Welcome

to the short version of my bi-weekly marketing newsletter. For the full version, previous editions and a little bit about the back-story why I started this, jump over to my Substack "Just the beginning".

Writing about marketing is easy when you feel inspired. But sometimes you have these hot summer weeks where all you wanna do is have overpriced drinks at the beach or chill in the 28 degree shade while keeping your mind from overheating ??. Fortunately, I have recently been featured in an article on ‘The 8 most important marketing trends to watch, according to Executives”. And so instead of wracking my brain during this heatwave, I can share these insights with you here. I especially recommend the sections about AI, changes in data regulations and organisational purpose.

This edition is dedicated to the wonderful world of newsletters (cue the drumroll ??). We'll explore how to harness their full potential and discover how brands are leveraging them for effective advertising. As a top up, you will get a great opportunity for female entrepreneurs.

How to unlock the potential of your newsletter and reach more people

When I started my newsletter, I got a few comments why I chose Substack as my primary publishing medium. The truth is when choosing a publishing tool, it's essential to align with your audience and their consumption habits. For me it was easy. A lot of people look for marketing content on Substack, I was already familiar with the platform and I liked its ease of building an email subscriber list. On the other hand, if you write about B2B Marketing and are monetising your personal brand (Think speaker gigs, workshops, consulting) LinkedIn could be a great primary publishing option for you. But no matter which platform you choose, the overall common objective is the same for (creative) writers as it is for marketers:

We all want to maximise the reach of our curated newsletter content.

So why would you limit yourself to only one traditional email channel for distribution? Here are three ways to distribute your curated content effectively and reach more people.

1. Send out a bite sized version via Whatsapp

Some people prefer short digestible formats. Think of it as the short snappy TikTok video of your long-form newsletter. Select the three most compelling stories or key takeaways from your newsletter and condense them into a WhatsApp Bot message. The bot will deliver these nuggets to your WhatsApp subscribers, engaging with each subscriber to provide them with precisely the information they're interested in. To illustrate the potential, let's explore how Booking.com is already leveraging this interactive channel to reach more people with their curated content:

The downside: You have to build this audience of people who are willing to share their phone number separately and from scratch. This is definitely more diffcult than getting someone’s email but you will be rewarded with extremely high open-rates (80%+) and direct access to your customer. In marketing we value the different forms of leads in this order: Phone number > Email > Social Media follower

Companies like hello charles and trengo will help you set up those Whatsapp bots in a few easy steps (comes with a price tag though).

2. Share a version of the newsletter in your IG broadcasting channel

Big Instagram following? If this is the case for you, there is another channel you should absolutely utilise. Create a broadcasting channel for your most engaged users where you share exclusive content or newsletter pieces from time to time. Yes, your broadcast audience will be a lot smaller than on ‘open’ Instagram but much more engaged. And you secure that precious messaging space, that is usually only reserved for friends and family sharing memes and commentary, and you know what that means? Exactly, really nice click-through and open-rates ?? If this is the case for you, there is another channel you should absolutely utilise. Create a broadcasting channel for your most engaged users where you share exclusive content or newsletter pieces from time to time. Yes, your broadcast audience will be a lot smaller than on ‘open’ Instagram but much more engaged. And you secure that precious messaging space, that is usually only reserved for friends and family sharing memes and commentary, and you know what that means? Exactly, really nice click-through and open-rates ??

3. Utilising LinkedIn's newsletter feature

For the full list (3) and to find out out why I am now also publishing here on LinkedIn, jump over to the this week's edition on Substack here ??

Marketing case: Sprout Social’s newsletter advertising ??

One of the newsletters I try read regularly is Matt Navara’s Social Media newsletter Geek Out. And I am not the only one. 30 000+ marketers, social media managers and (small) business owners read his weekly publication on all things social media marketing. And here is the chance for hyper-targeted advertising - straight to the inbox: In this case Sprout Social’s newsletter sponsoring ??

Apart from just being present in the header, the software company famous for their social media management tool also secured the prime position of the newsletter (at the top) with one of their ‘lead magnets’ a social media audit template (really great for measuring click-throughs and results)

And they aren’t alone, Hootsuite (another social scheduling software) emplify and khoros sponsored Matt’s targeted newsletter in previous editions, showcasing the power of targeted newsletter sponsoring for brands.

The takeaway: Do you want to test newsletters-advertising as a marketing channel for your product or offering? Ask yourself the question → Who are the writers that inspire/educate or entertain your audience? The good thing is you can start with a small budget to test on a (still) growing newsletter and then work with the more established ones.

Female opportunity I love ?? (Normally female-founded company I love)

This is an opportunity that I really want to share with my network of female founders. Are you a Netherlands based female founder (or do you own a startup with at least one female founder), and are looking for an investment that will bring your startup to the next level? Make sure to apply to the FEM-START Up Awards, powered by Antler here. The sign-up deadline is soon, the 15th of September ?? The first prize is €100.000 investment money ? The second prize is an investment trip to Silicon Valley, San Francisco

Did you like this format and want two more of my personal recommendations? Then make sure to check out the long version of this newsletter here.

Thanks for reading x