- Collect opt-in email addresses and build your subscriber base.
- Establish credibility in your industry.
- Create the trust needed for subscribers to make buying decisions
- And do it all at almost no cost!
An online newsletter is the key to growing your subscriber base, and, in turn, exploding your customer base. Your newsletter serves to develop relationships with your subscribers and establish rapport. They'll come to respect your opinion; they'll look to you as a source of industry knowledge, and heck, they'll probably even like you! And the best part is… they've given you their e-mail addresses! If you are communicating on a regular basis with your subscribers, giving them valuable information, allowing them to get to know and trust you… how many of them do you think will turn into loyal customers?
The answer? A LOT. Subscribers to your newsletter embody the perfect, targeted marketing opportunity. These people are familiar with you and your business. They are most likely familiar with your products and your sales material. They WANT to know more about what you have to say!
And remember, your online newsletter is not only easy to produce and easy to distribute – it will also cost you almost nothing!
Your Low-Cost Online Newsletter An online newsletter is a breeze to produce, especially in comparison to the paper-pushing days of old, when each newsletter had to be printed out, thrown in an envelope, addressed to the subscriber, stamped, mailed… and all this had to be paid for!
Now, with Mailloop, sending out your own online newsletter is FREE – not to mention essentially hands-free! And you can run as many newsletters as you like, for as long as you like.All you have to do is spend a couple of hours writing your newsletter (or finding someone to write it for you), then just send it to your list! No envelope stuffing… no paper cuts… no printing costs… no mailing costs.
Establish Credibility in Your Industry:
An online newsletter is one of the most powerful ways to establish credibility in your industry – IF you offer quality, sought-after information to your subscribers. And if you consistently offer expert information that can't be found just anywhere on the ‘Net, you will inevitably develop a strong and lasting relationship with your subscribers.
By communicating on a regular basis with your readers and developing rapport, you will earn the trust and respect of each one. And once your readers trust you and value your opinion and your judgment, a good percentage of them will buy from you.
Establishing credibility is the key to making your product or service attractive to potential customers – plus, it gives you a strong edge over your competition. If two competitors in the same industry are offering a similar product, but only one has developed a relationship with their potential customers, there's just no question as to who will get the sales.
Use Your Newsletter to Collect Opt-Ins:
Your newsletter is one of the most effective methods – perhaps the most effective method – of collecting opt-in e-mail addresses. These days, people are more cautious about who they'll give their e-mail addresses to. But if you offer to provide them with information they need, information that they are looking for, they'll gladly hand it over.
HOWEVER, you must understand that the secret is out – the incredible opportunity presented by simply having your own online newsletter is now quite widely understood. And because many people have realized how successful this approach is, there has been a proliferation of online newsletters over the last few years.
That doesn't mean it's any less valuable to start your own newsletter. It doesn't mean you're too late. What it DOES mean is that your newsletter has to stand out in the crowd.
The key is to create a newsletter that people read loyally, that is considered a dependable industry resource, and that attracts a high number of opt-ins. And we're going to show you exactly how you can do that!
Creating Content for Your Newsletter:
There are a few different ways you can approach the development of content for your newsletter. But whichever way you do it, be sure to keep in mind exactly what you're trying to accomplish with it. For example, if you are providing a paid newsletter, you will have to make absolutely sure that each and every issue is full of quality information. Remember, it has to be good enough to make people want to pay for it – and keep paying!
If your newsletter is free, you'll want to focus on establishing the credibility you need to persuade your potential customers to make the buying decision. And that means you need to keep your readers' attention, keep them interested, and keep them coming back for more.
Your newsletter can be successful only if you provide timely, relevant content that speaks directly to the needs and interests of your subscribers. It has to relate to your business in such a way that your readers are thinking about YOUR business while they are absorbing the information you provide. So again, the key is to stay focused and always remember your objectives of developing good rapport with your subscribers, establishing your credibility, and ensuring that your readers depend on you as a source of expertise.
The exact types of information that you include in your newsletters will, of course, depend on your industry, but some possibilities are:
- Industry news and updates.
- Information that supports the product/service you are marketing.
- Resource guides to other sources of information and business tools.
- Special tips or industry know-how.
- Announcements about new products or changes to your site.
- A Q&A for subscribers.
- Reader feedback.
- Special “subscriber-only” deals.
Obviously, some of these topics will be easier to put together than others. If you're worried about how you are possibly going to create these kinds of newsletters, relax! There are a few options available to you in the search for good content. Your choice will really depend on how comfortable you are with your writing skills and how close to the material you want to be. Option #1: Write your own newsletter The rise in the number of online newsletters available has resulted in a “toning-down” of what is considered professional, which means a personal, chatty approach to your newsletter is perfectly acceptable. Online audiences are not expecting Shakespeare… and nine times out of ten, that's not what they're looking for anyway.
When you're writing your newsletter, you have the chance to create your own style. You can use a personal approach that allows your readers to really get to know you, recognize your writing voice, and begin to feel an affinity with you. Don't underestimate the power of this kind of relationship. When you're doing all of your own writing, you maintain complete control of every aspect of your content – every phrase, word, and sentence can be effectively crafted to communicate the style and “feel” of your unique business and your particular approach.
Option #2: Get free content If you're just not comfortable writing yourself, or if you can't find the time to write each and every newsletter, there is a way out. You can find good, usable material on many of the free content resource sites that are now available online.
When you're sourcing free content, however, you do have to be careful that the articles are relevant to your business and are well-written, informative pieces that your subscribers will want to read.
Some good places to look for free content include the following:
Important Note: Don't limit yourself to these free content sites when looking for articles. If you come across an article that would be of value to your readers, consider contacting the author for permission to use it. More likely than not, they'll be happy to let you post it on your site or in your newsletter (as long as you include the proper credit); after all, it's great publicity for them!
Option #3: Find a ghostwriter If you know just what you want to say, but you just aren't sure HOW to say it, you might want to consider finding a ghostwriter who can use your ideas to create the article that you are looking for.
This way, you maintain control over what goes into each of your newsletters, but you don't have to worry about writing them yourself. And if you just want to get your articles written, you won't have any trouble finding someone to do it for you; however, if you really want to convey a particular style or voice, it may take some time to find a writer who is right for you.
Ghost writing services are available online for very little cost these days, and you should be able to find a writer for between $17 and $75 per hour. Begin by visiting the following sites: When you're hiring a ghostwriter, be sure to check references and establish deadlines!
And don't forget: Whether you decide to write your own newsletter, hire a ghostwriter to write it for you, or even use someone else's content, it is extremely important that you remember to thoroughly proofread each and every item you mail out! No matter who put your content together, if you mail it full of mistakes, it will reflect badly on you!
Structuring Your Newsletter:
It is important that you create an overall structure for your newsletter right from the start, because the key to creating familiarity and building credibility is consistency.
If you send a newsletter that looks completely different from one issue to the next, your subscribers will have difficulty recognizing it as yours. Each issue, you'll be essentially starting all over again, rather than building on a knowledge base and a sense of familiarity with each new issue.
There are a number of ways to make your newsletters appear professional and pleasing to the eye and to effectively lead your subscribers through the material, including:
- Using a consistent header and footer
- Having a table of contents.
- Using dividers and white space to break up your text.
Come up with a format for your newsletters that is clean, attractive, and easy to read... and stick to it!
How Often Should You Send Your Newsletter?
A lot of newsletters are sent once a week or once every two weeks; many others are sent once a month. Then there are those people who send a newsletter every single day... So which approach is most effective? Once again, it really depends on your industry and your business. To begin with, the frequency of your newsletters is going to depend on how much content you have and how much time you have to develop new content.
Your content needs to be well-written and informative to ensure that you create a quality newsletter with NEW information for each issue. You should strictly avoid recycling old topics and issues whenever possible; each issue must be innovative, interesting, and effective. This takes time… so if you can't accomplish it once a week, do it once a month!
But if your monthly newsletter is getting too long (say, over 10-15 pages of text), you may want to consider splitting it up into a bi-monthly publication. And once every two weeks is quite likely your best bet, anyway. We recommend that you do NOT send your newsletter on a daily basis, because people tend to start deleting your messages when they see it in their inbox day after day – and once they get used to deleting your newsletter, the habit is tough to break.
Note: Paid Newsletters Are Different! Paid newsletters are a different story. They're expected to be full of heavily researched articles, and packed with the highest-quality information -- which means more content and more thorough material.
That means a paid subscription newsletter will often be sent less frequently than a free newsletter -- but you should test different schedules to see what works best for you.
Our own testing has proved to us that sending our free newsletter every two weeks is the most effective approach, though we have also had success in the past sending newsletters on a weekly basis.
Your safest option is to begin with a bi-monthly, free newsletter. Publishing your newsletter once every two weeks does not involve an overwhelming demand for content. Your subscribers won't get sick of seeing your name in their inbox – but they'll hear from you often enough that they won't forget about you, either.
But because each market is different and each business is unique, it is a very good idea to TEST weekly and monthly alternatives as well. Only you can determine which approach will have the best impact on your sales.
How to Time Your Promotions?
Another thing you have to consider when you're determining how often to send your newsletters is how often you plan to send promotional e-mails to your subscribers.
If you were sending newsletters once a week and also sending e-mail promotions once or twice a month, you could wind up with a lot of angry people accusing you of spamming them. And if you sent your newsletters only once a month, your subscribers might be less familiar with your name and therefore less receptive to your e-mail promotions.
Publishing your newsletter once every two weeks gives you the greatest marketing advantage. Because your readers know you, they don't mind getting mail from you, and because you are not inundating them with masses of mailings, you can send them e-mail promotions between newsletters!
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Related Links:
Importance of Newsletters
How to increase sales by using Online Newsletters?
Need more email marketing guidance?
E-Newsletters: Get Attention and Build Loyalty
Recommended Books:
Real World Guide to Raising More Money With Newsletters Than You Ever Thought - by Tom Ahern
Starting & Running a Successful Newsletter or Magazine - by Cheryl Woodard
E-Newsletters That Works - by Michael J. Katz
Newsletter Sourcebook - by Mark Beach, Elaine Floyd
Newsletter Design: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creative Publications (Design & Graphic Design) - by Edward A. Hamilton
Author: Dan Michele
Email: sales (at) chairsdirect (dot) com
Dan Michele advocates of starting your own online newsletter. In fact, we really don't see how any business can survive without one! http://www.Only2Press.com