When seeking the most efficient and cost-effective way to present relevant information to an audience on a regular basis, most organizations default to an e-newsletter. While there is value to such a communication tactic, an e-newsletter should not be the only means used to engage your clients.
Email Isn’t Dead
Most people, especially business professionals, rely heavily on email for communication and information. In addition, nearly 80 percent of Americans own a smartphone, according to a Pew Research Center survey. An inherent service with smartphones is access to email at the touch of a button, a swipe of the finger, or even the command of a voice.
Email still has relevance in the business world, but tools like Unroll.me and Gmail’s tab filters, and even CAN-SPAM compliance laws, make e-newsletters more expendable. It is easier for someone to aggregate, filter out, or unsubscribe from unwanted emails.
Looking at CPA firm statistics for 2016, the collective open rate for e-newsletters was 28.5 percent, down from 29.6 percent in 2015. The click-through rate was 5.44 percent. This means for every 100 contacts that receive your e-newsletter, on average, 28 are opening the email, and only five are clicking on a link.
With that perspective, an e-newsletter cannot be the only way you communicate with your clients. The challenge becomes how you can effectively communicate relevant information to your clients without such a great threat of deletion.
The Effectiveness of One-to-One Email
A client is more likely to open a personalized email from you than a generic e-newsletter. The content may be similar, but the delivery and call to action will seem stronger in a personalized email.
Consider your client’s response in receiving an email from you that reads, “Take a look at this article. This is spot-on given your current situation. Here’s an executive summary.” The conclusion reads, “Let’s be sure to discuss this in detail the next time we meet, but please don’t hesitate to contact me in the meantime with any questions.”
This communication has a greater impact than that same article shared in an e-newsletter.
Leverage Relevant Content
You can create these one-to-one communication opportunities easily within ABLE. Sharing your own content and leverage articles found in ABLE’s Content Library. With ABLE’s Thought Leadership module, you can select the appropriate audience based on their niche or area of expertise. ABLE provides the ability to send the same message to any number of your contacts. This works similarly to a mail merge feature, but with fewer clicks.
Your clients will recognize you as a thought leader and an advisor for their business. This keeps the door open for meaningful conversation and potential future engagements.
Schedule a no-obligation demo to find out how ABLE can help you enhance your client communications.