We often talk about the importance of keeping in touch with clients and how regular newsletters are one way of doing this. But if you’re just sending out a newsletter faithfully every month without measuring success, you could be missing opportunities to engage with clients or prospects more and see where improvements can be made.
So, how can you keep track of newsletter success?
1. Cast an eye over the statistics
The great thing about digital newsletters is they generate a whole bunch of statistics that can help you measure success and see where improvements can be made.
Three key figures to look at when reviewing your newsletters are:
- Open rate: The percentage of people that opened your newsletter after receiving it.
- Click through rate: The number of people that clicked on a newsletter link as a percentage of the whole mailing list.
- Click-to-open rate: The percentage of people that opened the newsletter and then clicked on a link.
To give you an idea of what’s ‘good’ for the financial services industry, the average is an open rate of 15% and a click-through rate of 6.5%.
Another area to review is what links your clients are clicking on. We’ve written about the types of content financial advisers and planners should include in their newsletter here.
When you first start sending newsletters, it can take a while for statistics to stabilise, so keep this in mind. Don’t just compare your newsletter performance to the industry average but track how yours changes over time too. It can help you see what issues and topics are most interesting to your clients.
If you’re a Yardstick member, you’ll receive a full MI report after each newsletter has been sent with these details and more on and we’re happy to answer any questions you may have about it.
It’s worth keeping an eye on the delivery and bounce rates of your newsletter too. These can indicate when it’s time to review your mailing list to remove old addresses that could be harming your stats.
2. Keep track of the responses
While the statistics can show you how many people open the newsletter, it can be difficult to tell the value your clients receive from it or how they lead to new business. Keeping track of the responses you receive from newsletters can help weigh up the investment you’re making with the returns.
We often find that some clients will reply after receiving a newsletter. Sometimes it’s a quick ‘thanks for the update’ when a news-focused piece has been sent out, such as following the Budget announcement. Other times, clients are keen to arrange a meeting after reading a blog that relates to their circumstances, from investment volatility to financial protection. We know from speaking with financial planners and advisers that clients will pick up the phone to ask questions or enquire about services after reading newsletters too.
Keeping track of these can help demonstrate the importance of regular newsletters for building relationships and pushing business forward.
3. Speak to your clients!
As the bulk of your mailing list is probably clients that you’ve built a relationship with, you’re in the perfect position to simply ask what they think.
There is a range of ways to do this, from sending out a survey to get an overview to bringing it up next time a client is in the office for a review. Simply asking is a perfect way to find out how you can improve your newsletter too.
- What kind of blogs do they like to read?
- Are there any topics they’d like to see covered in the future?
- Is there anything they want to see less/more of?
A five-minute conversation can help you tweak existing newsletter formats and content to better reflect your clients and add further value in the process.
Need help with your newsletters?
Whether you already send out a newsletter and want to discuss how you can improve engagement or you want content that your clients want to read, we can help. Get in touch with us at hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 8965 300.
