Strengthen Client Relationships with an Email Newsletter

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Credit: Betsy Weber on Flickr

There are countless posts online which explain why all freelancers should have a website. In short, it’s one of the most effective ways to showcase who you are and what you can do.

Of course, if you want to position yourself as an expert, you should seriously consider a blog too. Producing this kind of content is good not only for your reputation, but also for search-engine rankings.

In theory, a blog kitted out with all the usual social media tools is a good basis from which to communicate with your existing clients. But how do you reach clients who don’t use an RSS reader, or who don’t want to be a fan or a follower of your company?

Although some freelancers consider it old-fashioned, the truth is that the good old email newsletter is a very effective way to reach those who are not Digital Natives. Three simple steps is all it takes to reach your email newsletter marketing goals.

Step 1: Identify Your Client’s Information Needs

Let’s say you are a translator who has just been hired by a junior Marketing Manager on their first large-scale, international localization project. It’s probably safe to assume that this client will be interested in understanding what exactly makes a good translation, in concrete terms. They are probably also interested in learning how to localize their marketing material to make it even more appealing to a specific target market, and in understanding which cultural differences they may need to pay more attention to.

A client like this would not normally think to check your blog for advice. Because of course, this client would have so much else going on in their day that they wouldn’t have time to trawl the blogs of each of their service providers. In fact, they probably completely overlooked the link to your website in your email signature. This client is missing out on your helpful tips, and you are missing out on a chance to strengthen that client relationship.

Step 2: Use Your Email Newsletter to Open Doors

Many busy people and marketing people, in particular, spend a lot of time in their email inbox. So why not use an email newsletter to reach out and meet them on their home turf?

When it comes to content, you should focus on being as helpful as possible. Think about the challenges your clients regularly face, and try to help them manage these.

Let’s take our friendly translator again: they could highlight bad translations to illustrate why it’s worth hiring an expert, for example. Maybe a French translator could take a light-hearted look at some of the cross-cultural quirks of doing business in France. Web designers and artists could showcase the best of their most recent work, or demonstrate their marketing expertise by explaining the elements of a great design. If you maintain a blog, you could add a link to recent posts too.

There are a couple of things you should bear in mind when it comes to newsletters:

• Only email people if you have their permission (according to the US’s CAN-SPAM Act, for example, you don’t need an explicit opt-in to contact existing clients for the purposes of relationship management).
• Only send a newsletter when you have genuinely interesting content, otherwise your client will stop reading your emails. This means you may decide that four newsletters a year is sufficient, for example.
• Always offer the option to unsubscribe from your newsletter.
• Avoid blatant self-promotion.
• Find more email marketing tips for freelancers here.

Getting the frequency right is also important: your goal is to build relationships with your clients and annoying them will not help you achieve this! Courteous restraint is usually a good approach. Remember, a good reputation can take a long time to build, but only a second to damage. An email newsletter is a good way to hang in there and potentially secure future jobs, without damaging your hard won reputation.

In some cases you will have to consider whether your email meets local legal requirements. Use your common sense here – just because you can do something doesn’t always mean you should.

Step 3: Clarify Your Technical Requirements

In principle, it’s very easy to send an email newsletter – you could use your default email software (e.g. Microsoft Outlook), for example.

The biggest advantage of this approach is that it is free, but you’ll lose out on all these important features:

• Automated sign-up and unsubscribe forms.
• Options to personalize your email text and delivery method (as opposed to just sending via CC or BCC).
• A proper editor for HTML and text-based emails.
• Automatic handling of bounced emails.
• Ensuring good deliverability.
• Reports and analysis.

The list goes on, but you get the idea: Outlook is not the right tool for a serious email marketing campaign.

A web-based newsletter tool is almost always the best solution for freelancers and bloggers, for example those by MailChimp, CampaignMonitor, GetResponse or AWeber. These providers are generally well suited to the needs of a small sender and won’t destroy your marketing budget.

Thanks to ready-made templates and WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors, experienced internet users will find it relatively easy to create HTML newsletters. Most providers offer standard templates that can be customized to suit your needs. Another option is to search on ThemeForest and choose from one of many professional email templates.

You man also want to reach potential customers by creating additional registration forms, which will enable interested parties to sign up for your newsletter directly from your website.

Conclusion

Newcomers to the world of email marketing will find it takes time and commitment to crack. But the opportunities that a good email newsletter can generate for freelancers are not to be underestimated.

Your newsletter will ensure you have a stronger presence in the minds of your current and former clients. This could help you bounce back more quickly from quiet periods – and keep a steady stream of leads coming in – who wouldn’t want that?

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by Betsy Weber.