Are your e-newsletters engaging or self-serving?

B2B E-Newsletters should be focused on hard-hitting stories that demonstrate how you help solve your customers' problems. Each issue can help companies improve customer loyalty and retention.

Surprisingly, many B2B companies either don't utilize e-newletters, or use them only as product showcases. The newsletter is all about them, not their customers.

Product news is fine, but to build prospect interest and loyalty, you must communicate real world information that is helpful to your customers in the context of their day-to-day business problems.

What companies fail to understand is that their customers need nurturing as much as their prospects do. Customer retention is less expensive and should be easier than customer acquisition. By designing each e-newsletter to help your customers answer ongoing needs that you can help them solve, you'll be building loyalty and enticing them to buy more solutions and services from you at the same time.

An e-marketing strategy focused on sustainable growth must include high-value customer nurturing programs in addition to marketing's imperative to generate new demand. And, the quality of the storytelling is critical to drive the results you want.

Here are a few tips about creating themed e-newsletters:

• Take a page from the magazine industry and center each issue around a theme.


• Pick a theme that allows you to showcase a specific aspect where you have helped customers to win.


• Develop three or four articles related to that theme that will be valuable to your subscriber list. These articles should give them insights, help them solve problems or expand their knowledge about a topic important to them.

Marketing Interactions worked with one of our high technology clients to create 3 themed newsletters. We started at ground zero because they hadn't communicated continuously with their customers in the last year. Three months later, after the third send, the client had re-established engagement with most of their existing customers. Over 70% read every issue, and the sales team is leveraging trusted vendor status to drive upsell and cross-sell sales.

Your customers are your lifeblood. Don't forget customers or assume they'll stay loyal. Make sure of it!