A newsletter can be a powerful tool for your business. It’s a very effective way to disseminate helpful information. It is also an effective way to demonstrate your expertise and to promote your company. Newsletter marketing is popular because of the benefits it can bestow. Here are 10 ways to make it work for you.
1. Write a newsletter that has a relatively narrow focus in terms of content. Readers want unique, in-depth information that helps them achieve their goals. You are much more likely to do this if you have a narrowly focused newsletter that provides rich, detailed information on a specific topic.
2. Publish your newsletter monthly or consider writing multiple newsletters so you are producing at least one issue a month (e.g., two newsletters, each published every other month). You can publish your newsletter more often, but remember, the more frequently you publish the more burdensome it becomes!
3. Select a catchy name for your newsletter. This increases the likelihood that people will read it.
4. Make sure your newsletter is concise and full of rich content. This may be the most important tip of all. Newsletter marketing only works if you have an informative newsletter that offers significant value to readers.
5. Distribute your newsletter in both hard-copy and electronic formats. E-newsletter marketing has become very popular but you should still produce a hard-copy that you can distribute at conferences, trade shows, meetings, seminars and other promotional events.
6. Make sure people can subscribe to your newsletter through your website. You should also post every issue of your newsletter on your website in a PDF format. You will find that many visitors will return to your site to read the latest issues.
7. Provide opportunities for a diverse array of people to subscribe to your newsletter. This includes customers, colleagues, business associates, friends and family members. Let them know about your newsletter and how it can benefit them. Create an e-mail distribution list so you can deliver it to them upon publication.
8. When your e-mail distribution list gets big, consider using a newsletter distribution service. You can find a host of potential services by typing “e-mail newsletters” into any internet search engine.
9. Use graphics when possible. Research has shown that people are more likely to read your newsletter if it has compelling graphics related to the newsletter topic.
10. Proofread, proofread and proofread again. This is an important step because you will lose credibility if your newsletter has spelling, grammar or factual errors. Make sure you get your facts straight and have a trusted colleague proofread it as well.