Keeping your company’s newsletter out of the trashbin

October 26, 2012 Occasional Contributors Employee Relations, Human Resources

Company and industry newsletters are a cost-effective and engaging promotional medium… if done right. Let’s face it, more often than not your company newsletter ends up in the spam folder. Why? Perhaps your publication doesn’t contain great content or maybe it is not being effectively distributed.

What can an engaging company newsletter can do for your business?

Position your company as a source of news and information, not just a product or service provider
Add value to the business deal
Remind clients and employees of the broad scope and environment of your products and services
Give a good overview of the company to potential prospects
Increase internal communication, and engage employees
Encourage creativity and innovation among staff
Lessen the email load by consolidating information in the newsletter
Break down silos and increase cross-functional creativity

The next question is, how does one go about creating a newsletter that will accomplish this?

The DOs and DON’Ts of company newsletter etiquette

Don’t fill your newsletter with self-congratulating stories and content. Do publish articles that shed good light on the company
Don’t fill your newsletter with advertisements. Do endorse products and services that you think readers would genuinely like
Don’t write 4000 word articles. An article this long is probably to long to be read. Do write succinct pieces that will grab your readers’ attention
Don’t create all of your content from one source, no matter how great it is. Do encourage employees to submit content from all functional areas
Don’t exclusively e-mail your newsletter. Do offer a print version, as it might increase readership

Company newsletters must have a purpose. Is it to inform employees of internal operations? Announce news and accomplishments? Drive innovation? Report on industry news? Your newsletter should contain all of these things – just not necessarily in every issue. Second step – determine the layout and length of your newsletter. Creating a great masthead is crucial, and great content needs a good platform design. There are so many considerations that determine the publication design that you might be best off hiring a publication design team. Third step is gathering editorial content. The nature and scope of content depends on your purpose. Content can be anything from articles and infographics to photos and videos. Keep in mind, your readers are busy! So, try to keep it concise and easily digestible (no long, boring blocks of text – use images and bullet when possible!) A variety of content will engage and grab readers’ attention. If you need some ideas for content that engages, look no further.

Internal vacancies. Mentions of internal vacancies pique interest. It also tells employees which positions are considered ‘key’, which could drive motivation
Education articles from industry experts in “How-To” or “Did you know?” formats are guaranteed to get read. Even more so if they are written in short form or bullet points, which are easy to read and provide to the point information
Company updates and developments. This should be in every newsletter!
Competitor news. Every employee should be aware of their competition
Special staff offers, promotional days, company parties etc. This might be the only way your staff learn of non-business events. It’s also a great way to split up your newsletter to make it more readable
Random and fun content. This can be anything from jokes to funny signs. Keep it light!

When it comes to distribution, you have many choices. Many companies choose to e-mail their newsletter. This distribution channel often leads to the majority of newsletters getting lost in a sea of emails and inevitably ends up in the trash bin. Printing your newsletter can be very beneficial – an employee takes it home, spouse, children, neighbors and others may read it. In effect, printed versions can increase readership and awareness. Aside from these two traditional methods, there are a number of creative ways to distribute your newsletter. Consider a notification banner on employee desktops notifying them of a new issue or a text message letting employees know that a new issue is out. Perhaps a combination will be most effective.

A company or industry newsletter can either captivate readers or get thrown in the trash. When curated and published effectively, company newsletters and industry publications can have significant reach internally and in the community. A casual tone, balanced, employee driven content and creative distribution will encourage readership and participation.

Meghan Tooley is a commerce student, active blogger and social media enthusiast from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She often blogs about human resource trends and Canadian labour laws. She writes on behalf of Metric Marketing, a hybrid marketing agency specializing in innovating and integrated marketing strategies. Learn more about publishing for your business from Canadian publishing company, Craig Kelman and Associates.

About
Latest Posts

Occasional Contributors

In addition to our regular guest bloggers, First Reference Talks blog published by First Reference, provides occasional guest post opportunities from various subject matter experts on the topics of payroll, employment and labour law, payroll, HR analytics, corporate immigration, accessibility related issues in Canada. If you are a subject matter expert and would like to become an occasional blogger, please contact Yosie Saint-Cyr at editor@firstreference.com. If you liked this post, subscribe to First Reference Talks blog to get regular updates.