Writing a monthly newsletter for your art community can be a little overwhelming, but there are things you can do to make it a sustainable part of your business practice. In addition to consideration about your dedication to writing a newsletter each month, it is also helps to know how to grow an email list and what you can and can not do with your subscribers’ information.
Spam Laws
Let’s talk about email list etiquette. There are many ways to build an email list, but not all of them are ethical or even legal. It is crucial to get permission from your subscriber before adding there email address to your list. Harvesting emails from orders, or trading email lists with other companies is not okay. Marketing platforms, such as MailChimp, will ask you to confirm that you have acquired the new email address with permission from the subscriber. Another important detail is having an option for someone to unsubscribe from your email list. Most marketing companies have this built into the email templates, but it is something you will need to add if you choose not to use a marketing platform.
MailChimp
There are many options for marketing platforms out there, I personally have choose to use MailChimp. MailChimp has a free version of their platform that can be used with up to 2,000 subscribers, and while the free version may not have as many bells and whistles as their professional plans, it fits my businesses needs.
Somethings that I like about MailChimp. You can duplicate an old campaign and then edit your new campaign off of the bones of the previous one. This helps to keep your email compositions consistent each month, by maintaining choices such as fonts, color and format. I should also mention that MailChimp allows you to customize your color pallets, the free version has a limited number of fonts but the options they do have are decent. I have been able to find fonts that work with my brand.
Another helpful MailChimp feature are tags. Tags can be used to organize which members of your audience receive which email campaigns. Personally, I use tags to separate StudioGwyneth subscribers from Omni Open Studios subscribers. The campaign tags live in each subscriber’s profile. If you had a subscriber that joined the StudioGwyneth list, they would have only the StudioGwyneth campaign tag on their profile, but if that same subscriber later joined the Omni Open Studios list, I can easily add the Omni Open Studios campaign tag, and now that subscribe receives both emails each month.
Gathering Email Addresses
I have a couple of ways to gather emails, most are through my website. I have a form that allows interested customers to opt in to the email list. The form is located on one page, but I have links to that page all over my website. My events page has an option to subscribe to the email list for regular updates on coming events. The check out page on my online shop has a box that customers can check to join the list. Some companies choose to leave this box checked by default, but I think that is sneaky and unethical. I also have a subscribe option on my contact page. If someone is contacting me for information, that may also be interested in monthly updates.
Another strategy I have used is having a handwritten email list available for folks to join on the table at art markets. I have a mini clipboard and print a half sheet sized form with my logo at the top and lines for emails. After I have added the email to my list, I add a little check mark and continue using the same page.
Some small businesses use giveaway raffle opportunities as an incentive to encourage customers to join the email list. I do not bother with that myself. I have found that the people who are likely to open and read the emails are the folks who signed up for it because they were genuinely interested in receiving the information. An unopened email does very little to benefit your business.
Content and Formatting
When I first started writing monthly newsletters the content was the most challenging hurdle for me. I just did not know what to write. I thought that I had to write a lot of very meaningful things and it was overwhelming. Not a great recipe for a sustainable monthly newsletter. I decided to let go of the idea that the newsletter had to be really long, I started including more photos and I kept my paragraphs simple and to the point.
My emails usually consists of a life update section. If I have any big news, or changes in my personal or professional life, that information goes at the top. Just below a photo. I try to keep the photos related to whatever is being said below them. If I am sharing a personal life update, I use a photo of me. If there is a shop update that I want to tell subscribers about, I use my favorite photo from the shop update shoot. When I announced my Patreon, I used a photo from the Patreon page to keep things consistent.
Next I give my subscribers updates about what is happening this month. Events, giveaways, shop updates, the next artist video being released or this month’s podcast guest. Each of these little announcements tend to be about a paragraph in length, with a relevant photo and a linked button. I also include links in the body of the text, though not too many and I make sure that every photo in the email has a link if clicked on. If you are not sure where to send someone from a photo click, your shop or the home page of your site are good defaults.
At the bottom of the email I have a section with upcoming events listed. These announcements are even shorter in length with a relevant thumbnail photo next to them. I always include the title of the event; the date, time and location; and a brief description of the event. Brief in this case means usually a sentence or two. I always include a call to action such as, “Go to the event page for more information.” I would then use the words “Event page” as a link taking the viewer to that page on my site. I also put links on the thumbnail photos.
Links
I can not stress how important links are. Make it as easy as possible for the viewer to get to the information or to the sale that your email is advertising. Links can go on photos, they can be linked to text in the body of paragraphs and they can go on buttons. In the case of buttons and text links, make sure to use language that will help guide the viewers. Try phrases like “shop now” on buttons or “go to the online shop” with the link on the word “shop”. Good communication is important.
A monthly newsletter can be a time investment, but if you make use of the tools that your marketing platform provides for you, simplify your message and include photos, you will find that the campaigns come together pretty quickly. Remember to proof read you campaigns and double check all your links before you send them off. Happy marketing!
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