If you haven’t started sending digital newsletters instead of printing and mailing, better late than never! If you're already sending digital newsletters, you know that going digital has several key benefits when compared to traditional newsletters. Beyond being cheaper to create and distribute digital newsletters allow for drastically different content than print. In a virtual newsletter, you can include any type of digital content you want, including Videos, Images, GIFs, Animated Charts, Links, Embedded content, documents, and more, creating a dynamic experience that simply isn’t possible in a traditional newsletter. Content can also be personalized to individual recipients, building brand trust and fostering a relationship. Unlike print, virtual newsletters can be delivered almost instantaneously via email or text message. Lastly, one of the biggest benefits of digital newsletters is that you can gain insights from real-time analytics, but more on that later.

As mentioned before, one of the main benefits of a digital newsletter is the variety of content that can be easily included. With unlimited content options and more than 50 mobile-adaptive layout options, you can get as creative as you want when building your newsletter so that you can engage your audience in ways that stand out. Use the media library to add on-brand graphics, video, & more, and customize easily with drag-and-drop editing. You can also build animated charts for data visualization, embed HTML content, and add custom buttons and links to help make each newsletter a dynamic digital experience.

iFOLIO media libraries make it easy to upload, store, and use branded content in iFOLIO pages. The organization media library makes it possible to upload on-brand content from one location and enable different users within the organization to use that content. Storing media in the organization library makes it much easier to maintain brand consistency across the organization and reinforce your brand’s image through various pieces of content.

Video, as mentioned before, is a great content option for digital newsletters that can’t exist in a print newsletter. Regardless, video is also a great tool for capturing a viewer's attention. It is important to leverage video content in newsletter pages when possible, but it’s also important not to go overboard. Too many videos on one page can hurt load time and page performance, which is a surefire way to deter visitors from continuing to engage with your content. We recommend limiting each newsletter page to one video for optimal performance. If you really want to add more video content, try to avoid putting multiple videos in the same area of the page.

For people to even open your newsletter content, you need to get past their inbox. iFOLIOs can be shared via visual email or visual text messages where text and images can be customized. Visuals help encourage engagement once your message is open, but first, you have to get them to open it. For an email, the most important piece of messaging is the subject line. Subject lines must be succinct, but must also stand out enough to earn a click in a crowded inbox. A good way to make your messages friendly and inviting is to add an emoji. If emojis aren’t necessarily your brand’s style, it’s best to keep your subject lines clear and communicative without being too lengthy.

Ideally, you have a clear goal for sending out your newsletter, whether that be announcing a new product, reminding viewers of an upcoming event, or providing loyal fans with a discount or promotion. It’s important not to forget these goals when building your newsletter, as you want visitors to have a clear action to take from the newsletter page. This can be as simple as visiting your website or buying a new product. To streamline the journey, include clear calls-to-action that effectively communicate exactly what action the user is taking by clicking it. Using iFOLIO’s custom button editor, you can add linked buttons with custom text and visuals that stand out on the page and encourage users to click.

Real-time analytics are a huge benefit of sending virtual newsletters. Once you send a newsletter campaign, you can gain insights on deliverability, open rates, click-throughs and more. Shared stats show you who specifically received your newsletter, who opened it, and how long they spent on the page while patented heatmap analytics show you specific areas of the page that they were most interested in. Using these insights, you can identify promising leads and follow up with them with the right content at the right time.

Learn More About iFOLIO Analytics