Keeping customers informed and engaged can feel like a never-ending game of catch-up. But how is it possible to communicate all the important information to everyone who needs it? If we’ve had the pleasure of working together, you know my style for any customer sync is always to learn more about what my customer’s needs are and to understand what they’re working on. This inevitably leads me to ask lots of questions which helps me to learn who my customers are but little time to speak about what all is happening at Gainsight.
I have been trying to figure out the best way to talk about the exciting things going on and then Tammi pinged me to ask if I wanted to contribute something to the CSM newsletter. The lightbulb immediately went off. Why couldn’t I put together a newsletter to send my customers? At Gainsight, we get weekly newsletters from leaders within the organization so we can stay up to date with everything that’s going on. And so the question I was left asking myself: If everyone else is doing it, why can’t I?
Since I’ve never put together my own newsletter, I decided to do some research on how to get started. For me, that’s always the most challenging part of doing anything so I did some research with the help of my favorite AI tools. Here’s some guidelines and suggestions that I used to help me:
- Keep it engaging: Aim for a format that allows the reader to skim through and then get enough information to help them decide to click in further.
- Visually appealing: Use images where necessary and emojis are always welcome.
- Mobile-friendly: Ensure your newsletter is optimized for mobile devices.
- Track results: If you have the ability to monitor open rates, I recommend it so you can see what information subject lines work best. This can also be an indicator of whether or not your emails are being properly delivered to your customers.
- Content: Remember to align the content with your overall customer success strategy and goals. Customers want to feel connected, informed, and valued.
Remember to inject your own voice and expertise throughout, making it relevant and engaging for your target audience. In past community posts, I’ve discussed what tastes good with peanut butter among other topics.
Now that I have the newsletter established, I wanted to understand what the proper communication cadence would be. Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all answer to the frequency since the ideal cadence depends on several factors such as:
- Industry norms: In general, the average frequency for B2B SaaS newsletters falls between once a month and twice a week. However, some industries might have different expectations.
- Content cadence: Is there enough valuable content to send newsletters consistently? Sending infrequent, low-quality emails can hurt engagement and I recommend only sending if you have something substantial to offer.
- Audience preferences: Consider your customer's preferences by conducting surveys or gathering feedback. Some might appreciate monthly updates, while others might prefer less frequent.
- Offer an unsubscribe option: Allow your customers to easily opt out if they prefer less frequent communication.
My plan is to start with less and adjust based on how it performs and feedback from my customers. Remember, consistency is key. Once you determine the right frequency, stick to it to build trust and maintain engagement.