Everything You Need To Know About Newsletters

They can be used in a number of different ways to provide education, information, and news all in one place. Plus, many plan sponsor clients and plan participants might prefer the unobtrusive, non-paper method of e-mail as a form of regular communication (when executed correctly and paired with some human contact, of course). Luckily, it’s easy to get started on a newsletter.

Services

There are many affordable services to make a simple newsletter, some of which help you design and send your newsletters, and others that would allow you to design the newsletter and send from your own e-mail. It might be a good idea to try a free trial first. Here are a handful of services we’ve spotted advisers using:

• ConstantContact
• HNW Publisher 
• iContact 
• Microsoft Office (using Outlook with a Word template)
• MailChimp 
• Vertical Response

Getting Started

In addition to the selection of a provider, a few other things to consider are:

• Who will be reading the newsletter (plan sponsors or participants or both)? Reaching out to plan sponsors might be the best way to start, but newsletters might also be a helpful way to reach participants as an educational supplement. Another thing to consider before beginning is whether most of your client base is e-mail savvy.
• What are the regulatory rules and compliance concerns at your firm?
• How often do you want to publish (weekly, monthly, quarterly)? You can always start off quarterly and see what sort of feedback you receive.
• What kind of, and how much, content do you want to include (read below for some ideas)?

Content Ideas

Here are a few items to consider putting in your newsletter.

• Commentary: Many advisers provide regular updates about the markets or regulations, or zoom in on a certain topic relevant to retirement plans. Team members might take turns with this or have rotating regular columns about specific topics of expertise. Also, if your firm has a blog, you can use some of the blog content. Attorneys, investment managers, or other partners might also give you permission to use their content.
• Links to other news sources: You cannot publish something without permission, but linking to other places is OK. For instance, if you see an interesting story on PLANSPONSOR.com or PLANADVISER.com, you can tease it in the newsletter and link to the full story.
• Announcements: Highlight new products and services, as well as news at your firm; plug upcoming Webinars or events for your clients.
• Compliance calendar: Note upcoming important dates for clients to remember.
• Client input: Any way to engage your audience is helpful. Ask clients to submit their stories and ideas for possible publication.

Before You Mail

Lastly, consider these few tips to a great newsletter:

• Choose to focus on one or two main articles, and then consider linking to other pertinent things in the news or including other small items. Too much content can be overwhelming in an e-mail; a couple of focal points are enough.
• Keep the design simple. If you have the resources to do something fancy, great but, otherwise, clean and easy-to-read is the best route. Stick to basic fonts and colors.
• Visuals always make newsletters more engaging, so consider adding pictures of your firm, pictures of client activities (with permission), or stock images from free sites on the Web (be cautious of copyright). If nothing else, at least include your firm’s logo and your headshot.
• Try to stay informal, with an engaging tone that fits whatever audience you are reaching.
• Include easy contact information—Web sites, e-mail, phone, address, etc. Remember this might be forwarded to prospects.
• Proofread, proofread, proofread. Take it from the publishers of several newsletters that typos can be embarrassing.