The death of the PDF newsletter is firmly in our sights... but not only that, schools and organizations are moving away from a stagnant and static information exchange in favour of engaging content based strategies and digital experiences. 

Community is the cornerstone of every single school, not for profit and small business organization in every single town and every single city around the world.

Without community, brands do not find their niche, causes do not find their tribes and schools do not form their structure and the very foundation and essence through which they are built upon. 

Community is what joins groups of people together. It is the sharing of ideas and information within a cluster of like-minded individuals who all believe in some sort of common goal or higher purpose or mission Whether that be the education of the minds of our youth or the formation of an impassioned group of activists. Community is the driving force behind every single idea and action - it's what connects us.

Building communities starts with sharing our stories with one another. Sharing our experiences and our thoughts in a compelling and authentic way and allowing our tribe to engage with us around this content. 

Traditionally newsletters offer our communities a stagnant representation of where we are at. They are a one way exchange of information whereby chunks of information are sent and received, probably opened, possibly scanned and most likely forgotten.

A shift is occurring as both technology and means of communication evolve whereby our audiences are now demanding more from their communications. Our tribes and communities want to engage with us, not be spoken to. They want to comment, share and like. They want to be able to connect with us on a more personal level.

The rise of social media has meant that communities are far more in touch with their audiences in real time. 

Newsletters still have their place. But it's crucial to ensure that we are now delivering our communities the authentic voice that they now find online every single day across multiple social channels.

Newsletter content that is centred around authentic and real life stories, that is written from the experience of the individual and that involves first hand accounts of events and occasions is the first step to ensuring your community is kept both informed and impassioned.

It is the stories that matter. It is the stories that connect and inspire our communities to want to continue to engage with us, to want to continue believing in us and to continue supporting us. 

We've come up with some simple and easily executable ideas for incorporating authentic and engaging content into your regular newsletters. 

Try one, or more of these next time and let us know the results! 

• Students voice — allowing students to get involved in the creation of articles and stories means that not only are students engaged in a learning experience, they are also creating a unique voice for the school. 
  
• Video blogging — video sessions on events, tutorials or round ups of the weeks main highlights, first person and interactive. It's a great idea here to have two or more people involved in both the presentation and capturing of this content. 
  
• Case studies — providing client case studies to illustrate product or service excellence and results. We have seen great results from clients in the fitness industry showcasing the personal journeys of their members. A great mix of inspiration and education! 
  
• Rich images — capturing dynamic and high resolution images to accompany your content adds another layer of emotion and depth to your message. 
  
• Multimedia using video — video dramatically increases your open rates! 
  
• Multiple voices — allowing other staff members to contribute — this helps to communicate the culture of your organization, offers an authentic voice and provides depth and flavor.
  

We love seeing the dynamic and engaging newsletters and publications that our users are creating with Hail and how they are expressing themselves in a thoroughly unique and authentic way. 

We will be showcasing some of our favorite community builders soon ... so stay tuned!