Whether you are a restaurant, a winery or a storage supply owner you always want to be on your customers’ mind by promoting yourself and the product you supply that they “cannot live without.” If your customers live across the country, down the street, come in everyday or once a year, it makes no difference. E-mail marketing can be effective but you must struggle to make it through the thousands of e-mails and junk folders and with a growing amount of space in the real mailbox, print is where it’s at.

The most effective newsletters are made with high quality paper, well thought out graphics that appeal to your audience. Be consistent. People love good content and rely on it, if they continually see that you “show up” they will think of your business as a staple in their weekly routine.

1. Create a Call To Action

All the newsletters that make a positive and intriguing impression generally have an event or happening that readers can get involved in. It makes the newsletter more “newsworthy” meaning it is timely, relevant and important. This can also mean you are having a special running through to the end of the month (ex: refer your friend for 50 percent off this month only). This gives a reason for your readers to hold on to the newsletter and also visit or get more involved with your business.  

2. Include Personal Photos and Infographics

The more photos, the better. Our society and your clients are more increasingly captured by visual images and they attract attention more than text. People remember and retain 80 percent of what they see (and only 20 percent of what they read). Break up the text with photos in order to give it readability. Infographics are also a good way to attract your audience. They include graphics and statistics that act as an easy but informative way to convey your message.

3. Include Educational Tools or Info on Upcoming Events 

When thinking about this, think of what kind of content your audience needs or wants. What are their interests and what would they like to learn more about? Giving tips, tricks and advice keep people coming back, looking forward to your next issue and even going as far as seeking out more content from your location or website or social media. Which brings me to my last but most important point.

4. Interactive Content

As the world is increasingly social, your audience craves for some place where they can continue the conversation. Tell them where they can reach you on social media, how they can, for example, submit a recipe or tell you about their experience at an event), create a hashtag and more importantly respond to their comments and inquiries in order to keep the dialogue going. This will keep customers coming back for the product as well as the content. 

At AJ Printing and Graphics and Wine Country Signs in Santa Rosa we can help with any newsletter, direct mail, graphics design or any print material you may need in order to take your marketing to the next level. With clients like Friedman’s Home Improvement, Mendocino Forest Products and Sonoma County Vintners we work with the best in Sonoma County and can lend our knowledge in order to help yours. You can use online resources like Canva that can help you create professional looking graphics for a low cost in a fast amount of time.