home > articles > marketing articles > why should i send out a newsletter and what should i include?
By Michelle Dunn
E-mail Michelle Dunn
A newsletter is a powerful and easy way to market your business or service. Since people sign up for your newsletter, you are sending out information that will help you make money or make a sale to people who want to know about it or who may be a past or current customer. This is part of your targeted audience. When you create and send out an email newsletter, you don’t have to pay printing or postage costs. You can send them out as often as you like and include what you want.
If you don’t know what to include in your newsletter, browse the internet and see what others in your field are sending out, what kinds of articles they feature and if they have any ads or specials. Think of your newsletter as a mini brochure for your business. You want to include information about your field, your products, any specials you may be having and any news about your business or website. If you can’t or don’t want to write your own articles, you can have an ad in your newsletter where your readers can submit their articles. You can also visit sites such as www.ezinearticles.com for hundreds of articles you can use free of charge. This is a great way to get content, you normally have to let the author know about the reprint, but this can end up gaining you another subscriber, and they may even forward your newsletter to others, since they are featured in it.
I will give you an example, I send out a newsletter about Credit & Collections. The consulting I do and the books I am trying to sell are about debt collection or setting up a credit policy. So the people who purchase my books, or join my free networking group (yahoogroups.com) sign up to receive my newsletter. I list 2 articles in each issue, one about debt collection and one about starting or running a business. I also allow three ads per issue; I charge for the ad space but try to exchange or barter with others for ad space. This way, they get their ad in my newsletter and I get mine in theirs. Reaching a much larger audience. I announce new members of the newsletter, any news about members or myself, such as a new book release, an award that was won or a new website going live.
I try to have resources or credit related sites, and tips or blurbs that relate to my industry. Always include information about your services with any special deals, such as 10% off just for newsletter subscribers, and include your website URL’s in every issue. You also want to include unsubscribe instructions and list the benefits of your newsletter in every issue.
How often you send out your newsletter is up to you, I would not send it out more than twice a month, I send mine once a month. Some people send them out weekly, you need to decide how much time you can devote to this project and how often your subscribers may want to hear from you. Your newsletter is an advertising avenue for you to keep yourself in your audiences mind, and to remind them of all you have to offer.
Some tips when writing your newsletter:
- Use white space, do not crowd your newsletter
- Do not type headlines in all capital letters
- Include unsubscribe information
- Ask for your readers input and participation
- Only run ads that are relevant to your content
Some tips to get subscribers to your newsletter:
- List the sign up link or form on every page of your website
- List subscribe information in every issue of your newsletter
- Offer a Free gift when they subscribe or refer a friend who subscribes, such as a free e-book, or forms that pertain to your content
- Send out a press release about the launch of your new newsletter and post it on your website
- List the benefits or what your newsletter will do for the subscriber
If you follow these steps you will have a successful newsletter with a growing customer base that will get the word out about you and your products which will make you more successful without paying for a lot of advertising that isn’t working. Creating a newsletter and sending it out with quality content positions you as an expert and is a great marketing tool.
Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in credit and debt collection. She is the founder of Never Dunn Publishing, LLC, is a writer, consultant and the Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter. Michelle started M.A.D. Collection Agency and ran is successfully for 8 years. She also owns and runs www.Credit-and-Collections.com an online community for credit and business professionals.
She has written 5 books in her Collecting Money Series and is writing the Ultimate Book of Credit & Collections for Entrepreneur Press. Visit www.michelledunn.com or www.credit-and-collections.com for more information on any of Michelle’s books or services.
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