Newsletter Emails vs Personal Emails For Connecting With Stockists

We’ve talked a lot about the reasons that cultivating relationships with your stockists is so crucial. But suffice to say: caring for and building relationships with the stores who buy from you is the foundation of your long-term wholesale growth.

To that end, today we’re answering a common maker question that seems simple but trips a lot of makers up:

Should I use a newsletter-style email or a personal email to keep in touch with my stockists?

There are certainly pros and cons to each method, so we’ll take them one at a time. 

SENDING A NEWSLETTER-STYLE EMAIL

What it looks like:
Sending a newsletter-style email means preparing an email in your email marketing platform (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, etc) that would go out to all of your stockists at once, periodically. For instance, perhaps you round up all of your news, product releases, and studio updates, and email your stockists once per quarter.

Advantages of this method: 

• You can spend more time on the email, making it more image-heavy, telling more stories, and weaving in studio updates. 

• It’s likely less time-consuming, which may mean that it’s easier for you to stay consistent with. 

Disadvantages of this method: 

• Newsletter-style emails tend to be ignored or unopened more than personal emails. 

• You don’t get the opportunity to speak specifically to the interests or concerns of individual store owners, meaning the emails may be less impactful in cultivating reorders.

• You’re not truly building individual relationships with shop owners -- rather, you’re marketing to them (also good, but not the same thing.)

Things to keep in mind:

• Consistency, in this realm, is key -- so if you suspect that a single email to all of your stockists is the only way you’ll follow through, this may be the option for you. 

• You can, of course, do a combination of a newsletter-style email and some personal emails. The newsletter-style email is a great place to start… and then you can always add in personal emails once you get in a rhythm of connecting with your stockists.

• This approach may be best for people with many stockists. If you only have a handful of stores you sell to, it might not make as much sense.

• If you go this route, consider sending one of these emails at least quarterly.

SENDING A PERSONAL EMAIL

What it looks like:
Sending a personal email means emailing all or some of your stockists from your personal email, that would go out to each stockist individually. For instance, maybe you drop a note to Linda of Notchkin Store checking in on how the tea towels sold and letting her know you have new throw pillows in that same design.

Advantages of this method:

• Personal emails tend to be opened and read by store owners (even if they don’t always respond.)

• You are truly developing one-on-one relationships with shop owners by having small conversations (over email) with them over time.

• Because you are writing each email individually, you can mention products they’ve ordered, ask about things you’ve seen happening at the shop, and mention products or updates they may be particularly interested in. 

Disadvantages of this method: 

• It can be time-consuming to put together individual emails for each stockist.

• Sometimes it’s easier to be self-promotional or share stories in a slightly less personal format. 

• It can be harder to devise and stick to a rhythm and stay consistent with this approach. 

Things to keep in mind: 

• Create one (or a few templates) that you use for these communications. You can actually follow through on this kind of outreach very efficiently, especially with the use of a template.

• Be sure to schedule these check-ins. The Wholesale In a Box app is a great place to do that if you’re one of our makers -- otherwise, create and maintain an outreach calendar to stay on top of it.

• If you go this route, you may want to follow up with stockists every 3-6 months (until or unless they let you know they’re no longer interested in the line.) 

The relationships you build with your stockists -- and the ways you build them -- are a place for creativity and intentionality, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. But consider the pros and cons, think about what is practical for you to do, and decide what fits best with your overall strategy and approach. And remember: as long as you’re doing something to maintain relationships with stockists, you can evolve the specifics over time.