If you are not yet using a newsletter as a part of your internet marketing efforts then you are missing out on potential and existing customers becoming valuable long-term buyers.
Newsletters provide an effective tool for collecting interested visitors' email addresses and converting them into buyers. They also are a great vehicle for keeping in touch with your most valued contact - previous customers. How?
NEWSLETTERS KEEP CUSTOMERS
When you have a customer buy from you, but no newsletter to follow up, than you are virtually handing him or her back to your competitors. Of course, if the service was good and the product memorable they may come back, but what if you have a new product that your existing customer may wish to buy and they do not know about it? What if they lose your website address? What if they just forget about you? A newsletter will prevent these things from happening.
HOW OFTEN?
That depends on various factors. Some businesses contact their subscribers as often as every day, others as infrequently as several times per year. What works for you depends a lot on what you are selling, what information you can give them, how often your subscribers will want to hear from you, etc.
A good rule of thumb for many businesses is once per week. Twice a month if you really feel that is the most you can do. More often and the customer may unsubscribe or routinely delete your messages. Less often and you're allowing your competition the chance to win over your potential customer.
WHAT DO I WRITE ABOUT?
Are you very informed on the product or service? Do you have a lot of contacts? Can you point out related products or services they might be interested in?
You do not need a long newsletter. A sale alert or announcement of a new service or product can do just as well for some businesses, while others find a tips format more suitable. Industry news or 'How to...' and 'Top 5...' topics are a good idea and always try to make a connection between the newsletter and your product or service. Subscribe to several competitors' newsletters (they will surely be subscribing to yours). Use a free email account to subscribe and see what they are providing their customers.
KEEP IT CONSISTENT
It's amazing the amount of newsletters that abound online. Because of this subscribers can forget which ones are legitimate and which are spam.
Keep your format consistent so your newsletter becomes visibly familiar. Also indicate that the subscriber requested the information and provide an unsubscribe link on EVERY issue. You must do this if you want to limit complaints or spam reports.
Your newsletter deserves time and attention - it is the voice of you and your business and will help you to build relationships with your customers (and potential customers) in a way that no other tool can.
Does Your Business Need a Newsletter?
Can Publishing a Newsletter Benefit Your Business?
In a Word, Yes!
Publishing a newsletter as a part of your marketing campaign can increase the potential profit from existing customers becoming long-term buyers.
Newsletters gives us a tool for collecting the email addresses of targeted visitors with the intent of turning them into paying customers.
Utilizing this tool also gives us the means by which we can remain in contact with an additional valued resource,"The Previous Customer."
If You want to keep customers, A Newsletter is a must.
If you don't have a Newsletter, you have no way of following up with your paying customers, or for that matter, any potential customers. Someone that has purchased from you once is very likely to purchase again. You don't want to run the risk of losing that person because you don't have a follow up method in place. A Newsletter.
The standard for publishing your newsletter is generally once a week. You may want to publish bi-weekly. If you find something of value that your customers might have an interest in, you don't have to stand on ceremony, you can notify them at will. The frequency of your publication will really be determined by your marketing niche. Who and What your marketing.
Your topics will be determined by your area of expertise. If your knowledge is limited, you may have to do some research in order to keep your subscribers informed, There is no shortage of pre-written articles, on any topic, you may be looking for. With Article Directories, such as this one, that abound the Internet, your search will be an easy one.
Of course you can always do the research and write the articles yourself, based on what you've learned. You also may want to consider subscribing to a Private Label Content site. You'll have access to pre-written articles available for re-write.
Your newsletter doesn't have to be "The Great American Novel." (:-) Quite frankly if it's too long, your readers probably will lose interest before they finish reading it. Sometimes a quick announcement about a New Product or Service will be sufficient. Other times a short 400 to 500 word article will do the trick. It will really depend on what you're trying to convey to your readers.
You'll also need to be consistant. With the thousands of newsletters that are available. You'll want to avoid having your newsletter mistaken for spam. Announce your publication in the subject line and don't forget to personalize it by inserting your subscribers firstname. Address them by their first name within the body of the message whenever and wherever possible. Personalization cannot be stressed enough. This function is available in most autoresponders.
To limit complaints or spam reports remind your readers that they agreed to recieve emails from you etc. Once again, most autoresponders provide this function without your having to do anything, other than putting your message in for sending.
Your newsletter will be your Brand. It will speak loud and clear about your business and will be your tool for building relationships with your customers. No other tool has this ability. Give your Newsletter the time and attention it deserves and it will reward you Over an Over again.
3 Reasons Why Every Business Needs A Newsletter
There are many benefits you and your business can reap from publishing your own newsletter.
1. Keeping In Touch -- Your customers and clients are the lifeblood of your business. What better way to stay in touch with your existing customers than through a newsletter? A newsletter allows you to add personal touches to your relationship and celebrate milestones, both your own and your client's. In addition to furthering your relationship with your clients, a newsletter can also allow you to introduce new products, offer special sales or discounts to your existing client base, and encourage referrals.
2. Hook In New Customers -- Unless they have an immediate need or came to you through a powerful referral, most potential customers won't buy right away. Often they will shop around and compare which means you will likely never see them again. However if you have a free newsletter that offers interested clients the opportunity to learn more about you, your business, and your products for free and they can also learn more about your interaction with your existing customers. A newsletter can be a very simple strategy to turn a one-time visitor into a lifetime customer.
3. Establish Your Expertise -- No one knows more about your business than you do which makes you an expert. Likely the construction of your own business has further left you with a great deal of expertise in your field. Share your nuggets of knowledge through your newsletter to deepen your relationship with your existing customers and convince potential customers that you are the answer to their problems.
Now that I have convinced you that you need to publish your own newsletter, I want to go over a few questions that budding editors and publishers always ask.
What exactly is an electronic newsletter?
Just like their paper counterparts, electronic newsletters deliver written messages usually relating to a common theme or topic. The main difference is that an electronic newsletter transcends paper and ink and most likely only ever exists on a computer screen.
Some electronic newsletter are delivered only via email while others are delivered only on the web. Most are delivered in some combination of the two. Most of my ezines and newsletters are delivered via email but also available immediately via web page (or rather blog page) and RSS feed.
You can choose the method is most suited to you and your audience.
How do you publish an electronic newsletter?
It is much easier to start publication of your own electronic newsletter than it is to start up a print publication. You simply need to decide on a topic, name your publication and start writing. It is easy to find an audience (beyond your own customer base if you choose) through the various ezine and newsletter directories around the internet as well as going directly to the source, for example discussion boards for people interested in your topic.
You will need to determine a delivery method, which means most likely setting up your own web site or page on your existing web site; creating an archive for your issues once they are created, which could mean setting up a blog; and tracking your readers, which likely means setting up a mailing or autoresponder service. However you can use free tools to do any of these things.