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Simple Ways to Make Your E-Newsletter More User Friendly

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By Shaun Chatman

Your newsletter is an important way to get relevant information across to your customer base, clients, or readers. But all of these people will be viewing it on different devices. Use these tips to simplify your newsletter’s content and formatting, to enhance readability and keep your content user-friendly.

Format in a Single Column

You may be tempted to use fancy design work in your newsletter, but the best way to go is a simple format that puts all your information into a single column. Go for a column 500 to 600 pixels wide, and be sure to take into account special formatting for mobile devices. You won’t be able to keep formatting completely uniform over all devices, but you can take many steps to ensure that it doesn’t fall apart and become unreadable on certain devices. Simplicity is your best friend in these instances. Choose a few design elements (like text formatting and social media linking) that make the content easier to consume and then stick with those and ignore the impulse to go over the top.

Break Content into Headings

Your newsletter probably contains multiple points you want to communicate to your readers. Rather than writing it in the style of a letter with each paragraph flowing into the next, create a new heading every time you come to a new newsletter item. Make that heading obvious and separated from the rest of the content. By doing this, readers who are skimming through on a device with a smaller screen will know where to stop and start reading.

Use Images Sparingly

One or two interesting images will enhance the content of your newsletter, but overloading your newsletter with images is a surefire way to make it more difficult to read on multiple devices. Images, by default, require different formatting than text does, so no matter how careful you are, the more formatting you add to your newsletter, the more likely it is something will go wrong. Also, images take longer to load, especially on hand held devices like phones or tablets that may be connected to a 4G network rather than wi-fi.

Streamline Your Content

While skimming through paragraphs of content may be easy on a laptop screen, if someone is reading from his or her phone, it takes longer to scroll through a lot of text. Even with headings, keep your newsletter’s content relevant and brief. If you’re wondering about types of content apt for your newsletter, go for content that your readers can consume in bite-sized chunks. Tips and tricks for your customers, a short letter from the CEO of your company, or lists of significant blog posts or news articles are great places to start.

Remember, it’s not just about formatting. Good content also keeps your newsletter fresh and interesting for your readers. Each newsletter will look different, but by keeping it simple and following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a newsletter that works on as many devices as possible.

Author’s Bio:Shaun Chatman is a seasoned writer featured on many authority blogs. Writing is his passion, and he spends most of his waking hours writing about everything from Tech to Education. He lives in Dunedin, Fl.

Content: Serving Up the Same Thing Differently

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By Lisa D. Jenkins

Where I used to live, there’s a thing called Bite-Size. When I moved there, I assumed it was similar to finger steak I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Bite-Size is made with 2-inch hand cut chunks of beef and each restaurant has its own proprietary seasoning and cooking technique. One does a dry rub with batter and deep fry, one marinates and broils, while another seasons and grills. You order it cooked to temperature, just like a steak and depending on where you go, it’s served au jus, with tartar sauce or with ranch.

In a town of 100k or so, there are no less than 10 privately owned restaurants that serve their own version of Bite-Size, and each restaurant’s version has a fiercely loyal customer base. Ask any meat-eater in the valley and they’ll tell you exactly why the Bite-Size they love is the best and why you should try it.

How does that happen with a product that’s basically the same? Easy; every customer has a unique set of taste buds. Even yours.

Content is a lot like Bite-Size.

Regardless of the industry you’re in, the content you publish most likely bears some resemblance to the content your competitors publish. “If that’s true, why should I bother,” I hear you ask. Because it’s the flavor of what you deliver that strikes a chord with your customers and makes them come back for more of what you’ve got.

While you and Competitor X are both publishing content around Widget A, your target customers are not the same. They’re segmented by their very real preferences for things like the language you use, color, brand voice, etc. And they choose who to do business with based on those preferences.

That’s why it’s important not to mimic what others in your industry are doing too closely. You don’t want everyone’s attention, you want the attention of people who are going to stay with you.

Individuality will draw the right people to you.

NorthFace is very down to business, no frills. The phrase high tech – low drag comes to mind. The Husband prefers NorthFace’s delivery and that’s what’s allowed in his Inbox.

NorthFace email newsletter

Moosejaw is all sorts of silly and fun. I giggle every time I see a newsletter from them in my Inbox and it makes me smile to spend my money with someone who understands the importance of humor.

Moosejaw email newsletter

Same basic products, different flavor.

Content strategy isn’t not about making sure you’re posting the same, keep-up-with-the-joneses content everyone else is. It’s about sharing that message with your own voice so that the people you want to attract find it valuable and recognizable.

Call it perspective, call it secret sauce, call it seasoning … how do you prepare and serve up your content to stand apart?

Author’s Bio: Lisa D. Jenkins is a Public Relations professional specializing in Social and Digital Communications for businesses. She has over a decade of experience and work most often with destination organizations or businesses in the travel and tourism industry in the Pacific Northwest. Connect with her on Google+

The SOBCon Newsletter

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SOBCon09! Biz School for Bloggers

News!

Register for SOBCon09,
before December 31st 2008,
and get $200.00 off!

Only 150 attendees this year,
so don’t wait too long!

SOBCon09 Banner

SOBCon08 “I Was There” Banner

Download these banners for your blog and website!
Be sure to link to www.SOBEvent.com
Words of Wisdom

“SOBCon is the ROI of Relationships”
 — Liz Strauss Twitter id: @LizStrauss
Co-founder of SOBCon

“Set out with the intent each day to be happy”
 — Christine Kane Twitter id:@Christinekane
 SOBCon07 & SOBCon08 attendee

“You’ll walk away with 150 friends for life!”
 — Terry Starbucker Twitter id: @Starbucker
Co-founder of SOBCon

“I feel empowered to talk about my dreams… about the mistakes I’ve made and that I won’t be judged”
 — Chris Cree Twitter id:@ChrisCree
SOBCon07 & SOBCon08 attendee
Blog Talk Radio

Michelle Vandepas, SOBCon08 attendee hostsSOBCon09 Blog Talk Radio!
Listen to SobCon 09 on internet talk radio

Listen Now!

Liz Strauss
Terry Starbucker
Chris Garrett
Vicky Hennegan


Upcoming Guests:

Chris Cree
David Bullock
and …You?
<<Your Name Here>>
…contact Michelle!

Subscribe to the Blog Talk Radio RSS Feed.
Hook Up On Twitter…
Karen Putz, @DeafMom
Michelle Vandepas, @DivinePurposeMV
Shashi Bellamkonda, @Shashib
Brad Shorr, @BradShorr
Robert Hruzek, @RobertHruzek
Tom Clifford, @ThomasClifford
Joanna Youhng, @JoannaYoung
Chris Brogan, @ChrisBrogan
Melissa Pierce, @MelissaPierce

<<Your Name Here>>
Contact @eeUS and say
that you want to be in next months Newsletter!
C’mon talk to us!
Blogger Biographies…
Liz Strauss
Liz is a blogger, writer, social media expert, communicator and networker.Her e-book, The Secret to Writing a Successful and Outstanding Blog is now available.
What does Liz do?

I help businesses, universities, and service professionals . . .

increase ROI and attract fiercely loyal fans . . .

by communicating with customers as people.

“I am a writer who uses the language to paint and to play word music, places my heart and head in the spaces, and writes in the hope that one person is better for having read what I wrote. ”       — Liz Strauss

Chris GarrettChrisg.com is where Chris posts his daily thoughts and advice on the business of new media, blogging and online marketing.

The aim is to teach you ways you can create compelling content, provide your audience w/ more value, build trust and loyalty, and generate more rewards within your own blog, whether for business or personal reasons.

Chris Garrett is a professional blogger, Internet Marketing Consultant, new media industry commentator, writer, coach, speaker, trainer and web geek.
Back To The Summit!
SOBCon09
Biz School for Bloggers
May 1-3, 2009
in Chicago!

Friday, May 1st:
Noon-5pm Registration
Noon-1pm Lunch for Intensive Session Attendees
1-5pm Pre-Conference Intensive Sessions
6:30-10pm: Conference Opening Transition & Networking Event Saturday, May 2nd:
8:00-6:00 Biz School for Bloggers
Workshop Sessions — plan to sit with your partners
Breakfast, Lunch, and Break Snacks included

Sunday, May 3rd:
20 Slides in 5 minutes — watch for info on when to send a proposal
Office Hours — meeting times with our potential and current partners to get work done.

About SOBCon
SOBCon is a unique group of Successful and Outstanding Bloggers who work together, think together, and help each other move forward in what they do.

Every year we meet in Chicago to swap strategies and stories of what works for our blogs and our businesses on the Internet and on the ground. Every day we meet via text, telephone, and in person to work together whenever we can.

There’s only one rule:
BE NICE.

SOBCon09 will be in Chicago, May 1-3, 2009


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