Newsletters may sound a touch old-fashioned, but easy-to-use websites such as Mailchimp or Constant Contact, are bringing them back to the 21st century.

Social media can be so impactful for communications but it’s also a loud, crowded landscape. It’s hard to generate messages that can break through the everyday noise to reach your clients and customers.

Newsletters can function as an ideal means to do this. The audience for the newsletter is already interested in what you have to say; they have already signed up to be on your mailing list or they are a client of yours. You know that they value your business and will value what you have to say.

Side note: we have all been annoyed by the pop-ups on websites that you can’t seem to get rid of, asking you for your email and other information. Yes, they can be super annoying, but they also work to get people on your mailing list. Consider it as something to add to your website. Keep the pop-up simple and easy to close if they’re not interested. Something like “Join the Club” seems exclusive and not overly pushy.

Sending our newsletters to customers and clients helps to keep them in the loop! They appreciate this because they value up to date, insider knowledge which will only fortify their relationship with your business. Newsletters can be so helpful when updating clients with new products or services, promotions or events, engage them with stories and to get feedback on their experiences. They’re giving you their business, so why not give them a little something extra back?

We have a client who just recently started sending out newsletters, and someone on her email list was a past client of hers. This past client read the newsletter and it reminded them of what a good relationship they had had in the past, so that past client called up the sender and ended up becoming a client of theirs once again! We love this story and it just goes to show that newsletters can serve as a little reminder to past or prospective clients that you’re still around!

Good newsletters earn readership. And with applications like Mailchimp, you can see how many people opened and read it. You can experiment with content based on what gets your audience’s attention.

Some of you may be thinking that this is just one more item to add to your monthly to do list. But I promise you, that this is worth it!