What is a newsletter?

A newsletter, formerly known as news bulletin, is an online communication format that allows companies, organisations, individuals or brands to stay in touch with their audience via email. This is a periodic mailing (daily, weekly, fortnightly… you decide!) containing relevant information, news, tips or any other content of interest to your subscribers. It can consist of text, images, links, videos or other multimedia content, depending on the objectives and preferences of your target audience.

What is a newsletter for?

The objectives of a newsletter can be very varied, but it is important to be clear about them before launching it; this way you will be able to design it with the type of content that best suits what you need your organisation to have. Among them:

Inform and educate;

It allows your subscribers to be updated about news, events, products or services of a specific topic, company or project; It can also be an opportunity to share relevant information, useful tips, practical guides or other content that generates value for your audience.

Loyalty and relationship building

By maintaining constant communication with your subscribers, a newsletter helps to build strong and lasting relationships; It will allow you to maintain an open dialogue, answer questions, receive feedback and build trust in your brand or project.

Generate traffic and visibility;

By including links to relevant content, either from your own website or from other interesting channels, a newsletter can generate additional traffic and increase visibility;

Increase business opportunities

Take advantage of the newsletter to promote specific products or services, offer discounts or exclusive coupons to your subscribers, or even to invite them to interesting events, courses or webinars; If you can keep your subscribers engaged and interested in what you offer, you will be creating a direct channel to generate sales and promote the growth of your business or brand;

How to create an effective newsletter?

Before launching your newsletter, it is important that you are very clear about the previous steps to create and manage it effectively:

Define your objective;

The first and most important thing, before starting to send a newsletter, is to clearly define what you want to achieve with it and to think whether it makes sense to launch it or not; Do you want to inform, educate, build loyalty, build relationships, generate traffic, increase visibility or increase your business opportunities? Being clear about your goals will help you focus your efforts and measure results effectively;

Define your audience;

We live in the microfragmentation of the audience; Who do you need/want to address? It is advisable to make a buyer persona of who your potential reader is; Not all subscribers have the same interests and needs, so it is important to think carefully about who you want your reader to be; Asking yourself all these questions before you create your newsletter will help you to personalise your content and send more relevant and tailored messages to your audience; Most importantly, always keep it in mind, make it feel unique and listen to it continuously to nuance and correct the way you address it.

Take care of the design and presentation

A visually appealing and well-structured newsletter is more likely to capture the attention of subscribers; Use a clean design, include quality images and make sure the content displays correctly on different devices and email platforms;

Provide valuable content;

The content of your newsletter must be relevant and provide value. Do not write just to write, because many people already do that and it creates a lot of noise. Avoid self-promotion and focus on providing useful information, practical tips, interesting news and really exclusive content for your subscribers;

Set a sending frequency and always stick to it

Think about how regularly you want to send your newsletter, plan your mailings and always keep to the dates you set; So your audience will know when to expect news from you; Finding the right balance in delivery frequency is the key;

Constantly observe and analyse;

Always analyse the results using tracking and analysis tools to measure the effectiveness of your newsletter; It is important to look at open rates, link clicks, audience growth or other relevant indicators to assess impact and make necessary adjustments to your strategy; Your newsletter must be alive and evolve according to the results achieved after each mailing;

Which tool to choose for your newsletter?

There are many tools nowadays, but it is important to choose the right one for you in order to simplify the process and get professional results; Here are some of the most popular:

MailChimp

MailChimp is perhaps one of the most popular and recognised tools for creating and sending newsletters; It offers a wide range of customisable templates and is very easy to use, allowing you to design attractive and professional newsletters without the need for advanced design skills;

ConvertKit

ConvertKit is another alternative that has emerged as one of the top choices for content creators and bloggers. It provides advanced targeting and personalisation options and allows the automation of workflows, such as sending welcome sequences or creating customisable subscription forms to capture the attention of website visitors;

Brevo (Sendinblue)

Brevo is an email marketing platform that includes newsletter creation features; Its intuitive editor allows you to create visually appealing newsletters without the need for technical knowledge; It also has features such as A/B testing, workflow automation and detailed analytics to help you improve the effectiveness of your sends and understand subscriber behaviour;

MailerLite

MailerLite is a popular tool for those looking for a simple and easy to use newsletter solution; It offers an intuitive drag-and-drop editor with a variety of customisable templates; It also provides automation, audience targeting and performance analysis options to improve the reach and impact of campaigns;

To sum up;

In short, a well-designed and planned newsletter can be, nowadays, a powerful communication tool. It is important not to forget three key fundamentals: provide valuable content, encourage interaction and learn from the analysis of each other. If you deliver, your newsletter will help you raise awareness of your project, strengthen your brand image and build community;

La entrada The newsletter: a powerful communication tool se publicó primero en Agencia comma.

What is certain is that communication, marketing and advertising on social networks represents a permanent challenge that requires brands to be highly responsive to changes in audience behaviour and to adapt proactively to constantly evolving trends;

Social networks: changing everything so that nothing changes

The last few years have seen a profound transformation in the world of social media, with fluctuating consumer trends, the launch of new technologies and the growth of emerging platforms;

The pace of change in social networking applications does not seem to be slowing down, which makes it necessary to prepare for what lies ahead in the new year;

While the marketing landscape is full of uncertainties, there are social media trends that marketers can count on over the next 12 months; These are some of them:

The rise of the influential customer

Influencer marketing will continue to play a key role in the campaigns; Businesses of all kinds have taken to collaborating with influencers to help boost brand awareness and substantially increase online sales; However, the figure of the microinfluencer is becoming increasingly important.

Authenticity is one of the qualities most valued by social media users; In 2023 we will see more brands adopting word-of-mouth marketing, using social networks as a vehicle to obtain user-generated content from customers or prescribers of their products, also usingmicroinfluencers.

User-generated content, one of the key elements;

Marketers have observed that user-generated content generates 29% more web conversions than campaigns or websites that do not leverage user-generated content. For brands, it is a no-brainer to tap into the treasure trove of real testimonials;

This not only saves valuable time and resources, but also highlights a brand’s most loyal customers, while helping potential customers make purchasing decisions with more information available;

Brands will take advantage of emerging social platforms

Does anyone know what happened to Clubhouse? Although for quite a few years now it seems that some social networks have become standard, part of social media marketing is about experimentation; If brands do not try new formats, new platforms or new trends, they may be, at least temporarily, out of the game;

Not all tests work, but that is precisely why they are tests; With the success of TikTok and, in general, the online behaviours of the Generation Z, brands are likely to be more confident about starting their activity on emerging platforms.

• BeReal is a sample of a very promising emerging platform; As with TikTok, when the app debuted, brands were sceptical, but for early adopters, the effort may have been worth it;
• Chipotle is a good example of a brand that has used BeReal to offer exclusive promotions and discounts and more and more brands are likely to turn to apps like BeReal or other new platforms to grow their Gen Z community, taking as authentic an approach as possible.

Customer service in social networks, more important than ever

The pandemic forever changed the way customers interact with brands on social media; One of the most significant changes that brands experienced was the number of customers who turned to their social accounts to resolve their queries and customer service needs;

Customer service in social networks has always been a component of marketing on these platforms, but until then it had remained in the shadows; But with the closures and travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the invisible cloak was pulled back as brands realised they were ill-equipped to meet customer expectations without a diligent social media customer care strategy;

Not only has this trend held steady over the past two years, but brands will also see more and more customers turning to social media platforms for service-related issues;

Immediacy and information in customer service in social networks

In fact, a recent Emplifi survey indicates that two out of three consumers prefer to use social media during the purchase process to ask questions, make purchases and request customer support after the purchase.

The report’s findings underline the importance of brands aligning the way customer service and social media marketing teams interact to deliver the best possible customer experience;

On the other hand, a HubSpot survey revealed that 90% of consumers seek an immediate response from a brand when they have a customer service question.

By 2023, brands could leverage new technologies, such as live video streaming, to deliver quality service to customers directly from social media applications; In this context, shoppers will be able to receive the same expert advice they would receive in-store from the comfort of their location;

In fact, brands such as Orbit Baby have already had success after integrating live streaming into their social media strategy; As customers demand immediate responses from brands in online channels, we will see this trend take hold in the long term;

Video will continue to be the star format

Marketers have been hearing it for years: “Video is the No. 1 content format for brands to leverage; In 2023 this will still be the case, but fortunately for brands, in many cases, it will be the short, unpolished clips that attract audiences;

Brands can dispense with high-budget campaigns starring celebrities; Instead, they will pick up a mobile phone to record and edit their in-app content experiences; Instagram reels are a good example of less polished, more authentic content that pays off;

• Advertisers are publishing more reels because they are seeing measurable results. According to a recent study, the number of interactions for reels was nearly 40% higher than for traditional videos.
• In this context, it is also worth reviewing Metricool’s latest study on Instagram, in which we can obtain valuable clues as to the types of formats and content that can work best and offer the best results.

Creation of video and user generated content

What is even more appealing to marketers is that the burden of creating video content need not always fall on in-house teams or agencies; More and more content creators are turning to platforms like TikTok to showcase their products, providing brands with a wealth of user-generated content to use in their campaigns;

With hashtags like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, which has reached 32 billion views, it seems clear that TikTok content has become the perfect tool for influencers and users to share their experiences in an engaging way.

Brands will go one step further in 2023 and get smarter about partnering with video-first influencers who can help amplify relevant messages to audiences while helping to scale production;

More vertical video in 2023

While TikTok’s astronomical rise is nothing new, its influence on the way other social media platforms operate will continue; Let’s get ready to see more content in 9:16 (vertical full screen) format;

• Unsurprisingly, Instagram has followed TikTok’s lead, and now so have YouTube and Facebook; On Facebook, vertical videos have a 90% higher completion rate than horizontal videos, and YouTube is testing a new feature that reformats video ads to play vertically;
• As the number of platforms supporting this aspect ratio increases, the same content can be reused to extend its reach; Recently, however, TikTok has included the possibility to watch full-screen video horizontally, in a clear battle against YouTube;

Brands will invest more in advertising on TikTok

The success of brands on TikTok will not be limited to user-generated content; The platform is doubling revenue generation with more digital advertising opportunities;

As a relatively new platform, TikTok is achieving tremendous results, holding the title of the world’s fastest growing media app, and has experienced in-app consumer spending of over $2.5 billion;

With around 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, it is no wonder that brands are starting to explore the potential of TikTok, not only for generating brand awareness, but also for its ability to contribute to profits;

Increased ad spend on TikTok

Brands that have used TikTok advertising are already seeing promising results; According to a recent study by Triple Whale, brands increased their spend on the platform by 231% in Q2 2022 compared to the same period last year. Even more impressive, the same study found that direct-to-consumer brands leveraging TikTok were generating between $1 million and $5 million in revenue;

In 2023, we will see an increase in the number of brands and industries allocating more of their digital advertising budget to TikTok, which in turn will drive more innovations on the platform and lead to more TikTok marketing opportunities within the digital advertising space;

Audio gains ground in 2023

In times of extreme competition, podcasts are increasingly essential for advertising and marketing campaigns; In fact, an increasing share of budgets is being allocated to podcast ads, allowing brands to reach a more targeted audience with precision;

While conventional broadcasts remain popular, specialised podcasts are gaining ground; With the increased availability of podcast production tools and platforms, it is becoming easier and easier for creators to generate quality and engaging content on specific topics;

In this way, not only large podcast networks, but also independent creators can address a more focused and engaged audience;

Other social media trends for 2023

Beyond all that has been said, we should also have these other possible trends in social media in 2023:

1. Increased use of augmented reality and virtual reality: We may see more people using augmented reality and virtual reality in social media to create more immersive and engaging experiences;
2. Use of artificial intelligence: social networks may use artificial intelligence to improve personalisation of content and interaction with users;
3. Increased emphasis on privacy and security: As online privacy and security become increasingly important concerns for users, social networks may adopt stricter measures to protect their users’ privacy;
4. Increased integration with other platforms: We may see social networks integrate more closely with other platforms, such as messaging services and online gaming platforms;

La entrada Social media trends in 2023 se publicó primero en Agencia comma.

Reinvent yourself or die. When you work in Communications, there is no other option. But really what makes this social network so successful that it is about to make its initial public offering? I had to find out. And so, I discovered why this social network is used so much by young people. It is addictive, quick and ingenious.

I am not going to try and offer a tutorial, Vilma Nuñez’s Definitive Guide To Understanding Snapchat already exists for that. I am only going to offer some suggestions in order to encourage the non-digital natives amongst us to try this social network out and let themselves go a bit.

1. The first thing you have to do is to stand in front of the mirror. Say your name in a loud voice and then repeat after me: you are never too old to try new channels of communications. There are grandmothers out there, who read on iPads and hipsters, who have gone back to vinyls. Don’t put limits on yourself and be daring.
2. Strip yourself of any stereotypes before you create your profile. Stop demonizing this social network before you’ve even got to know it. Young people communicate in a different way, yes, but they are not silly. Their form of communication is not worse, it’s just different. Open your mind and throw yourself into it.
3. Do not think about how hard everyone says it is to use Snapchat. It isn’t. It reminds me of what everyone says about having children. They say only bad stuff and that you should prepare for the worst and then it turns out that actually it isn’t like that at all.
4. Look for a non digital native friend, who will create an account at the same time as you. Shared struggles are a lot more fun.
5. Find a digital native friend, a cousin, niece/nephew or a younger sibling and make them your Snapchat guide.
6. Once you’ve made your profile and invited your friends, it’s all trial and error. Look to Google for salvation when doubts arise. The best thing about it is that every day you can add a new snapstory and the previous one dissapears. Your snapstory is only alive for 24 hours. Conversations are deleted instantly.
7. Finally, don’t forget to awaken your inner child. The best thing about this social network is that it allows you to let yourself go wild: explore, experiment, see what instant communication is all about. Reinvent the world you live in. Demonstrate how you see the world.

You will discover in 10 seconds that you can share your world in a creative way, altering reality in order to create “esperpentos” (Valle Inclán would have loved this social network). You can change the world of color. Speed it up or slow it down. Swap faces with a friend. Make memes of your enemies or put on a cat’s ears. You can also say I love you with music or hearts, and leave no traces behind.

For those of us, who work in Communications, the possibilities are endless. Companies will be able to innovate how they communicate with young people. Although at first, brands had their doubts, now many of them are using Snapchat in this way. In PR Daily, there is a summary of ideas on how to use Snapchat as a marketing tool. In the meantime, Snapchat is looking for ways to make a profit from its formated advertisement. Many possibilities are available to the world of media communication, I am sure new forms of journalism will be invented. As my colleague Carlos Balaguer has said, now is the time for journalism to take the digital leap.

As a storyteller, it is clear to me…I already see myself writing a ‘snapstory’ daily. Literature for 24 hours. Why not?

La entrada How to start using Snapchat once you’ve hit 30 se publicó primero en Agencia comma.