The Green Sheet Online Edition
March 3, 2023 • 23:03:01
The many benefits of newsletters
Newsletters are popular in numerous industries, including payments. Indeed, there's something to be said for appearing in a customer's inbox on a regular basis. And the word "benefits" just about sums it up. Newsletters provide benefits to ISOs, merchant level salespeople and other merchant service providers in several ways. They can help:
- Build long-term relationships
- Increase engagement with your company and brand awareness
- Gather customer feedback
- Lead to increased sales
Value is essential
However, all these benefits will accrue only if you bring something of value to your recipients. Depending on what services you actually provide, as well as what your company's strengths are, you could provide customers with various types of content, including:
- Industry news and trends likely to affect your readers
- Product updates
- Tips on security and fraud prevention
- Success stories
- Customer support information
- Special offers and promotions
- Employee spotlights
Be sure to keep your newsletters meaningful and helpful. With that in mind, it's important to refrain from the following:
- Being overly self-promotional
- Including irrelevant content
- Filling your text with jargon
- Sending newsletters too often, making them seem like spam
- Sending newsletters so rarely recipients can't remember who you are
- Bringing up controversial topics
Presentation matters
Your newsletter's formatting is important, too. If it's peppered with SOLID CAPS; contains flowery, hard to read text; or is decorated with cute drawings of penguins and puppies, it's likely going to turn your customers off. Solid blocks of dense text will do the same thing. So put some thoughts into how you want your newsletter to look. Here are some suggestions:
- Keep it simple. Business people will want something clear and easy to read.
- Use headers and subheads. This will make it easy for readers to see what's included at a glance.
- Use bullet points. This will make it easy for people to understand the message.
- Use visuals. Complementary graphics can augment your text and help readers remember what they read.
If you decide to send a newsletter, being consistent both with the type of content you include and with your frequency of emailing is important. This is because consistency helps:
- Build trust and credibility
- Reinforce brand awareness
- Foster increased engagement over time
Back in the 1980s, Paul H. Green, founder of The Green Sheet, began sending an email newsletter to a circle of colleagues in the fledgling payments industry who were clamoring for information to help them build their careers. Who knows what will happen if you start one in your circle today? 
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