Newsletters in your business

I have only recently (Jan 2008) begun sending out a monthly postcard to my clients with a quick focus tip (for my ADD'ers) and an easy organizing tip for those folks who hope to reach organizational utopia. The response has been fantastic; I've signed on three new clients and some others are in the pipeline.

Regarding newsletters I receive from other people - I may be old school but I prefer a hard copy I can make notes on. Also, due to the large amount of email I receive, I tend to immediately delete anything that I don't need to respond to. When I am in the office I don't want to be distracted (usually) whereas if I have an extra few minutes in the car or at home I'll pick up anything and read it.

I also tend to get P.O.'d if someone adds me to their email list without my permission but don't much care about receiving something in the mail (so easy to recycle).

Rachael

Good question, Richard. We had great success with the newsletter we sent out to prospects and clients with our first business (a graphic design and copywriting firm). It had no sales messages in it and focused on common marketing problems people have and included lots of tips and strategies for solving them. We actually had clients say that they saved and filed the issues to come back to when they needed help with something. I think newsletters can be a good way to build trust and credibility.

Rachel, your comment is interesting and shows there still is a place for "snail mail" newsletters. Personally, I subscribe to a number of free e-letters. But the ones that promise good, helpful stuff and end up giving me one small tip and many, many spammy sales messages (several times a week), those I end up unsubscribing from.

I worked for a floral shop that did newsletters quarterly...they were filled with news about the company, an introduction of any new employees, event reminders and such. These were to be put on all bouquets being sent out of the shop and mailed to the customer mailing list. I can't say if it was a huge success or even if people cared. It must have done something, though..as the company is still doing it.

I often debate with myself about whether to switch to an e-newsletter but I just can't imagine my clients reading them. Perhaps it's the nature of my business but my clients tend to like paper.

I use newsletters to simply stay in touch with my clients and colleagues. It keeps my name out there.

I send out a quarterly printed letter, and a monthly e-mail, so I have 2 types of "user experience" happening. And I get response: people reply via e-mail or call because the letter reminded them of a project they needed me to do.

I write an article that's "educational" or opinion-based, showcase new work, include blurbs on trends in design, business, culture and marketing, and have a quote and some piece of personal news.

I am starting to expand my newsletter base (it's smaller than my direct-mail list, which is specifically for prospecting.

My e-mail newsletter is text-based and includes links to blogs and online content, to new work on my own web site, and includes a few tips about things like how to get the most from your designer.

I've been utilizing newsletters for a long time as part of my promotional efforts. People like them.

I neglected to respond to your final question, Richard.

I have opted-in for a variety of e-mail newsletters, but don't receive any in regular mail, which I'd actually prefer. E-mail is easily forwarded to others who might also benefit from the information they contain.

I don't usually read an entire e-mail newsletter; I'll pick out a headline and read the article, and then delete the letter from my inbox. I don't keep these around long.

Printed newsletters are tangible, they're already printed, and I can file them easily for future reference. Also, they are fewer and farther between these days and being unique they stand out and get noticed.

I just started sending out a newsletter for my web design business. It is focused on tips people can use to get more from their site. I haven't has it long enough to evaluate the impact.

I have had clients who use newsletters. The main problem is that they start out strong and then kind of piddle out so it is important to have a good stock of topics in mind when you are planning.

I think one main idea per newsletter is ideal. Put the topic near the top so readers can quickly determine if it is relevant.

Success for a newsletter, I think, depends on how useful it is, and, in part, on how short it is. I've received newsletters that cover dozens of topics. I just don't have time to even scan to determine if there is something interesting to me so out it goes.

Richard,

With our graphic design firm, we were approached my a photographer we knew who wanted to do just that. We decided in the end that we wanted to control the editorial content and not "water down" our brand identity. But I think in many cases that could work very well.

I tend to follow Judy's line of thinking on a collaborative newsletter - I definitely think it would distract from the message I am sending my clients.

Not necessarily "newsletters" but email marketing is absolutely key. Every business should be focused on creating a prospect list and sending valuable info out to them.

Actually, Chris, we found our our e-letter to be a very effective form of e-marketing. And I agree, you need to give clients and prospects valuable information. Unfortunately, many of the "free e-zines " out there promise good, helpful content and in reality are just blatant and recurring sales messages. (See my rant in today's blog post, smallbizmarketingblog.com, for my thoughts on "free e-zines.")

Hi Richard,

Our entire business is built upon our ezine. It works, it gets forwarded on, people respond, and sales result. We get rave reviews, and people save our articles and refer to them, and ask for to distribute them to others.

I can't imagine a business being successful without some kind of regular contact with their clients and those who are interested. Without that contact, I've seen people struggle tremendously.

Whether it's by email, blog, or postal mail, that regular contact- through sending USEFUL CONTENT- is the key.

As far as collaborating on a shared newsletter- I personally wouldn't do it regularly, for the reasons shared above. But, I like posting other people's content in my blog, and my business has benefited tremendously when others have opted to link to my articles, or post my articles directly in their newsletters.

It seems to work much better to be a 'guest' author once in a while, than to dedicate yourself to a specific ongoing collaboration- unless your business has turned into a partnership.

Anyway... thems me thoughts.

Ezines are a great way to stay in touch with clients, referral partners, and prospects to offer news and insights to support their success and to make it easy for them to connect with you in the ways that serve their interests.

I've been issuing an ezine for about two years, and it is among the top five most powerful and consistent lead generation tools in my business generation toolbox.

You never know how far your ezine will travel, thanks to the power of "forward to a friend." Your influence can grow at the speed of a click, and it is beautiful thing.

That said, if everyone offers an ezine, how can readers decide which ones to read and which ones to ignore? Reader fatigue and information overload are realities that must be taken into consideration.

My advice is to keep the content relevant, sizzling, and useful, while reinforcing the expertise you are proud to bring to market.

Always offer a sassy subject line to invite immediate attention.

And check your ezine readership statistics to learn how many people open your ezine, act on your active links, and forward it to others.

If the statistics reveal that folks are reading and responding, keep doing it. If the numbers tell a different story, retrench and consider how to better connect with the people who made the decision to opt-in in the first place.

I'd be interested to learn how others are coping with ezine reader fatigue and information overload. Please chime into this conversation. Thank you.

This is a great topic. I agree with Mark and Nancy: regular AND useful content is key. We send out free weekly marketing e-tips and my goal with each is to leave the reader with at least one useful piece of information to apply to their business.

With our first business (graphic design and copywriting), we started out with a four-page, two-color glossy print newsletter that we sent out quarterly to clients and prospects. It evolved into an e-letter, which was cheaper to produce but didn't always get "opened" by everyone— the problem Nancy mentioned. But what we are finding with our weekly e-tips, because people are starting to expect an issue in their in-box every Tuesday, the open rates appear to be increasing each week.

Reader fatigue is definitely an issue. As Richard said, credibility is also a huge issue, so we are always thrilled when one of our subscribers tells a friend and we get a new sign-up.

I understand the information overload issue. I have recently unsubscribed to some for that very reason.

Don't let the idea of reader fatigue scare you into immobility, or push you to inauthentic heights of personality acrobatics.

The reason blogs and ezines, and the internet itself have expanded so rapidly is that people are longing to connect. The reason why so many people are fatigued by information is that it's often missing the truth and vulnerability that strikes such a deep chord when someone really shows up as themselves.

You're not looking for 1,000,000 people- you're looking for the community of people that resonate with who you are- and you resonate with who they are. At least that's what I'm looking for.