Whether created in-house or outsourced, a newsletter is an investment of both time and money. Is that investment paying off? Put your newsletter to the CUVA test by answering these 10 questions to insure your own newsletter's effectiveness.
credit union, but if you focus solely on your credit union, you're missing an important key to holding your
member's attention. Focus on the member by having each article and ad answer your member's unasked
question: "What's in it for me?"
2. Does your newsletter include
articles that have nothing to do with the credit union? It may seem strange,
but think about it for a minute. Would you want to read 4 full pages about a financial
institution if your weren't the CEO yourself? Maybe
you would. But how many of your members are so inclined? Include articles
of general financial interest, a quote, a book review, a kid's section, recipes, fashion
tips, anything that would be appropriate and of interest to your membership.
These are the articles members save your newsletter for.
3.
Is your style easy to read
and easy to follow? In today's world of mass marketing and 30-second commercials,
you need to reach your member quickly, grab his or her attention, and hold
it. Are you following an outdated format that used to work, but doesn't anymore?
Take a good look at the newsletters that come accross your desk from vendors and others, and
see which ones hold your attention and which are just too easy to put down.
who can volunteer his or her services. Why waste the expense of putting out a newsletter that members don't
read? If you write the newsletter yourself, have someone else proofread it for you, because you may be too
close to your own work to look at it objectively.
4.
Is your layout appealing? Shorter
articles spaced with pictures and other graphics are easier to read than full
pages of monotonous text. If you have no appropriate pictures to use, consider
a "pull quote", an important line or paragraph from the article, and use an
enlarged repetition of that sentence in place of a picture.
When you look at your layout, also consider the amount
of columns. Wide columns take longer to read. Three columns per page are ideal,
but even two is better than one. Your word processing program should allow
you to view the difference with the click of a mouse. Play with the format
to find the one that's most visually appealing.
5.
Is your style consistent? If
your newsletter is informal and "chatty", all articles should reflect that
style. The best way to insure this will happen is to review several articles
in the past few editions, decide what your preferred style is, and put it
on paper. Summarize it so it's clear and succinct. Attach a copy of your "style statement" to your newsletter file (electronically
or manually) and hold every article up to that standard.
6.
Are you trying to reach too
many groups with the same information? Consider an edition for kids, teens,
or seniors, where you can customize the content of articles, or just
vary the ads to suit your audience.
7.
How is your newsletter distributed? Do you include it with monthly statements or mail it as a stand-alone newsletter?
Is the additional cost of a separate mailing justified? What about potential
members-are they getting your newsletter? They should. Consider distributing
it through your sponsor company or companies (with paychecks?) or throughout
your community by putting it in popular stores and restaurants so that community
members who are eligible for membership can pick it up. And if your newsletter
is interesting, they will pick it up.
8.
How long is your newsletter? Your newsletter must
be long enough to get your message across, but not much longer. Too short,
and it loses the look of a newsletter, too long and its intimidating. Find
the balance that works for your credit union.
9.
How frequently is your newsletter published? Less than quarterly means it's not a newsletter,
more than monthly is not necessary. But would you gain from a monthly, as
opposed to a quarterly newsletter? Consider replacing your paper newsletter
with an e-zine. It costs almost nothing to reproduce and distribute, and can
be as frequent as you can realistically manage.
10.
How is your newsletter printed? Printing in more than black and white can be costly and may not be necessary.
Check with your local copy shop. You may be able to get a good price on a
better quality paper, or you may want to leave it the way it is, in black
and white for the look of a high-quality financial publication.
newsletter text into it, one issue at a time as needed. Paper Direct and other paper suppliers sell frames, but
you'll get a better price, and exactly what you want, by printing
your own.
If
you can't give your newsletter as much time as you'd like to, subscribe to CreditUnionNewsletters.com and watch your newsletters virtually write themselves!