Simon Payn's Effective Customer Newsletters

30 Days in November, 30 Interesting Messages

Want to take part in an interesting experiment?

Want to see me potentially humiliate myself in front of thousands?

I've been challenged by copywriter John Fancher to hone my email writing skills.

He has pledged to create one auto-responder message each day.

What is an autoresponder? It's computer software that automatically sends emails to your prospects and clients. You pre-load the content, which could be months' worth of newsletters and email messages, and the system does the rest. If you want to try one, go to my website and complete the box there.)

Why is this challenge worthwhile? Auto-responder email sequences are a great way to build relationships  with prospects and customers without you having to do a lot of manual work - and the best way to get good at writing them is to practice.

So...to get my own practice (to get ready for a new product I'm launching early next year) I too am pledging to write one interesting email message a day for 30 days in November.

What will I write about? Well, it will be roughly related to the content of this blog. But we'll see...

Will I succeed?

Will I have anything interesting to write about?

Will I be able to add value to the lives of people who read them?

It's up to you to decide.

Just complete the form below and you'll get signed up to receive them. You can of course unsubscribe the moment you get bored or the moment I annoy you too much (although I hope that doesn't happen.)

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So what's that new project you're talking about?

Well, it's related to my 30 days of emails. I'm not ready to give you details yet, but I can tell you that anyone who signs up will be eligible for a discount or some other kind of bonus.

[Picture by Lincolnian]

What Black-Eyed Susan Taught Me About Succeeding Right Now

Please give a warm welcome to Black-Eyed Susan! She's pictured on the right.

Actually, this is Black-Eyed Susan's body double.

The real Black-Eyed Susan, who lives in my garden, is too shy to be photographed. She's not looking her best.

But she sure reinforced an important lesson in thriving in these tough economic times.

You see, Black-Eyed Susan was growing like crazy...lots of stems and, on top of those stems, lots of buds.

But then one day in early July she was cut down in her prime.

I caught the culprit red-handed. It was one of the local deer. There he was, munching away as I pulled into the driveway. He looked at me sheepishly (if a deer can look sheepish) then ran away, Black-Eyed Susan stalks hanging from his jaws, sap dripping from his lips.

Black-Eyed Susan was reduced to a chewed-up stump.

Until last week, when I noticed that she'd produced two fresh stems, and on each of these stems was a ripe bud.

A lesson, I thought!

If Black-Eyed Susan can grow again after being eaten to within an inch of her life, so too can I keep growing when the economy tries to cut me down.

After all, Black-Eyed Susan sure has persistence. An essential quality in times like these.

[Picture by Benny Mazur]

Why Your 'Bonus Document' Is at the Heart of Your Newsletters

Members of my real estate newsletter service know that they get at least one bonus document as part of the program.

Don't take the power of this document too lightly. It's at the heart of any successful newsletter.

Here's why.

The terrible truth is that people don't want to sign up for your newsletter.

They're thinking, "not another useless newsletter to fill up my inbox or mailbox!"

"No thanks!"

(That's because most newsletters are self-promotional garbage. Of course, you know better than to send one out like that.)

So you have to go the extra yard.

You can't just say "sign up for my newsletter". You have to give them something that's extra valuable. Something that they feel they have to own.

It's a reason why the bonus documents I offer have enticing titles, such as "How to Survive the Recession ...Stronger Than Before" and "50 Essential Tips to Prepare Your Home for a Speedy, Top-Price Sale."

Don't you just have to read those...at least if you're in the right target market?

It sure is a lot better than just "sign up for my newsletter."

So what you do is promote the document in ALL your marketing materials. Everywhere. Every time.

And when they sign up to receive it, let them know that you will be sending them your newsletter too (and that they can quit receiving it any time they want).

If you do this, you'll get hot leads from people who are really interested in what you have to say.

If the idea of a document or report isn't for you, check out the ideas for other "bait" offers in this article and this article.

Attention Real Estate Agents!

A great way to use your bonus document is to mention it on postcards.

Postcards are an effective (and cheap) way to contact lots of prospects and to entice them to sign up to get your bonus document and your newsletter.

So that's why I've put together some postcards that make the fullest use of your bonus documents.

At risk of bragging, I think they're quite beautiful. Jae, my designer, did a fantastic job.

Find out more here.

Will Your Newsletter Pester People?

 I had an interesting chat earlier this week with someone who is thinking of joining my newsletter service.

He was pondering sending a newsletter only every quarter instead of monthly.

Why only every quarter? Because he didn't want to "pester" his readers.

It's at that point that I said, "Hang on just a minute...."

Here's the thing.

If you are in danger of "pestering" your readers, you shouldn't send a newsletter monthly.

You shouldn't even send it quarterly...or annually.

You should send it never.

***

Fears of "pestering" come down to an anachronistic way of looking at the relationship with your clients and prospects.

My caller was doing business the old way. In the past, marketers interrupted people with their message.

They said "buy my stuff," and "hire me today".

And ... this is the worst sin of all ... "I'm really great, you know."

"Me, me, me!"

Sure....that's pestering - like the child who can't pass a Baskin-Robbins without tugging on his hapless parent's arm.

That kind of newsletter deserves to go straight in the trash.

***

But that's not the best way to communicate with your prospects and customers.

Instead, your aim with your newsletter is to make your prospects' and customers' lives better.

To help them do their jobs better, to make their days easier.

That's why instead of putting out a newsletter that's overflowing with self-promotion, you publish something that's packed with useful information.

Content that has value.

If you do that, people will start reading your newsletter. They'll even start looking forward to it.

Not only do you avoid pestering your readers, but you become in their minds a trusted advisor.

And they're much more likely to do business with a trusted advisor ... who is thinking of their needs ... than someone who interested only in themselves.

***

PS. If, despite all this, you are still seen as pestering your reader, then you don't want them to continue receive it; clearly, the two of you are not on the same page. It's better to spend your resources on someone who appreciates your newsletter content.

PPS. If you see this newsletter as "pestering" you, please unsubscribe. The link's at the bottom!

[Picture by Gordana Adamovic-Mladenovic]