A newsletter is the one marketing channel a small Kittitian or Nevisian business fully owns. Social platforms change their rules; advertising stops when the budget does. A list of people who asked to hear from you keeps its value season after season. This page covers how to choose the right newsletter tool and how to run the newsletter once you have it.
What to look for in a newsletter platform
Businesses in the Federation have a few needs that generic advice often misses:
- Pricing that fits seasonal sending. A hotel may send weekly from October to April and monthly the rest of the year. Mailpro charges by the number of emails sent, not the number of contacts stored, so a long list of past guests costs nothing while it rests.
- Templates that look good on phones. Mailpro has 600+ responsive templates and a drag-and-drop editor, so a small team without a designer can still send something polished. Browse the template gallery.
- SMS in the same account. Storm updates and same-day offers often need a text as well as an email. Mailpro includes an SMS gateway alongside the newsletter tools.
- Forms and surveys. You need sign-up forms for your website and reception, and post-stay surveys. Both are built in, through online forms and online surveys.
- Clear data hosting. The Data Protection Act, 2018 asks businesses to think about where personal data is stored and to use processors with proper security guarantees. Mailpro hosts data in Switzerland on private infrastructure, outside US jurisdiction, and never sells or rents it.
What to put in it through the year
The hardest part of a newsletter is having something worth saying every time. The Federation’s calendar helps:
- Autumn: the new season’s rates, Independence Day on 19 September, and an early look at Sugar Mas dates.
- Winter: what is happening on island this month, restaurant and excursion openings, guest stories.
- Spring: the St Kitts Music Festival line-up once it is announced, Easter offers and shoulder-season value.
- Summer: Culturama on Nevis, family packages and, from June, clear information on how you handle hurricane-season changes.
For professional firms, such as those serving Citizenship by Investment applicants or offering financial services on Nevis, a quarterly update on regulations, market changes and firm news is often enough. Mailpro’s contact management keeps those audiences separate from your consumer lists.
How often to send
There is no single right frequency. A hotel may send fortnightly in the months before high season and monthly the rest of the year. A professional firm on Nevis may send quarterly. A restaurant with a changing menu may send weekly to local subscribers. The rule is to send only when you have something useful to say, and to be consistent enough that readers recognise your name. Mailpro’s article on the best time to send a newsletter covers timing in more depth; for the Federation, remember that you are on Atlantic Standard Time all year while many readers change their clocks.
Write for two audiences
Overseas readers want to be reminded why they loved the islands, and they need practical details such as how to reach Nevis from the airport on St Kitts. Local readers want news they can act on this week. Rather than one compromise newsletter, write a shared core and swap one section per audience. It takes a few extra minutes and makes both versions feel written for their readers.
How to grow the list legitimately
Add a sign-up form to your website, a QR code at reception and a tick box on booking forms. Always explain what people are signing up for. The Data Protection Act’s consent principle, and overseas rules such as CASL and the GDPR, all point the same way. Mailpro’s approach to GDPR compliance covers the tools that help.
How to know if it is working
Look at campaign statistics after every issue: which links were clicked, which segments opened and who unsubscribed. Over a season, the numbers show which topics your readers want more of.
If you need to convince a business partner that a newsletter is worth the effort, the arguments are on why use newsletters in St Kitts and Nevis. When you are ready to build your first issue, go to creating a newsletter.