13th January, 2020
Email remains one of the best ways to stay up-to-date with business news, insights and analysis – so we’ve brought together some of the best email newsletters to rescue from the junk folder.
There’s something wonderfully old-fashioned about email. That’s an odd thing to write about a form of communication that’s only been around for a few decades, but in an age of multiple communication platforms such as chatbots, DMs, Facebook ads and all the rest it’s sometimes easy to forget about good ol’ email.
Of all the digital communications, email is the most personal. It’s trusted, and it’s direct, and it’s also not something that operates according to the whims of the algorithms of giant multinational corporations.
These reasons (along with many others) email is one of the most potent weapons in the marketing quiver of small to mid-size enterprises, and hopefully if you’re reading this your business already has its own, engaged email list. If not, well, it’s never too late to start! But today we’re talking about another way email can inspire you and improve your business. Yes, the humble email newsletter.
Today we’ve got six business-focused newsletters that aren’t just engaging and entertaining – they might have something in them to take your business to the next level.
This homegrown resource has been around since 2007 and has become a leading source for small business owners and entrepreneurs. And sure, you can head to their site to get the latest, or it could come to you – because SmartCompany offer not just one, but four (4!) emails.
So, if you’re looking for a daily dose of the top headlines? Subscribe to the SmartCompany Daily. Daily too frequent? How about dialling it back to once a week with The Memo. Feel like a bit more attitude with your business news? Try Weekend Smarts. Only interested in the big trends and exciting top-line news? Then get onto The Spotlight (send sporadically). And of course, if you’re more interested in the startup world, there are two dedicated newsletters for you there — the Startupsmart Daily and The Deck (sent weekly).
If you like a little more speed (and just as much smarts) in your company, we’d suggest Fast Company.
The American title bills itself as the future of business and is an honest-to-goodness magazine that’s been around since 1995. And while it covers business-related subjects exclusively, they’ve got a particular interest in technology, innovation and leadership.
In its newsletter, the Fast Company Compass, you can expect all the big global stories, but with rock-solid business analysis, along with the occasional guilt-free diversion.
Anthill Online is all about Australian entrepreneurs, business leaders and entrepreneurs. It’s been around a while, starting life as a print publication back in 2003. And while its real heart is in following stories of fast-growing Australian SMEs and larger companies with a nimble heart, it also provides valuable business development insights, but in an engaging, personal manner.
The Anthill newsletter provides a regular dose of the best of the site, as well as the wider internet.
Flying Solo is a micro-business community with 100,000+ members. It’s a site built around providing support to small businesses and solo operators. It’s got handy resources and active forums, as well as case studies, pithy advice and to the point articles on a range of topics targeted to Australian micro business owners.
You’re guaranteed to get something out of it.
A longstanding favourite of Australian marketers, Marketing (previously Marketing Mag) maintains its dedication to sharing news, insight case studies, events and much more – all dedicated to the art and science of marketing.
This mandate expands to include elements of brand management, leadership, careers, tech, consumer behaviour and communications – meaning the Marketing newsletter supports the full spectrum of information to cover anything you might like to know on the topic.
And, while some of the information is certainly written with marketing specialists in mind, there’s plenty for the first-time business owner to learn and love here as well.
Pitching themselves as ‘cultural strategists and business intelligence experts’, the team at Cassandra make a living by illuminating and even predicting consumer trends.
With a strong bent towards the millennial generation of professionals, Cassandra is designed to appeal to up-and-comers and those who would market to them.
While the Cassandra team’s bread and butter lies in consulting and intelligence services, the Cassandra Daily newsletters provides their unique take on the brand marketing a tech news of the day (keeping in mind that it’s quite US-centric).
OK, so this last one is a bit of a cheat — but it’s important nonetheless.
We’re willing to bet you use a lot of subscription services for your business: accounting, marketing, productivity and social media management to name a few. And all these accounts send you emails on a regular basis.
While it’s easy to see such newsletters as vehicles for self-promotion, they quite often contain a wealth of practical tips and tricks, customer case studies and more besides. After all, that’s what we use to fill our own email newsletters (and you can subscribe to it at the bottom of this page!).
There’s often also skill-building lessons and other ways to get the most out of the service you’re spending good money on (Trello and Mailchimp are two particularly good ones if you use them). So, our advice? Give it a skim before you put it in the bin.