Digital marketers are looking for new and effective ways to market over email. Some choose to use a content newsletter on a daily, weekly or monthly basis to keep their consumers attention. However, this has not proven to be an extremely effective way of gaining new clients. In fact, the newsletter often becomes a vanity project rather than a true form of lead nurturing. For that reason, unless it is leading directly to sales a content newsletter might be better left off the list of marketing tactics.
Purpose of a Newsletter
The purpose of a content newsletter is often to inform, educate and keep the 
attention of the reader. For example, many newsletters inform the reader about the latest news and information on a particular industry, product or sector. For example, a stereo company might produce a newsletter about new releases of content and software that are available on their system. They might include the fact that Amazon Echo is now compatible for example. They may also include much more general news like any new cars that Tesla puts out, new iPhones or new releases of Android. While these are major advances in consumer technology, they do not answer any particular concerns that the stereo speaker consumers have. If they are interested in those general tech insights, there are probably other sites or outlets that are a better source of information.
Direct Response
Email marketing for lead nurturing is really about creating a direct response platform that answers the consumer’s questions and moves them one step closer towards an actual purchase or buying decision. Email marketing must be extremely responsive to the consumer’s needs based on the feedback and insights they have already provided.
For example, if the consumer enters a chat with a representative and is asking about the price often, perhaps they feel that the cost is too high for them. This consumer needs to be marketed to each time there is a sale or promotion. Price is the key pain point for this consumer and email marketers have to know that.
Another way to determine the main concern of the consumer is the source of the lead acquisition. A lead for an accounting software firm that is acquired from a high-end accounting firm has a very sophisticated set of needs. They are looking for extremely professional tools to help them get to optimal results. To nurture this lead, the email marketer needs to constantly provide the top features that differentiate the tool. They need to advertise new features as well as the top factors that would allow a sophisticated buyer to choose them over the competition.
Specific Questions
Email marketers must imagine the specific questions that consumers have in their minds. Those are the ones that once answered, allow them to make a buying decision. Marketers may even want to survey their prospects on the issues that most concern them. They can then go about knocking down the concerns one by one. Unfortunately, content newsletters do not answer any specific questions and therefore do a poor job lead nurturing.
For example, an email marketer for a meal kit delivery service might identify several problems. Will the food taste good? Will I have time to make the meal? How difficult is it to make the meals? Are these meals expensive? What happens if I am out of town for a week? Each concern is a legitimate reason why a consumer may choose not purchase the service. However, its the marketer’s job to take these question on one by one and get to yes. They cannot do this in a newsletter. Rather, they need effective subjects lines, content and direct answers. Only then will the consumer make the decision to buy.
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