CREATING YOUR FIRST CONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

There are several ways to build a customer base and cold roll former to entice existing customers to hire you for new projects, but digital marketing is one of the most powerful. In an era when people live connected to their smartphones and gadgets, sending the right message at the right time can make a big difference in terms of your company's branding as well as the actual dollars you bring in each year.

Sending successful email newsletters is - believe it or not - one of the biggest and best ways to see a return on your marketing investment.

LEARN HOW TO CREATE SUCCESSFUL CONSTRUCTION NEWSLETTERS TO ENGAGE YOUR CUSTOMERS
Email newsletters are some of the oldest kids on the block in terms of digital marketing strategies but they still continue to be one of the best means of gaining a return on your investment if you know what you're doing. Your construction newsletters offer a way for customers to learn more, get ideas and develop a relationship with your company.

However, your newsletters aren't something that you throw together and send in bulk. Rather, they should be thoughtfully planned out to ensure they're opened, engaged with and generate more sales.

Here are things to think about when you begin designing the first construction email newsletters for your contact list:

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE NEWSLETTER?
Think in terms of the larger goal. What is it you would like to "gain" from this email letter. Do you want more customers and contacts to engage with your website? Do you want to generate sales for a specific product or service offer? Are you wanting to use the newsletter to develop your "voice" and "personality" so your customers and contacts have a better feel for your company? Not all newsletters have to be about sales - nor should they be. Having a goal in mind ahead of time will assist content creation.

NAIL THE SUBJECT LINE

You would think "Having Amazing Content" would be your steel frame building next most important step. However, we're all so bombarded with emails that the best content in the world may never be read if you aren't creative and thoughtful about your subject line. Unless you have already established a relationship with a particular client, the odds are your email's subject line will determine whether the letter is read or deleted before it's opened.

To read some stats on email subjects, Click Here. In short, your subject lines should be:

No more than 50 characters in length
Personalized
Devoid of overused terms like "Free," "Percent Off" or "Reminder"
Timely
Informational
Once you get the hang of things, you can start using A/B testing to suss out which of your buyer personas prefer one type of subject line over another so you can create subject lines accordingly.

NAIL YOUR CONTENT
In this department, writing engaging and enticing construction newsletter content isn't all that different than blogging...except that instead of writing about one subject, you will usually be writing about a few. Perhaps you'll include a little seasonal greeting or info (With winter upon us, make sure your weatherstripping is up to par...), a promotional deal that is relevant (Haven't replaced your outdated windows yet? Take advantage of our end-of-the-year discount...) and some fun information about your company, (We just found out that our Project Manager won an award for his exceptional service to a local non-profit....). By creating well-rounded and interesting content, and including a little opportunity for call-to-action clicks, you're newsletters will begin to generate activity.

DON'T FORGET TO HYPERLINK
What is all this website content and blogging for if not to generate action and to create an information bank for your company? Use your resources and create hyperlinks from your newsletter to your site. Did you just finish a great blog series on how to weatherproof a home? Have you written blogs comparing wood-framed and steel-framed buildings? These are great springboards for your newsletters. Create content summarizing or enticing your clients to read more and then direct them via hyperlinks to your site or blogs where they can continue to learn more.

CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE DIRECTLY WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS
Don't make your newsletter a one-way street. Unless you're a prolific writer, creating new content from month-to-month can be a challenge. It is much easier for you if you know exactly what your contacts want to read about. Use your newsletters to generate Q&A sections, to ask for specific feedback and to learn more about what your customers want from you. Not only will it help you to write better newsletters and other online content, it will make what you write more interesting and relevant, which will generate more leads. It's a win-win.