What can Yazoo teach med tech companies about eNewsletters?
Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes
Ever heard of Yazoo Mills? Probably not. Yazoo is a specialty tube manufacturer not far from Philadelphia that specializes in tubes for shipping, winding, tape cores, etc. I only know about them because I needed a very long rugged tube to ship a large printed graphic to a medtech trade show. I was going crazy trying to find a supplier with such a tube. Then a web search landed me in the Yazoo website. Now I am a very satisfied customer and the recipient of their monthly eNewsletters.
These eNewsletters are impressive. They hit all the right notes in terms of communication. When I read medtech newsletters and visit medtech websites, most of the time I am left feeling cold. Sure, they communicate feature and benefit information. However, there is little that makes a reader feel good about the company. There is no story. There is rarely an emotional connection. All of us that have studied marketing and sales know that most purchasing decisions have an emotional element regardless of how merit based the purchasing process is. Fact is, we like doing business with companies and people that we “connect” with emotionally.
What can a medtech company learn from Yazoo’s eNewsletter?
Here is a link to the most recent Yazoo eNewsletter https://conta.cc/2Ol8xxZ
First its organized for easy reading. Each piece of news can be seen with a quick short scroll. Each news item has a headline and a short introduction. This short introduction is enough to hook a targeted reader into clicking on “read more”. The reader can get the overall messages and click to get more details if it applies to them. On the right side of the newsletter one finds several testimonials that reinforce the idea that Yazoo is a good company to partner with. The eNewsletter is easy to read in computer and smart phone format.
It communicates value propositions about product features and benefits. One story is about tape. One is about tube cores for the label industry. One is about tube cores for the textile industry.
It shares company values. This is extremely important because shared values with customers create emotional momentum. Yazoo values its employees. They value our veterans. They solve problems for their customers. You will see that this newsletter features a video dedicated to the veteran soldiers that work there. Nothing is said in this video. It is set to music. It simply shows the vets at work with their name and military branch. It is powerful and emotional and value based. In the US, it is not easy to find good employees. Veterans make great employees. For a growing company like Yazoo, this is a great way to communicate sincere appreciation for its veteran employees and to recruit more. Another story introduces the reader to a new employee.
Here are couple more comments about featuring employees. In today’s digital world, employee visibility is getting lower and lower. Phones are answered by robots. If the phone is answered by a real person, you can’t see them. Much communication is done by email. Emails don’t communicate smiles or much warmth. At least on a phone, you can almost hear someone smile. Website images are dominated by stock photos of attractive people that don’t work for the company featured by the website. I don’t know about you, but when I see stock photos of people on websites, it turns me off. It comes off as phony. None of this creates any warmth around the company in question. It is cold. It doesn’t generate trust. It doesn’t contribute to a relationship. However, when a company features employees in its eNewsletter and website, these digital extensions of the company become more human, warm, trustworthy and professional. Yes, “professional” because the reader may learn how talented the employee is. Finally, when employees are featured, it lifts morale by reinforcing how important these people are to a company’s success. Of course, an employer should always have an employee’s permission to use their photographs, names, etc.
It reinforces customer satisfaction with testimonials. Testimonials are always helpful. Testimonials remind the reader why they are a customer and can be an effective defense against competition.
Another link to Yazoo eNewsletter https://conta.cc/2Ol8xxZ
When you read this newsletter, you can imagine walking into the Yazoo office and being greeted by happy hardworking people that are ready to take care of your tube needs. That image in the back of your brain makes you want to do business with them even if you never have the opportunity to personally visit their facility. Powerful.
How does your eNewsletter stack up? Now you have a lot of good ideas about how to have it more accurately reflect your company, team, products and services.
