<\/p>\n