If you’re running an online shop (Ecommerce business), you rely on two main elements to generate traffic to your website, these elements are the result from good website SEO and advertising.

Of course in today’s online business marketing climate we now look to much more than just that, with the availability of social media at our disposal we’re able to affectively attract a broader and targeted customer base than ever before.

However there is another element far more powerful than any other forms of marketing ploys and that’s the affective use of content marketing. Content marketing isn’t just about writing SEO friendly articles, eBooks or white papers in an attempt to solve problems and attract sales leads, it can be used in wide variety of marketing strategies, and today we’re going to look at how you can use affective content marketing in your email marketing newsletters.

What makes a good newsletter headline?

Headline is everything, starting with a good descriptive headline entices reader attention. Think about it, instead of just sending out another email newsletter titled ‘Newsletter Issue 25’ give your newsletter a header title that coincides with main feature of your newsletter. For example if you’re running a 50% off promotion then consider a title like ‘50% Off All Online Orders!’ If you’ve done your homework and have found a weakness or a problem that is solvable with the use of your products or services then consider a title that asks a question and then answers it briefly, these are just examples of determining a great eye-catching headline.

Content

The same implications apply here with the content and so don’t leave all the best bits to last, grab your reader’s attention within the first few lines or first paragraph of your newsletter.

So we’re assuming that you’re sending out a newsletter to promote a product or service and so we’re using content marketing to achieve this right? Ok now think about your products and services again, why do you want your consumers to invest their time and money into it? What are the benefits and features? You need to be able to explain how your products or services can fulfil your consumer’s needs and solve a problem that they might have. Illustrate and demonstrate to your best ability how your products or services can benefit them and provide them with a complete solution.

What you don’t want to be doing is ranting off about how your products or services are better than your rivals and how you are the industry’s leading yadi yadi yada! This isn’t providing a good reason or solution to invest in your businesses products and services; this is the kind of content that sounds unprofessional but above all it sounds desperate.

Links & Closing

Don’t forget to link back to other resources and authorised pages on the web that back up your theories. And if you’re using content marketing to promote an online promotion or a product, take your readers to the pages that are related to your content i.e. pages containing your products and services etc.

Good & Bad Examples of Email Content Marketing

Headlines

Example: 50% OFF EVERYTHING PLUS NEXT DAY DELIVERY!

Your readers instantly see what your email newsletter is about.

Example: NEWSLETTER ISSUE 46 – SALE

This is ineffective and pretty damn boring, something I’d normally put in the recycle bin, it’s not compelling enough for me to show interest in reading it.

Content

Example: Welcome to issue 46 of our email newsletter. We have been busy over the last few weeks with our online business, bringing some new products to our online store which we’re offering big discounts on and… yadi yadi yada!

ZZZ, ZZZ, ZZZ, ZZZ… Oh sorry what was that?

Example: Its Christmas and we’ve giving you 50% off everything from our online store! Left Christmas shopping to the last minute? We have something for everyone with fast free next day delivery on all items!

Boom! That’s content marketing grabbing my attention instantly I’m interested in reading. Assuming I’ve left Christmas shopping to the last minute and I need something fast, oh and there is a big discount! And I’ve learnt all of that just by reading the first paragraph.

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