Optimizing Customer Communication: Creating Better Newsletters

It is important to treat customer as an active part of the business, making them feel involved in something more than just a simple transaction.

Over the coming weeks, we are discussing how to optimize communication with customers to foster that engagement.

Since we want this to be as detailed as possible, we are going to dedicate a post to each type of contact and, of course, this includes plenty of examples (we love using them for support).

You might be surprised that we are starting with this topic, but we believe newsletters are an opportunity that is not always fully utilized. Moreover, we have already shared full posts to other types of emails, such as welcome emails, cart recovery emails, and post-purchase transactional emails, so if you are interested in email marketing, we recommend checking those out.

But returning to the topic, let’s take a moment to reflect: why are newsletters important for eCommerce? Essentially because:

Thus, newsletters are far from a minor tool. These benefits, combined with their relatively low cost, make them worth leveraging.

With this important reflection in mind, let’s look at various real-life examples, highlighting their strengths and main objectives.

Let’s get started.

Creating a mood that encourages purchasing can involve selling a lifestyle first, helping customers imagine themselves using our products in their daily lives.

This approach works for athletic shoes, furniture, and, as in this first example, kitchen products and appliances.

KitchenAid uses its newsletter to share videos and posts about trends and decor, directly aligning with its brand positioning in the high-design appliance segment.

At the opposite end of the spectrum from the previous example are brands that use newsletters to talk about themselves, or rather, to talk about their products and address any questions customers may have.

Here is an example of how Burrow, a brand I love from a marketing perspective, anticipates the concerns of anyone who has subscribed to their email list.

It is understood that there is interest in this store’s furniture, so why not tackle the most frequently asked questions directly?

Another function of newsletters is to stimulate a brand’s social component, building a community, expanding conversations across different channels, and encouraging customers to become prosumers (consumers who also act as brand ambassadors).

We have a great example of this, and it is not your typical product. It is an alcohol-free, healthy soft drink sold online called De Soi.

Take a look at how cleverly they use their newsletter, making their Brand Manager’s weekend the main story.

Throughout the year, certain key events influence consumer behavior. If we are smart, we can adopt a communication style that places us in the right place at the right time, their inbox.

We are talking about sales events, Christmas, Black Friday, and more. But really, any date can be an excuse to interact with users. Take a look at this example from Traeger, a brand specializing in grills and barbecue accessories.

You probably already know the unique advantages of your product. These can be turned into engaging newsletter topics that resonate with your audience.

It could be local commerce, cutting-edge technology, exclusivity, or, as in the case of Pärla toothpaste, sustainability. This aspect is increasingly relevant to consumers, sparks interest, and lends itself well to educational content.

In this case, Pärla sent a newsletter like this to their customers: