How To: Use Your Newsletter to Build Business
October 21st, 2008 · 6 Comments
by Carey Peters, Ladies Who Launch member, Los Angeles Newsletters, sometimes called e-zines, are a necessary and effective business opportunity no entrepreneur can afford to pass up. Depending on your proclivity for writing, newsletters can either be a royal pain in the butt or a whole lot of fun. If you’d rather chew glass than write a newsletter, you may want to consider outsourcing it to a writer who can do it for you. But if the idea of writing a newsletter makes you as giddy as if you were getting a fresh mani/pedi, then these five newsletter tips will help you get started building business with current and potential clients. 1. Personalize
Build connections by telling your story, sharing your picture and letting your readers know who you are. People buy from people they know and trust. Give real-life stories of problems you have solved for clients. Recommend your favorite products and resources. Link them to your Web site, where readers can purchase them.
2. Engage
Ask for your readers’ stories, questions, and opinions, and feature a reader response in every newsletter. Offer a reward or prize for the reader whose response is chosen. Ask a trivia question pertaining to your industry. The first correct response receives a prize.
3. Target
Point out your expertise by targeting the top three areas that you want readers to come to you for, and develop content for those areas. Use “Top Five” or “Top 10″ lists to keep your newsletter concise and fun to read. Put your best tip at the top to keep readers’ attention.
4. Offer
Describe your latest product or event. Offer a special discount for the first 10 readers to respond. Offer a referral bonus. Use testimonials to illustrate the benefits of your product or event.
5. List
Keep a notebook handy to jot down questions from readers. Note when you get repeat questions, and answer them in your newsletter. If you keep hearing the same six questions, you have six months of topics ready to go. Jot down any ideas you get from articles about industry trends, conferences, workshops, magazines, other newsletters, TV shows, shopping, or your latest girls’ lunch out. Novel, exciting ideas for newsletter content can come from anywhere.
Carey Peters is a member of the Los Angeles Incubator, a certified holistic nutritionist, and the founder of www.CoachToolsToGo.com , a resource site for health and wellness coaches and their clients.
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