The Scoop.it Content Curation Blog

How to create an engaging newsletter: Easy steps to get started

There’s no place like the email inbox. Compared to the noise of social media feeds, it lets you create a one-on-one conversation with your ideal reader and customer.

Data from 2019 shows that you can expect an average return of $42 for every $1 you spend. That opportunity is too good to miss, and businesses of all sizes know it.

According to the report from Emarsys, 81% of SMBs rely on email as their primary customer acquisition channel, and 80% for retention. Email is a valuable tool across the whole customer journey.

If your job is to grow the reach and impact of your nonprofit, chances are you’re already stretched quite thin.

From traditional marketing to social media, and from organizing events to handling emails and press communication, you simply don’t have the time to create original content that’s relevant and timely.

Current crisis is showing us all just how important it is to adapt quickly when it comes to the content we use to communicate with those we care about the most in our communities.

If you’re in charge of your company’s communications, you have a lot on your plate at all times.

You’re handling media relationships, working with your social media team, and monitoring news about your company. You’re also making sure your communications are crisis-ready if needs be.

As we’ve already talked about, you can use content curation to make the job of your communications team significantly easier. With it, you can build a foundation that’s easy to use and allows you to work more efficiently.

Content curation isn’t a new word in the content marketing world.
When we talk about content curation, we usually talk about how easy it is to get our work done without worrying about content creation.

We talk a lot about content curation and how it can help companies thrive in their industries. We often focus on helping marketers discover and curate the best content possible, as well as on enabling team leaders and executives to drive employee advocacy.

But those aren’t the only roles that can benefit from content curation.

If you’re part of a communications team for your company (including if you’re a one-person team, of course), you’ll love the power of content curation.

In 2020, there’s no longer any debate about the value of social media marketing. The only question is whether you’re going to be able to unlock that potential.

Effective social media marketing isn’t just about increasing your following on various platforms; it’s about attracting relevant audience members and getting them hooked on your content, as well as nurturing existing leads and customers for purchase readiness and improved lifetime customer value.

Content marketing plays different roles at different stages in the customer journey, but there’s one role it needs to play at every stage in that journey—supporting your brand. At first glance, supporting your brand can sound like a frivolous pursuit. However, when you consider that 82% of customers always buy from a brand they’re emotionally connected to and 70% spend twice as much on those brands they connect with than those they don’t, a strong brand can make a big difference to your bottom line.

The growth of each company depends on two essential groups: its employees and its customers.

More often than not, companies put a lot of emphasis on the customer part. It’s reasonable: successful marketing can grow your company for years to come.

However, if your employees aren’t engaged and committed to that growth, even the best marketing plan won’t help. It’s thanks to dedicated employees who genuinely care about your company’s future that you’ll see true success.

Do you have a process of monitoring trending topics and content online?

Or content from your competitors?

How about mentions of your own brand (or founders and executives)?

There’s no one single place to do this. You can use Google search and social media platforms (search, hashtags, and mentions), Google alerts, and more.

These are all useful, but you might end up spending a lot of time jumping between tools and spending more time gathering this content than doing something about it—and that’s not fun, especially if you repeat this day after day.

Imagine this: You’re working on content curation for your business site’s blog. You’ve plotted out different audiences and created personas and researched which customer needs and interests you need to address. You’ve thought about which relevant content you need to keep driving traffic while advancing your other marketing goals.

And then a colleague upsets all your plans by pointing out that you’ve ignored everyone with disabilities. What do you do next?

The way we feel about newsletters here at Scoop.it was never a secret.

Some platforms diminish your reach so much it can destroy your business if you rely on them (looking at you, Facebook), and others get entirely wiped off the face of the planet (looking at you, Google+).

This dynamic will never end—platforms will always keep emerging and disappearing.

Content marketing is no longer a new fad. It is a proven model to increase your brand’s visibility, develop thought leadership, and generate leads. In fact, 65% of brands who report being successful with content marketing have gone through the time and effort of documenting their content marketing strategy. (Source CMI)

But, according to CSO Insights, only 32% of companies have a documented strategy to provide content for their salespeople. Why is this number so low? Because many organizations don’t understand why sales reps need content and what types of content to provide them to help them win more deals.