 _You’ve heard it a zillion times: you need to stay top of mind with your customers through regular contact. You know it's true. And you know if you don’t, you will quickly be forgotten and lose sales to your competition. But how do you stay in front of your customers without badgering them? Easy. Develop an inexpensive, informative customer newsletter! Now, before you groan and start imagining the costs of printing and postage—think digital e-newsletters instead. After all, you've been collecting email addresses, right? So put them to work!Here's the two main reasons why e-newsletters are effective: - Newsletters help people be "in the know." If you're a gold prospector, you want to know about the latest regulations for dredging in rivers. If you're a tennis player, you want to know about the latest racquet. Cooks want new recipes and gadgets that make cooking easier. Educate your readers about what they buy from you in the first place, and they will thank you for it with their wallets.
- Newsletters build strong relationships. A regular delivery is extremely important to the success of your e-newsletter. "Regular" can be daily, weekly, monthly, even quarterly. Because your newsletter arrives consistently, it helps strengthen your professional relationship. Customers will see you as a stable, knowledgeable business with much to offer— a business they can rely on for what they need, and for what they need to know about.
Keep these simple rules in mind when compiling content for your e-news:- Maintain an 80/20 ratio: 80 percent needs to be educational; 20 percent can be promotional. When used correctly, newsletters aren’t seen as spam. As long as they provide VALUE to your customers (or potential customers), they will WANT to read them.
- Write for your customer’s benefit, not yours. A good newsletter is informative to the customer—tips, checklists, and articles about the "latest and greatest" that will enrich THEIR lives.
- E-news should be easy to read. Articles should be informative, yet short. Include photos and other graphics and use white space to make scanning a breeze. If humor is appropriate to your business, make your e-news funny and entertaining.
- Make the reader feel like a VIP! Periodically offer a coupon or have a special sale that only e-news recipients can take advantage of— what a way for readers to look forward to getting your newsletter and feel special and appreciated!
E-newsletters can be an important and inexpensive part of any marketing strategy— consider a penny or two per email address versus a 44 cent stamp! They really do help solidify existing customer relationships and help bring in new business as well. Because e-news is short and contains valuable information, your customers not only read them, but often forward them on to their like-minded friends, which could lead to more referral business! Need help with your e-newsletter? Denise Seith can get you started, or completely handle the entire project for you. If you're a do-it-yourselfer, click here to learn about the e-news company we use and recommend.
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