Simon Payn's Effective Customer Newsletters

A Big, Juicy Frog, Your Newsletter, and a Happy Day

One of my favorite time management secrets (if it's really a secret) is the concept of "eating the frog".

(Some people say "licking the toad", but I'd be afraid of hallucinating if I did that.)

The concept (promoted by Brian Tracy in his book of the same name) goes like this:

• Identify your biggest, hairiest task - the one that will pay off big time if you get it done. The one that is so big and so important that you've been putting it off for ever. The one that's like a big, ugly frog.
• Put that task at the top of your day's to-do list and then DO IT first thing in the morning, before you do anything else.
• Don't stop until you get that task done.

The amazing thing about it is that it sets you up for a happy day, because once you've accomplished that horrible, big goal, everything else is a bonus.

And the weird thing is, after you have eaten your frog, you continue working and complete a whole bunch of other items is your to-do list in short order.

You feel like you're capable of anything.

The thing is, to many people, their newsletter is that frog.

It's something you know will benefit you in the long term, but you just can't face doing it.

So you need to start work on your newsletter first thing in the morning. (I eat my frogs before breakfast, while still in my nightwear, sometimes even before cleaning my teeth. Yuck, I know, but it works.)

So...eat that frog, send your newsletter out, start getting response from your clients...and feel great for the rest of the day!

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Permission Marketing and "Too Many Emails"

I got a curious comment yesterday from someone who has been receiving messages from me about marketing by newsletters.

She said I'd talked her out of joining my real estate newsletters program because I'd said that you need permission to send email newsletters to people. That, she said, made her realize that people "don't want too much to read in their email."

This comment illustrates a huge misconception by many people about email marketing: that it's all about pushing your stuff at people.

I'm here to say that the opposite is true.

Instead, successful email marketing - and particularly successful newsletter marketing - is about sharing your information with people who want to hear from you.

Once you start to look at email marketing like that, you realize how wrong this person is - and how much more effective it is if you do it the right way.

Because:

• You get permission because it's bad to spam. It annoys people, it harms your brand, and it will harm your business.
  
• When you get permission you know you are are communicating only with people who want to hear from you.
  
• Instead of pushing your message out to as many people as possible (and so getting a terrible response rate) you are communicating with only the most valuable people (and so getting a much better response rate).
  
• If you are offering real value in your newsletters - useful information that is aimed at the kind of people you want to reach and which doesn't try to sell them stuff all the time - you will encourage plenty of people to give you permission to contact them.
  
• Those people will see your email newsletters as valuable and they'll read them. That solves the problem of "too much email."
  
• By doing all this, you've created a valuable, mutually beneficial relationship, not one based on antagonism.

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How to Shoot Yourself in the Foot During a Recession

Ding! Here comes an email from a client.

"We need to cancel our newsletter membership because business is slow."

Here's the thing (and whack me if it sounds self-serving, because it's not meant to be): Now's not the time to be cutting back on your marketing. It's time to be investing in your marketing - and if can't invest money, then invest time.

This client was paying $44 a month for a service that helped her build long-term relationships with her prospects and clients. Relationships that would be there when times aren't so slow.

But because she's frightened to spend $44 a month because things are slow, she's wrecking her chances of prospering when times are better.

Smarter marketers will eat her lunch.

Am I right? Or am I being too harsh?

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How to Use a Newsletter to Position a Neighborhood Bar as a Community Hub

I was was chatting on Twitter this week about what you would put in neighborhood bar's newsletter.

I said (in 140 characters or less, of course) that it's about positioning the bar as a community hub.

After all, that's the role of many neighborhood bars. They're the place where everyone knows your name.

So that's the role the bar would need to take in its newsletter.

With that in mind, here's some ideas for content:

• Listings of community events
• Stories from the customers
• Stories from the staff
• Local news (because there's unlikely to be a newspaper that local)
• Good news about neighbors doing interesting things
• Sports reports and results
• Listings of local community groups
• Coupons for money off at the bar and at local businesses
• Profiles of local businesses
• Campaigns for local issues
• Profiles of interesting neighbors

What better way to solidify the bar's role as a neighborhood hub than becoming - in many ways - the local community newspaper?

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A Newsletter for Every Business - Free PDF Guide

Regular readers of this blog will know I'm on a mission: to get every business in the world (even funeral homes) to have a newsletter.

So I'm giving away a huge PDF guide, called "A Newsletter for Every Business, Why every business (even a funeral home) needs a newsletter, how to turn newsletter writing from chore to passion, and how to make your newsletter your best marketing tool...ever."

You don't need to give your email address to download it, just right-click here and choose "save as".

Plus: there's other free stuff available at this link: http://www.anewsletterforeverybusiness.com

Please send me your feedback.

How to Make Your Newsletter Compelling

Interesting article in Business Week about making your email newsletters compelling.

In bullets:

• Offer expert advice
• Stay true to customers' expectations
• Use customers to tell stories
• Deliver great content - money will follow.

I totally agree.

Read it here.

Why Even Funeral Homes Need a Customer Newsletter

Every business needs a newsletter.

Even funeral homes.

There are always eyebrows raised when I say that. What, for heaven's sake, can a funeral home put in a newsletter? Why would they need one?

Imagine this:

In town there are two funeral homes. Let's call them Dyer and Co. and Restinpeez Brothers.

They're both as good as each other. Indeed, they share business in town 50:50. Traditionally, people have chosen one or the other based on family tradition.

But the Restinpeez Brothers want more business - without opening up in another town.

They can't create more business (killing people is wrong), so they must take business away from Dyer.

This is the strategy I would suggest, using newsletters.

Restinpeez's strategy would be to position itself as the hub of the community. After all, a funeral home is well connected within the community anyway, so it's a natural step to develop those connections.

The funeral home would produce a monthly newsletter that serves the community. The newsletter would include news of community events, "good news" stories of positive things happening in the community, useful information to help new residents settle in, a way for people to include their own stories of life in the community, and plenty of articles that help people live life to the fullest in that town.

The newsletter would be distributed free to "nodes" within the town - places where people hang out.

People would also be able to subscribe to the newsletter and receive it (for free) in the mail or by email.

Over time, the newsletter becomes almost like a mini-newspaper. One that really serves the community at a grassroots level.

Restinpeez  will become the funeral home of choice because it is so integrated into the community and touches the community so frequently with useful, entertaining, interesting information.

Information that helps people live their lives better.

Restinpeez might be in the business of death, but their newsletter will be about life.

How to Hire Writers for Your Newsletter

I've always enjoyed working with freelance writers. I've done it pretty much all my career, and even now I use specialist freelancers for my ready-made newsletter products.

Here are some tips for finding talented people to write for your newsletter.

Where to find them

I've found it's something of a buyers' market when it comes to talented professionals. There are plenty around and, if you search well, you can get good work for a reasonable price. But it's important to search intelligently.

I use Elance.com and Guru.com as my main sources of writers. There's a broad range of talent on these sites, so it's important to screen carefully. You'll find people who do re-writes of existing material all the way to specialists who can provide truly original content.

Those sites include many working journalists, who can usually be relied upon to produce work that is accurate. They also include people who claim they are writers but produce poor quality work. Buyer beware.

To find journalists only, try Media Bistro. You'll pay more, but you'll have top quality work.

How to find the good ones

Before you start looking, it's vital to know exactly what you want. Consider whether you want original reporting or whether you are happy with a re-write of existing information. Try to have in mind your ideal finished article, because that will make it easier to find and instruct a writer.

It's always worth looking for specialist writers, because you will usually get better quality work from someone who has written on that subject before. This is particularly important if you aren't an expert yourself. Some specialists aren't the best writers, so sometimes it's a trade-off between specialist skills and writing flair.

Sites such as Guru and Elance allow you to post a project on which providers can bid. Be very clear in your requirements so that the writer knows what she is bidding on. You're more likely to get results you are pleased with if you create a clear, concrete project from the beginning.

You can also search the website for providers and then invite them to bid on a project. I find this is the best way to find specialist writers.

When reviewing search results on one of the freelance talent websites, consider:

• Previous experience: have they written on that topic before?
• Samples: do they have relevant samples? Do you like the writing style and depth of content?
• Ratings: what do other people think of their work? (It's not necessarily a bad thing if the person is a new provider and has new ratings. Just watch out for red flags among people's comments.)
• Specialisms: If they say they are a specialist, are they really a specialist at that subject or do they just happened to have written on that subject?

One thing I like to do is communicate with the person before I hire them. Are they quick, clear communicators? Do you think it would be easy to work with them? Do they provide helpful answers? Are there any red flags?

These websites contain writers from all over the world. I've found, however, that the best work comes from writers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Their command of English is usually better (something that's important in a writer!) and their cultural knowledge is greater - their writing just feels right. You might have to pay more, but the difference in fee is not as great as you might imagine it to be.

Working with a writer

It's wise always to clearly state what you would like the writer to do. Avoid ambiguity. Be clear about length, audience, style and deadline. I find that if I act openly and honestly, the writer acts the same way and we have a good working relationship. I try to always respect their opinions - sometimes specialist writers provide useful input that can improve the final result.

The most important thing is to keep communication open. Ask questions if anything is unclear and be prepared to answer questions from your writer.

Sites such as Elance and Guru allow you to pay by escrow - you don't release the money until you are satisfied. They have an arbitration system to help solve disputes.

With new writers, it's always wise to check that what they have delivered to you is original material. I use Copyscape to check that the article (or chunks of it) haven't been lifted from somewhere on the web.)

I always try to pay quickly. Writers appreciate it and are more willing to go the extra mile next time you work with them.

Once the processes is complete, you can leave feedback on each other. I try to leave honest feedback - if you have positive feedback it will be appreciated by the writer.

One final thing

Once you find a writer you are happy to work with, keep with them. A good working relationship is worth its weight in gold.

[Picture: TheGiantVermin]

Why I Don't Read This Company's Email Newsletter

I love my proof-reading company, I really do. It does an excellent job with my customer newsletters.

It also sends out a monthly newsletter. Good on 'em.

But you know what? I don't read it.

Here's why: it's almost solely about grammar and proof-reading. And, to be frank, I'm not all that interested in grammar and proof-reading.

That's why I use a proof-reading service! So I don't have to bother with it.

This company probably thinks that the newsletter has to be about grammar and proof-reading because that's its business - it needs to prove it knows all there is to know about grammar and spelling.

Yes, it's important to include something that shows your expertise, but remember rule #1: write about what your readers are interested in.

If I were editing this newsletter, I would do the following:

Think about who my typical reader is. Maybe it's a busy person in the communications department of a medium-sized company who is responsible for reports, letters, brochures and the like. She is probably very busy but is looking for ways to do her job better. She'd like to find shortcuts and ways to make her documents read better and look better. She'd like her life to be easier - and her boss to be happier.

So what kind of information would make her life better? Maybe...

• Reviews and links to sources of high-quality, reasonably priced images
• Information about which fonts look great in an annual report
• How to make a graph really quickly in Excel
• How to construct a document that is easy to read
• How to write headlines that attract readers
• How the proof-reading company is able to turn documents around so quickly (a view under the hood)
• How the proof-readers are able to find errors in a document that nobody else can find
• Tips from other customers about writing and editing documents

A lot of these articles still relate to proofreading. But they also provide useful information that helps the reader do her job better.

They make her life easier.

This newsletter would be a lot more readable than one that's mainly about the difference between "may" and "might" and the correct use of the apostrophe.

Sending Email Newsletters to Canada? Read This

Marketing Sherpa has published a neat summary of new anti-spam legislation that has been introduced in the Canadian parliament.

Read their report to get the details. (Open access until May 13, 2009)

Typical Email Newsletter Open Rates - Two Answers

There are two answers to the question: what's a typical email open rate?

The first is correct but annoying; the second is a ball-park guess.

For some reason, people tend to prefer the second.

Answer 1: "It Depends"

(Told you it was an annoying answer.)

The thing is, it depends on who you are sending your newsletter to.

Here's an example of two newsletters. One is about the birth of your first daughter and it is being sent to family and close friends. The other is about Viagra and it's being sent to a bunch of names harvested from the internet.

Everyone will open the first email; almost nobody will open the second.

The reason, of course, is the relationship you have with your list.

Most businesses will be somewhere in between.

If, for example, you are communicating with past clients who recently enjoyed working with you, it's likely you will have a high open rate because they already have a strong relationship with you centered on a shared interest. If you are communicating with a list of leads bought from a third-party vendor, your open rate will be much lower. They don't know who the heck you are.

Of course, the ideal situation is to have such a strong relationship with your clients and prospects that they look forward to hearing from you. To do that you:

• Communicate only with people who have asked to receive information from you
• Constantly provide value in your newsletters
• Continue to communicate over the long term, to build a trusted relationship

Answer 2: Between 20% and 30%

That's the ballpark figure.

But really... it depends.

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How to Use a Newsletter to Prove that a 'Commodity' Product Can Be Special

Here's a fascinating case study from a company that sends out a newsletter in every box of eggs it produces.

Yes, eggs that come with their own newsletter.

I'll give you what I see as the big takeaway first:

You might think that eggs is eggs. But, as we're told, some eggs are better than others - free range is better than battery, organic better than chemical. But with so many claims (many misleading) about eggs (what does "farm fresh" mean?), how do you make your eggs stand out? One way is by sending out a newsletter with each box of eggs to a) tell the story of the eggs and their producer, and b) build an unshakable bond with your customers.

The Country Hen claims to produce the best eggs in the United States. Here's what Kathy Moran from the sales department told me. (I'm telling the entire story, because it's important.)

Our owner, George Bass, started The Country Hen in 1988.  It was the first Organic, Omega-3 egg farm in The United States.  The only product we produce is an Organic, Omega-3 Egg.  However, I probably should mention, it is the best egg on the market.  I guess if it the only thing you are going to produce, it better be!

 

George had a unique philosophy, in 1988, with regards to creating The Country Hen.  He believed only the happiest, healthiest hens would produce "The World's Best Egg".  George exceeded all standards for egg farming and organic certification laws.  He was actually responsible for organic certification with regards to egg farming to become much stricter in the industry.  The Country Hens enjoy roaming freely through spacious, sunlit barns with outdoor porches attached.  The outdoor porches allow for outdoor access, but maintain our ability to completely control the safety of our hens from predators and any risk of disease.

 

The next thing George did differently was work with top scientists to develop The Country Hen's proprietary feed formula.  The over 10 organic ingredients in the feed formula is a very closely guarded secret.  It is what gives the eggs their exceptional nutritional value, great taste, and also acts as a probiotic for our Hens.  George, of course, insisted on milling the feed right here at The Country Hen farm.  Although it is a very expensive undertaking for a single farm, it gave George the ability to control every aspect of the quality of the raw ingredients and milling process.  Only recently, with all the human and animal grade food scares, do we truly appreciate the value of having our own feed mill.

 

Lastly, George took great care with The Country Hen packaging.  He only produces a half dozen size carton.  This is the way it was twenty years ago and it remains this way today.  Also, case sizes are only 15 dozen eggs.  This was so he could be sure his eggs remained fresh at store level and even in customer's refrigerators.

Finally, since the first egg carton, George also wanted his customers to feel a strong connection to The Country Hen Farm.  For this reason, he produced newsletters for every 6-pack of eggs.  The newsletters are printed every 4-6 weeks and have included many topics including:  nutritional information regarding the eggs, funny farm stories, backgrounds of Country Hen employees, hot button farm topics in the news (ie. recently ethanol), farm poetry, customer letters, etc...  [Here are some links to the Country Hen's newsletter content.]

Now, if you had a story like that, wouldn't you want to tell the world? Wouldn't that make your product different from every other product?  Wouldn't it make customers warm towards you and develop a bond with your product?

Kathy told me that customers complain if their eggs arrive without the newsletter:

We receive many customer emails, from loyal customers and new customers.  A high percentage of those are regarding our newsletters.  Customers love them.  The insert machine that puts the newsletters into the cartons was specially designed for The Country Hen.  Occasionally, it will act up, as all machines do.  We know instantly, if eggs got to the market without newsletters.  When The Country Hen started in 1988, it supplied only to stores in Massachusetts.  Now we supply stores from Maine to Florida and as far west as California.  The newsletters have become increasingly important as we have increased our geographic customer base.  This is because although we go from Massachusetts to all of these states, The Country Hen, still feels like the local egg farm to all of our customers.  This is because the newsletters keep them up to date with all the information on and about the farm.  Priceless!!

I haven't heard from the company whether they are able to quantify the value of the newsletter in terms of extra sales. But you can bet it contributes thousands of dollars to the bottom line.

[Kathy emailed me later with this information: We often do a cost/benefit analysis of our marketing programs to evaluate whether they should be continued.  Even though the newsletters are fairly substantial in cost, in twenty years, the discontinuation of the newsletters was never a consideration because of its obvious success and appeal with our customers....  When starting at The Country Hen, I would say that the success of this program was obvious in less than three weeks time.  That is how many emails, letters, and calls we receive regarding the newsletter.]

When I say that every company needs a newsletter (including funeral homes), this is what I mean. In a world of battery hens and commodity-crappy products, a great, personal story - well told - is going to win out. Don't you think?

Another Great Example of a Customized Real Estate Newsletter

It makes me smile from ear to ear when one of my clients takes the real estate newsletter I offer and really  makes it theirs.

Here's another example (click here for a previous one), this one from Marianne Derjean, who is with broker McGuigan Pepin, in Quebec,  Canada.

Here's what I love about it.

1. A "Message from the Presidents". Not just any message, but a report from a recent trip to a real estate conference in Paris, France. Not only is this an interesting article full of useful facts, but the "meta" message here is that these brokers are plugged into the international luxury real estate market. You'd want to hire people like that, wouldn't you? (The article mixes news about real estate, fractional ownership and the economy with a paragraph about how they spent their leisure time in Paris. A great way to make the tale more personal, strengthening their relationship with their clients by sharing what they did in their free time.)
2. A story about the company's trademark yellow golf flag, which is part of its logo and which flies outside its open houses. A neat little story that gives some insight into the company, while mentioning that one of the owners was a champion golfer. (I bet lots of their clients golf - great way to make a connection!) The golf flag is, of course, a great way to brand the brokerage- stands out from the regular lawn signs. (Plus: they also encourage reader feedback with a little competition to create a catchy phrase about the brokerage and the flag.)
3. An informative column on the current market focusing on pricing. Plus, another on why now is a good time to do renovations. Both are great up-to-date topics.
4. An article by a mortgage banker. This is a great way to get extra content for your newsletter - partner with a relevant, non-competing provider.
5. On their winter newsletter, not only do they wish people happy holidays, but there's a notice on the front page about the agency's Open Door Day. The position of the notice, on the bottom right corner of the page, is great for catching people's attention - and the freebie shopping bags they give away are a valuable (and timely) incentive.
6. Recognition to winners of a recent contest they held.

So, in summary, what this broker has done is take a ready-made newsletter and then personalize it with their own content to create a much stronger bond with their clients and a fraction of the price of doing the entire newsletter themselves.

That's why I'm smiling!

Want your own newsletter? Find out more about my residential and commercial real estate newsletters.

(Plus, I also have newsletters for the following businesses: mortgage, insurance, accountancy, financial planners.)

Newsletters for Commercial Real Estate Agents and Commercial Insurance Agents

Today's the day I finally launched newsletters for business-to-business clients. Been a long time coming. I'm starting with newsletters for commercial real estate and commercial insurance clients.

I thought it would be interesting to take you "behind the curtain" - and give some explanation to members of my real estate and insurance newsletters services who are getting these newsletters free as part of their membership.

Why my B2B newsletters are different to my B2C newsletters

As you know, newsletter rule #1 says: write for your readers. So I had to make the content of these newsletters different from the content of my consumer newsletters. So out go the lifestyle articles and in their place are articles on business topics. But not any old articles - it's information on up-to-date topics that will help make businesses more successful. (That's why the newsletter is called Business Success Today.)

I want the content of these newsletters to be as good as any business magazine, so that my members can offer their clients and prospects quality information that makes their clients' businesses (and their lives) better.

That's how my members are able to build reputations as trusted experts who serve the needs of their clients.

The bonus report

Almost every newsletter I produce has an offer of a bonus report - what I call a "response device". If you want to get response from your newsletter, you need to include something like this. And it can't just be any old bit of information, it has to conform to rule #1: write for your readers.

So the report I am offering in my commercial insurance and commercial real estate newsletters is: How to Survive the Recession...Stronger than Before."

I don't know any business owner who won't be interested in that topic right now.

The format

These newsletter are in black and white, which means they can be used by any business, no matter what its company colors are. They can be kept black and white - and printed that way - or made more colorful by changing the headlines, borders or by adding a masthead. They are in Publisher and Word formats.

Print and email

These newsletters will be available in print and email formats. However, current email members, please contact me to have your newsletter added to your Vertical Response partner account.

They're in "Beta" for a few weeks

The only people with access to these newsletters so far are my current clients. I haven't started promoting them yet. During this "beta" period I am asking for feedback, because that's how I develop all my products to make them meet my clients' needs. So...send me an email and tell me what you think.

Newsletter Delivery: Local Newspaper vs. Direct Mail

Here's an interesting anecdote from one of the members of my real estate newsletter service in Ontario, Canada.

This real estate agent uses his newsletter for lead generation (by mass mailing it) and to keep in touch with past clients.

For the first seven months he was a member, the newsletter was delivered in the local community newspaper as an insert. However, he received only two responses from it.

Kind of disappointing.

After doing some door-knocking at Christmas and seeing the number of houses that had the paper still sitting on the front porch days after it was delivered (plus some delivery issues with the paper itself) he decided to switch to direct mail through Canada Post.

Since January - 4 months - he has received 18 responses.

Much better!

Looks like more people are reading his newsletter now.

Of course, it doesn't necessarily mean that direct mail is better than newspaper delivery (although, personally, I think it is because you are connecting directly with your reader), but it shows the importance of testing. If one distribution method is producing disappointing results, try another.

How to Make Time to Send Out Your Newsletter

I know, sometimes doing the newsletter seems a bit of a chore.

Even I feel that - and I'm The Newsletter Guy!

Here's how I make time. Maybe the same kind of thinking will work for you.

Are you familiar with Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"? In that book, he talks about the four quadrants. I've pasted a graphic of them here.

Basically, he says that most people work out of the "urgent" quadrants (quadrants 1 and 3) - doing stuff that needs to be done now, whether it is important or not.

Of course, the urgent and important stuff needs to be done. Period. But the goal is to work as much as you can in the Important and Not Urgent quadrant (quadrant 2).

This is the quadrant that sets the foundation for all your future work. Operating in that quadrant means that there will be less stuff in the Urgent quadrants because you have prepared everything in advance.

Your newsletter falls within quadrant 2 because it is important for your long-term success. By investing time now in that quadrant by doing your newsletter, you are making your life easier in the future.

That's what give me the motivation to write this newsletter, because I know that every time I send it out, I get communication from members - as well as attracting new members to the program.

So I make time for my quadrant 2 activities when I plan my week.

How to Avoid Boring People with Your Newsletter (Clue: What Do You Really Talk About with Your Dentist?)

I went to my dentist this week. Great guy. Excellent dentist. Super team.

He makes me want to floss.

He also has a newsletter - at least he used to. I didn't see it this time.

I didn't get to ask if it was working for him, but I suspect it wasn't too well.

Why?

Two reasons:

It was a cut-and paste job. Standard content with just his picture stuck on the front page. No personality. No offers. No engagement devices. No quizzes. No puzzles.

Second, it was all about teeth. Whitening. Flossing. Gum disease. Implants.

Nothing else.

Now, I'm not against having good teeth (despite being British.)

But my business relationship with my dentist isn't just about my pearly whites.

In fact, I'd say that only 49% of the reason I go to this particular dentist is because he's good at his job.

The other 51% is because I have a good personal relationship with him. He's a nice, funny guy. I enjoy chatting with his hygienist and the front desk staff.

And guess what? When we're chatting, we don't chat about teeth. That would get boring.

Instead, we chat about Halloween costumes, litters of puppies, condominiums, cottages.

This is the thing: most businesses make the mistake of believing that their business is about dentistry, accountancy, insurance...or whatever.

But that's only 49% of it.

The rest is a relationship business.

So if you have a good relationship with your clients (and you should) put that relationship into your newsletter.

Be personal, tell stories, be yourself.

You'll strengthen your personal and business relationships by doing that. And you'll make more money.

[Picture by amdavis]

Your Clients Want Smiles not Frowns - an Antidote to CNN's Doom and Gloom

A request from a new member of my real estate newsletters service came in yesterday.

(As he's new, he doesn't know I do this already...but it's always good to be reminded.)

He said he is looking for newsletter articles as an antidote to his clients. For example, the headlines in the newspapers show doom and gloom, where in fact 95% of people with mortgages are doing just fine.

He said he would like to see positive spins on pricing declines, foreclosure issues, staging, etc. He wants to bring optimism to his clients, showing them another perspective -- how real estate can benefit them and that it is a wealth builder.

He's absolutely right - because:

1) The media right now is enjoying scaring us as it wallows in the negativity of a down economy. There isn't much of an antidote to that available right now.

2) Vendors (real estate agents, mortgage brokers, or whomever) are still operating - still having success stories, still helping people. Why not share that?

3) For some people - smart businesses, for example - there are things to take advantage of in this economy.

4) With all the negativity around, if your newsletter is a source of some positive (truthful) inspiration, you will strengthen the relationship with your clients.

After all, no one wants to hang out with a misery.

[Picture by vancanjay]

Are You Being a Selfish Marketer? Why Most Content Producers are Thinking of the Wrong Person

Content marketing - and that includes sending print and email newsletters - is becoming an essential part of the marketing arsenal.

But this new chart from Marketing Sherpa shows that most marketers are getting it all wrong.

They're breaking Rule #1 of newsletters - they're not writing with their customer in mind.

The chart shows that content that focuses on the needs of clients is third on the list - after self-centered product announcements.

This isn't the way to engage clients and build a long-term profitable relationship with them.

Frankly, it's like being the guy at the party who talks at you for 30 minutes non-stop about his grandsons.

Instead, as Marketing Sherpa says:

To be a thought leader is to think like a publisher – to think about the people at the other end of your white paper, Web event, blog or podcast. They’re not necessarily interested in your new product or feature (unless you happen to work for Apple); they’re interested in what’s happening in the industry or economy that’s inspired that product or service.

...

The best reasons to update content are to be found in the middle of the pack; news, trends, events and research are all about the reader. Of course, the performance of content should also dictate whether it’s time to update, upgrade or shift gears.

The bottom line? Newspapers may be dying, but the need for compelling niche content is growing every day. To fulfill that need and sell your products, remember that you’re asking for the time and interest of your customers, and make it worth their while.

Here's the chart. See it online here.

How to Use Newsletters to Bring in New Business

I was asked by a member of my insurance newsletters service last week about the best way to use newsletters to bring in new business.

Here's what I will tell him. Of course, this applies to any business - not just insurance.

Why Newsletters Work to Bring in New Business

Newsletters are most famously used to keep in contact with past clients. That remains an important role.

Less well understood is why they work to bring in new business.

Newsletters' success is down to two factors: platform and relationship building.

Success in business these days is more about being perceived as a trusted expert rather than a salesman. People are jaded with the old model of cold calls, persuasive closing techniques and the general push push push of the old style of sales.

It's much better to be seen as an expert in what you sell. Instead of just being someone who sells stuff, you are instead is a trusted adviser.

Most of your competitors haven't grasped this yet, so it puts you ahead of them all.

After all, who would you rather do business with: a salesman or an expert?

Newsletters act as a platform to prove your expertise because they allow you to write about what you know - to serve your readers by sharing your expertise.

On top of that, newsletters build a relationship with your prospects over time. And, as you know, relationships are at the core of most business transactions - especially in tough economic times. People want to do business with people they know. It's safer and more rewarding that way.

By providing them useful information as a trusted adviser, you are growing a relationship of trust. That relationship will pay off when the client is ready to buy.

Finding New Prospects

So, what you are doing with your newsletter is using it to build relationships with prospects by using it as a platform to distinguish yourself as a trusted expert.

As there is a cost involved to producing and sending newsletters, it's important to make sure you go where the customers are and make sure your newsletter meets their needs.

It's wise therefore to make a profile of your ideal customer: Where do they live? What do they read? Where do they hang out? Who do they do business with? What are they wanting? How can I serve them? What issue (about what I offer) keeps them up at night - with either excitement or fear?

When you have done that you are better positioned to know what to write about and how you can best serve them with your newsletter. You will also be a better position to make them aware of you (and your newsletter) in the first place.

The bottom line is this: you need to be where customers are with information that answers the questions and concerns in their heads.

Bringing Prospects into Your Realm

It is seldom cost effective to mail your newsletter right away to prospects - either by direct mail or by a door-drop. (The exception to this might be a real estate agent or local merchant who is using newsletter to farm a very small neighborhood - after all, he knows where is prospects are!)

A better way is to give prospects a reason to raise their hands - a reason to say "OK, I'm open to what you offer. I might even buy one day!"

By doing that, you'll be using your newsletter budget effectively - marketing to those who want to hear from you.

(Sidebar: This is the concept of Permission Marketing, used most famously by Seth Godin in his book of the same name. The idea is that you will more successful by marketing to people who want to hear from you rather than interrupting people who don't want to hear from you. It's the difference between receiving a newsletter from someone you know and getting a telemarketing call from someone you don't - about something you don't care about. And it's the foundation of all good email marketing, where anti-spam laws make it illegal to email people who haven't expressed an interest in hearing from you.)

So how do you bring them into your realm? How do you get them to sign up and receive your newsletter? Here are some ways:

Go where your clients are: It's better to distribute your newsletter with a rifle rather than a shotgun. It's more efficient that way. So think of all the places your client is likely to hang out. And think off other (non-competing) vendors with the same clients. Leave your newsletter in their offices and stores; do reciprocal advertising in their newsletters. Distribute your newsletter in the "social nodes" - the daycare centers, social centers, sports venues - in your community where your clients are likely to be.

Always be signing up: You've heard the motto - always be closing. Instead, always be encouraging people to sign up to receive your newsletter. When you have a good conversation on the phone or meet them face-to-face, ask them if you can put them on your distribution list. Put a sign-up box on your website. Put a link to your newsletter on your email footer.

Add "bait" to encourage them to sign up: It's not always enough to "just" sell your newsletter; you often need to give them an extra reason to sign up. That reason might be a special report on a subject they will find interesting and that is relevant to what you offer, or it might be the promise of discounts on future purchases. Always tell them how useful and entertaining your newsletter will be. Also assure them that they won't be spammed, either my email or postal mail.

Turning Prospects into Clients

The idea, of course, is to grow a large list of high-quality prospects. So how do you turn those prospects into customers?

For many businesses, customers only come "into heat" once in a while. If you're a real estate agent, for example, the average family moves home only every seven years. That can mean a long cycle between them joining your newsletter and hiring you. (Of course, keeping in touch throughout that times pays for itself - it's justified by the commission you will receive.)

Other clients will come into heat more frequently. Indeed, they might already be shopping for what you offer, so you just need something to push them over the edge.

In most cases, this means you need to give them an offer - a reason to buy something or contact you today.

Never send a newsletter out without an offer, even if that offer is just to receive further information.

The reason for this is that people are - to be frank - lazy. They need something to push them to take action and they need to be led to do what (in many cases) is good for them.

Most advertising doesn't have an offer (just leaf through the Yellow Pages to demonstrate that), so you will put yourself ahead of the competition by including one.

Also give them reasons to contact you - to have a conversation; create a dialog. The more person-to-person dialog you can have, the better. Often it's just this contact that tips them over into buying.

Finally, don't give up. If you are contacting good prospects, don't give up too early. It would be a shame to contact them four times when they were ready to buy on the fifth.

This is just a brief summary of how to use a newsletter to bring in new business. Browse through the rest of this blog for more ideas.

[Picture by joanie]

Deliverability and Your Email Campaigns - What You Need to Know

Useful article here by Vertical Response on deliverability of email newsletters - always an important issue, the rules of which are changing on the time.

Getting your emails delivered is one of the main reasons why I recommend an email service provider. They handle all this stuff so you don't have to.

Why Your Newsletter Must Be Relevant to Readers to Succeed

Here I go again: back to rule #1 - write for your readers.

An interesting chart came along in the email today from Marketing Sherpa. It's the results of benchmark survey.

Highlight: the biggest reason (cited by 58% of respondents) why they stopped reading or unsubscribed from email newsletters was that they were not relevant to them.

Add to that the 20% who said "it doesn't reply to me" (not sure what the difference between the two answers, but anyway...) and you get more than three fourths who cited relevance as their main concern.

Makes you think.

Putting your reader first is rule #1.

 

Read here also what Aweber said about the topic of relevance.

Book Review: What Would Google Do?

What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis. See his blog at http://www.buzzmachine.com.

If you've been feeling left behind about how the internet is changing business (anything from the falling fortunes of newspapers and the music industry to how people are making big bucks selling personalized t-shirts) this is a worthwhile book.

If you're already up on The Cluetrain Manifesto (the now-ancient in Internet time document that first said that "markets are conversations" and have been following the best blogs on Web 2.0 (as it is achingly called), then you won't learn that much that is new.

But for me, who is half-way towards "getting it" and just now getting up to speed (Hey, I'm now on Twitter..) I found it a worthwhile read.

While the title points to Google, it's about any company that is doing business differently and reaping the rewards.

Here are the main takeaway points, as I saw them.

Customers are now in control, not you (just see what happened when Jarvis posted his rant about Dell on his blog.)

Be open to opportunities and link to those who complement your service/product. Be networked.
Be open to the public, not just for the sake of links from Google but also for a new connection with customers.

Niches rule - the mass market is less important.

Listen to your customers - really listen. Give them control over where your product goes. (I find this is very useful for my own product - customers tell me what they want, I make what they want, I make money.)

Make mistakes (that's OK) but confess to them and learn from them. Be honest; don't hide. Say sorry I screwed up, here's how I am going to make it right.

Move quickly. (I think that gives entrepreneurs a huge advantage over big biz - just look at GM...)

Distribute your product widely. Go to where the customers are, don't expect them to come to you.

The second half of the book is devoted to various industries, with Jarvis speculating on how they can develop (or not) in a Googlish way.

Some of his ideas are good (I think he's spot on in media - also one of my favorite topics) but seriously off base with real estate (he says the only advantage real estate agents offer is access to the MLS - take that away and they have little use. I disagree - a good real estate agent earns their fee by their consultancy and marketing services. Indeed, a good real estate agent is essential if you are to buy or sell wisely.)

In summary - an inspiring read for anyone keen to keep up with the whirlwind changes going on. Particularly important right now, as it could be argued that the current economy will speed the changes - making those who get it winners; those who don't get it dead. I found the book gave me lots of ideas for my business.

[Update March 30: Simon Owens contacted me with a link to his article that interviews the Cluetrain authors, ten years after the manifesto was first published. It's worth reading, particularly in the light of Jarvis' book. Read it here.]

How Much Content is Too Much Content?

I was asked an interesting question the other day by a Realtor who is part of my real estate newsletters program.

He wants to include much more content on his website, but he wonders: is there such a thing as too much content? "I’d love to hear your suggestions on where to draw the line of bringing value vs. giving so much information that visitors never make the call," he asks.

This is what I said. Do you agree?

Thanks for your email. This is an interesting question - I don't think you are alone in asking it.

Here's what I think (but you should find out what others say too...): In most situations you should lean towards having more content rather than less. I don't think you can give visitors too much information.

Let's think about two situations: my business and yours.

With my business, I give away pretty much all I know about newsletters on my blog. I figure that, over time, I will show that I know what I am talking about and get myself a reputation as an expert in the area. If my information helps some people do their own newsletter better, then that's fine. They weren't going to use me anyway. But if any of the information persuades someone to choose me rather than a competitor to provide newsletters, then it will have paid off.

I think the situation is similar in real estate. You want to give enough information to show that you are a trustworthy expert, but you worry that by giving too much information you will be helping people go FSBO or buy without an agent.

In my opinion, the benefits of making you the #1 expert in your niche far outweigh the dangers. Here's why:

1) Most real estate agents have pretty lousy websites, as you know. Most of them look the same and contain the same information. There's nothing much to distinguish one from the other. Few agents have their own USP. So anything you can do to add content will put you ahead of the others.

2) When choosing an agent, people are looking for a Realtor they can trust and with whom they can build a relationship (imho). This is particularly true right now - in recessionary times, trust is at a premium. By providing plenty of useful content that makes your clients' lives better, you are starting to demonstrate that you know what you are talking about. By demonstrating an abundance of proof (through your written expertise), you help them trust you. And by providing information that is unique (and that perhaps share some of your personality, as you do with your masthead, for example!) you are able to start building a relationship.

3) I figure that most people who are going to go FSBO are going that route anyway. You might be helping them a little with some inside knowledge - but they were a lost cause. There's a chance, maybe a small one, that if you talk in so much detail about the market, the realities of a real estate transaction, the way that you as a Realtor help the process, that you will persuade some people that hiring a Realtor is the wisest choice. I don't know.

4) Following on from point three, you can of course write on topics that demonstrate that hiring a Realtor pays off financially. You could give examples where you have saved clients money (as well as time, stress, hair, etc).

4) Perhaps the main point is this: where any Realtor adds value is not so much in general information about real estate transactions (you can find that easily) or about neighborhoods and even house types (many of your clients will be locals, perhaps) but it's really in the individual, personalized attention you give them. It's about applying your knowledge to their particular situation right now in this market, with their budget, their house preferences, their financial situation, etc. That kind of expertise can't be put on a website, but you can use your website to indicate that you add that kind of value. And the way to do that is by lots of high-quality content that shows how much you know and how much you can help.

So that's what I think.

The whole issue of what seems to known as "content marketing" is quite big these days. Online, having lots of content gets you points with Google, of course. But right now, demonstrating that you are a trusted expert is probably the number one way to getting more business. This could be a big shift that is being applified by the current economy: it's almost as if we are going back to the old days by doing business with people we know, like and trust rather than choosing a big brand or glitzy marketing materials.

That's just what I think.

It might be worth checking out the blogs by Joe Pullizi and Newt Barrett. They've just published a book called Get Content. Get Customers. I've only just become aware of their work, so I can't yet speak to the blogs or the book, but they are worth checking out.

Anyway...hope this helps!

Simon


PS. Of course, your website content can do double duty because you can drip-feed it in your newsletter.

Do you agree? Or is there a danger of putting too much content on your website?

Cheap Logo and Postcard Designs

We like cheap, especially now.

Here are two resources for low-cost designs. Thanks to Drew (who has a contest to win a free design) for mentioning them.

Logo Inn for custom logos plus stationery for $68.

Market Splash by hp: free postcard and business card designs, plus low-cost custom designs.

I haven't used these services myself. If you have, please share your experience in the comments.

An Example of How Targeted Content in Newsletters Pays Off

I've said before and - watch out - I shall say many times in future that the number one rule for newsletters is: write for your reader. That's because if you make the content relevant to your readers' interests, they are more likely read your newsletter, engage with you and - frankly - buy stuff.

So it's nice to see some concrete evidence that changing a newsletter so that it directly matches the interests of the reader brings about a bump in results.

Marketing Sherpa produced an interesting report today about how Sprint used dynamic content to deliver content targeted at readers' preferences. Now, most small business aren't going to be investing in dynamic content (it requires an IT investment) but they can a) make sure their newsletter is targeted at their readers' needs, and b) produce several, highly targeted newsletters according to segments of their client lists.

Here are the takeaways from the Sprint results:

• Sprint had already started a move in its newsletters away from promotional material towards using them as a customer loyalty tool. (Smart move - people in general don't want to receive a bunch of ads.)
• They focused on new content and features to make the newsletter a benefit for existing customers.(Note the word "benefit" - you want to make your customers' lives better.)
• They wanted to offer the most relevant information - personalized content targeting each subscriber’s needs and interests.
• The team began using dynamic content features that would deliver a customized, highly targeted version of the newsletter to each customer, based on their wireless device, service plan and interest areas. They also adopted a rigorous testing strategy to optimize layout, content selection and subject lines.

Here are some of the results:

• Clickthrough rates are typically twice as high as those achieved through Sprint’s promotional email blasts.
• Dynamic content is a large contributor to the monthly results. For example, the personalized image of a subscriber’s phone (that links to that phone’s supplier)
• Although the newsletter is positioned as a customer-loyalty tool, it is outperforming the company’s promotional email campaigns:  The newsletter produces more than double the number of phone purchases and plan upgrades as that of promotional email campaigns.

You can read the entire report here.

This Ain't the Corporate Newsletter (or How to Add Personality to Your Newsletter and Connect with Your Readers)

Not far from where I live in Toronto there's a bookstore called This Ain't the Rosedale Library. (Rosedale, for those who aren't from here, is the city's most upscale neighborhood.) This Ain't the Rosedale Library is an alternative bookstore - some of its titles wouldn't sit comfortably in Rosedale drawing rooms.

So think of this:

Your newsletter ain't the corporate newsletter, either.

Here's the thing about most corporate newsletters: they are edited, and vetted, and lawyered, and edited again, and checked again, and lawyered again... until all the personality has been squeezed out of them. What you get in the end is, to be frank, a bland corporate document which doesn't excite, doesn't create interest and doesn't create action.

So, no, your newsletter ain't the corporate newsletter - for good reason. Instead, you want a newsletter that will build a relationship with your readers, that will engage them, and that will keep them within your circle. You want to bond with your readers.

So here's some ways to add personality to your newsletter:

1) Don't put on your corporate head when you write. Instead, write in a way that shows your personality. Easier said than done, perhaps, but try to convey your enthusiasm for what you do and your in-person personality in your writing. For example, if you are relaxed and informal in person, be so in your newsletter. (See my post on HARO for a good example.)

2) Tell your story - the good and the bad. It's said that good product pitches include a "damaging omission" - a fact about the product that admits the product is not perfect. For example, my newsletters will take a few minutes to customize. A damaging omission helps because it aids credibility. After all, nothing's perfect, is it? The same works for your own brand - you as your own product. If you've made mistakes in the past, admit them and share them. You'll appear more human and better able to connect with your readers who, after all, have made their own share of mistakes. Just be sure to learn from those mistakes - you did this then but now you know better. (Customers these days like and expect transparency in the companies and people they deal with - they know no-one's perfect, that people sometimes we screw up, so don't try to fool them otherwise.)

3) Use "I" instead of "We". People don't easily connect with "we", with organizations. The plural is too sterile. Instead, write your newsletter as if it's from one person to help make a person-to-person connection.

4) Tell then what you did last week, what you're doing this week, and what you plan next week. Back to the transparency thing - share what you are doing in your business to make it better (or fix mistakes). Bring your readers inside the circle - they'll feel like they are part of what is going on. Give them an opportunity to comment on what you did and what you're planning. You'll probably get some good feedback you can use to improve your product or service.

5) Stand for something. Decide in advance what you believe in. What are your personal beliefs? What do you believe as a business? What do you stand for? What is your mission? Share this vision and allow it to permeate everything you write.

6) Don't be afraid to offend. I'm not saying you should go out and deliberately offend your clients, but don't be afraid to have strong opinions if those opinions are in the best interests of your clients. No one likes blandness. Even though you risk offending a few people, you'll win many more friends from those who agree with you.

7) Be yourself. It's just a newsletter - not a PhD. A newsletter is simply there to continue the relationship you build face-to-face with clients. If they like you in person, be the same person in your newsletter. They'll like you there too.

(Picture by SteveFE)

An Example of a Newsletter with Personality

If you don't know about HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and you are interested in getting media coverage, then check it out. Basically, it's a service that connects journalists (who are looking for sources for stories) and PR people/companies with products seeking publicity. It goes out as three emails per day. Very simple. Very effective. And free.

But I'm not here to write about HARO per se, more about the element of personality that HARO's creator, Peter Shankman, has put into the product.

I believe that this personality accounts for much of HARO's success.

Here's the thing: it's very easy to be "corporate", to make your project or service very polished, very professional...and very bland. Almost all products are like that - which makes it hard to tell one from the other and even harder to feel any kind of bond between you as consumer and the product itself.

What Peter does with HARO is remove the corporate veneer. Instead, he adds his own personality.

By:

• Sharing what he is doing every day. (And he does interesting stuff - this isn't "got the car fixed" type of content.)
• Writing in a friendly, recognizable style. It helps that he's a good writer, of course. But the key thing here is that he writes like he speaks. Informal. Friendly.
• He creates interaction with readers, through giveaways and message such as "I'm in Boston today - anyone got time for a coffee at noon?"
• He's built and maintained a strong ethos for the product. For example, people who abuse the product can get kicked off the list. And perpetual abusers are named and shamed.

• The email "from line" is Peter's name - not a corporate name.

This is the kind of personality you should infuse into your newsletter. Instead of being corporate, be you.

You might offend a few people (people you'd probably offend in person) but you'll attract many more.

(For more on adding personality to your newsletter, read this post.)

2 Useful Articles on Email Newsletter Marketing

Marketing Sherpa produces great content. Here are two recent articles on email newsletter marketing. Check them out before free access expires.

Gauge Email’s Impact on Indirect Sales: 5 Metrics to Monitor

7 Useful Email Strategies for Consumer Marketers

How to Get Free Articles and Pictures for Your Newsletter Using Creative Commons

As you know, it's not a good idea to copy articles from the internet and use them in your newsletter.

There's a good chance you'll be breaking copyright. And anyway, it's not cool to use other people's work in your newsletter without asking.

There are, however, many authors and photographers who are happy for you to use their work, under certain conditions.

One way to find these content creators is through Creative Commons, a system set up to give writers and artists a standardized way to grant copyright permissions.

For example, many are happy for you to use their content if you give them attribution.

Content creators add a Creative Commons copyright license to their work. The type of license they choose depends on how they are willing for the content to be used. Some will allow it to be used in any way, as long as there is attribution; others don't want their work to be used for any commercial products.

You can search for Creative Commons work online through the Creative Commons website. Then, when you find content that you like, you can check which type of copyright license it carries.

Of course, it relies on trust. But it's a two-way thing. After all, you might like to consider putting a Creative Commons notice on any articles you post online. If all you want is a link, for example, you could gain some web traffic from anyone who chooses to use your content.

How to Make Writing Your Newsletter Easier

For many people, writing a newsletter is somewhere down there with going to the dentist, washing the car and clearing out the eves troughs.

A right royal pain in the butt.

The thing is, you can't see it like that if you are going to continue with your newsletter for the long term. (And the benefits really only kick in if you keep at it for a while.)

So... it's a good idea to make writing your newsletter a little less of a chore.

Here are some ideas:

Don't put so much pressure on yourself: Your newsletter doesn't have to be like the New York Times or Vogue. The most important thing is that you express your ideas and your personality. I advised one person last year simply to write her newsletter in the form of a long letter. It worked wonderfully, because she was able to express exactly what she wanted to say without having to worry about layout, pictures and headlines.

Collect ideas as you go along: If you try to come up with all your ideas on "Newsletter Day" you're asking your brain for a sudden burst of creativity. Not easy. Instead, get into the habit of writing down newsletter ideas as soon as they occur. Then you can dip into your ideas when the time comes. I use my cellphone to take notes of ideas, or if I'm online I use Twitter as a kind of public notepad.

Don't worry about writing: The best newsletter writing is relaxed - it's how you speak. Don't feel you need to resort to some kind of formal, business-like writing for your newsletter. Just be yourself and type as fast as you can. You can go back and edit later.

Use the speech-to-text method: If you think you talk better than you write, record yourself talking to someone and then transcribe it. (You can find cheap transcription services online).

Use the Q&A method: An easy way to write an article is to create a list of common questions about a subject and then set about answering them. It's easier to write when you are addressing a single point.

Use bullet points: It's easier to write articles in bullet points rather than as a great slab of text. Not only is it less daunting but it also makes it easier to organize your thoughts. It's also easier to read.

Use numbered lists: The "22 Ways..." or "11 Things..." articles are the easiest to write. By their nature they give you a structure to follow.

Collect links: Make part of your newsletter a set of useful links from around the web. Collect any links you think might be interesting to your readers and add them to your newsletter with a brief introduction.

Use a ready-made template: Buy newsletter templates online, either with content or without content. Customize them to your own liking. They give you a great starting point - often doing all the difficult work for you.

(Picture by jazza)

Your Email List Is of Absolutely No Value to Me

One of the questions I get from potential new members of my real estate newsletter program  - the email version - is whether their list of clients will be safe if they upload them to my website.

They're afraid I - or someone else - will steal all the email addresses and sell them to some Viagra salesman.

Here's what I want to say, but don't dare: Sorry, but your precious email addresses are worth zilch to me. I wouldn't accept them if you offered them to be on a silver platter with a cherry on top.

Why?

Because if I go sending an email to your list, I am spamming them. And spamming - apart from being ugly - is not the way to build a business.

Not only do you have to send gazillions of spam emails to make it work, but a real business is built on creating a relationship with people who want to hear from you.

The people on this client's email list haven't the faintest clue who I am. And they don't care.

Now, if this client had a list of people that I was interested in contacting - because they had expressed an interest in hearing about the kind of stuff I talk about - then I would be happy for her to send an introduction to her list which mentions that I'm here and I offer great info.

That's something entirely different.

But I don't want someone else's email list. It's worth nothing.

5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Newsletter

Here's what I believe: Every Business Needs a Newsletter.

No excuses.

Even funeral homes.

Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Monsters in the Dark (because, especially right now, people want to do business with people they know and trust)

Trust is at a premium these days. After all, who can we trust? Not the banks - they've shown how something apparently rock-solid can turn to dust. Not the investment industry - Bernie Madoff put pay to that. And not politicians - we've never felt able to trust them anyway.

So if you can build trust, you're a step ahead.

The thing is, no one trusts you right away. That's especially true if they've found you online. Trust needs to be earned by fulfilling promises and building relationships over the long term.

A newsletter works as a tool to build those relationships of trust. It gives you a track record of providing valuable client-centered information and opens up opportunities for two-way communication.

2. Forget-Me-Not Followers (because people are more forgetful than you can possibly imagine - so keep saying "hello")

You know how it is - we're bombarded with choices. It's hard to keep them all in your head. And it's also hard to remember who's who and what's where.

Just think what it's like when you do a Google search - you visit scores of websites and they turn into a kind of website soup in your head.

So it's no surprise that people forget to come back.

It's not that people are ignoring you - it's that they are simply overwhelmed.

A newsletter helps by starting and then maintaining a relationship. If you can collect a prospect's information when they visit your website (or store), then you can contact them with a valuable newsletter to remind them that you're there. And if you collect a customer's information at time of purchase, you can keep in touch so that they won't forget you next time they need what you offer.

In a sea of choices, your newsletter is like a life raft. It's no wonder clients reach out to you.

3. The Go-To Guy or Gal (because people want to do business with an expert, not a salesman)

So here we are, with an ocean of choices but none of them to trust.

What to do?

You can build trust quickly by proving that you know what you are talking about and that you have your clients' best interests in mind (instead of just being out for a quick buck).

Sharing your knowledge in the form of articles, blog posts and videos quickly makes you stand out: you become to go-to-guy or gal.

A newsletter helps as a vehicle to distribute that knowledge to people who are interested in hearing what you have to say. And over time, articles build on articles, advice on advice, to prove to readers you know your stuff and that you can be trusted.

4. The Elephant in the Balance Sheet (because most businesses are leaving thousands of dollars on the table by failing to sell to existing clients)

One of the truest (and saddest) facts of business is this: most profits are made from existing customers - not new ones - yet many businesses fail to get the second sale.

After all, how often do you buy something, have a very happy experience, and then never hear from that business again? Probably 99% of the time.

It's a giant waste, because it costs often hundreds of dollars to attract clients in the first place (they have to find you, trust you, contact you). So once you've got them in your sphere of influence, you can sell to them again without that massive up-front acquisition cost.

Indeed, I'd go further: failing to keep in touch borders on rudeness - like a one-night stand.

Newsletters help because they make it easy to keep in touch with past clients. Just collect their contact information and mail or email them with information that will make their lives better. And if you make offers that match their interests, they'll be back to buy from you again.

 

5. Soul Fuel (because when business becomes a relationship it's much for fun and fulfilling):

This is the part that no one ever talks about.

You went into business on your own for a reason, right? You know that you want to spend your day doing something you care about instead of whiling away your life in a cubicle. You have passion for what you do, you care about what you do - and you enjoy sharing all that with the world.

Isn't sharing all that stuff kinda fun?

A newsletter helps because it gives you a vehicle to share your passion, helping make your clients' and prospects lives better.

You give (and that feels good) but you also get.

It makes your life that much more fulfilling.

(Pictures by aNDesign chrissi MikLav fluffbreat Egilsha)

How to Use Twitter for Your Newsletter

Gotta love Twitter. It's like a world-wide networking party - without holding a glass of orange juice in one hand.

Here's how I use it to make my newsletter.

I tweet (and link to) anything I find online that I think would be interesting to my Twitter followers and my newsletter readers. After all, networking - and Twittering - is about adding value to your community.

One of the great things about Twitter is that you can re-tweet other people's tweets that you think are worthwhile and want to share.

Then, when it comes to putting together my newsletter, I visit my Twitter profile and go through my recent tweets to find articles online worth mentioning in the newsletter. I also find some of my own tweets that might be expanded into newsletter articles in themselves.

So Twitter becomes like a notepad of good ideas - a notepad I'm happy to share with the world.

10 Email Newsletter Design Best Practices

Mequoda Group has just published a useful, free white paper on email newsletter design best practices. You can download it free here.

The Long Tail of Newsletters

I often hear stories that clients consider amazing.

It goes something like this:

I sent my newsletter to this person six months ago. And today they called me!

Can you believe they kept the newsletter all that time and then got in touch?!

Well, yes, I can. If the newsletter is good.

Here's the thing:

A good newsletter provides valuable information that makes clients' lives better.

Because of that, clients see the newsletter not as an advertising vehicle but as an important resource.

And because of that, they keep it at home.

And because they've kept it at home, they pick it up again when they need you.

And because they don't always need you right away, that call you receive can come many months after you sent your newsletter.

That's the long tail of newsletters.

(Picture by djayo)

Why Quality beats Quantity in Newsletter Subscribers

I was listening to an interesting webinar from Vertical Response (they're the guys I've partnered with for my email newsletter service) today.

Several things came out of it worth noting - I'll blog about them all in the coming days.

One of the stand-out points was about list size.

The bottom line on list size is that it's quality that counts, not quantity.

It's better to have 250 active, interested recipients of your newsletter (whether print or email) than 1,000 who don't care.

Why? Several reasons:

1. It's response that counts, not the total size of your list. If, at the end of the day, your aim is to get customers and purchases, then the only people who really count are those who act - not necessarily buying something (not everyone is ready to buy right away) but at least opening your email and clicking on your links.
2. If you are sending a lot of newsletters to people who aren't really interested, then you're spending money unnecessarily. This is particularly the case for print newsletters, of course, which cost money to print and mail, but it's also true for email newsletters - most email service providers raise the price you pay the more emails you send or the bigger your list.
3. With email marketing, in order to build a reputation as a responsible email sender, it's good to have a significant proportion of your subscriber list opening your emails - it shows you are providing something valuable instead of spamming.

There are no doubt plenty of other reasons why quality beats quantity when it comes to list size. If there are any I've missed, please add them in the comments.

(Picture by cararr)