Let your newsletters do your selling

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Newsletters, used properly, are an excellent way to reach your target market. Lots of companies have them, but often they’re more of a trumpet-blowing exercise and customers quickly lose interest. Here are my top four rules:

• Make it “you” oriented. Use my free articles ideas to get you started. If the newsletter has a value to readers, they are more likely to read it and welcome future copies. Offer them advice, information and education on subjects likely to be of interest to them.
• Ask your customers to contribute by running “profiles” on them. These should cover who they are, what they do, benefits to their customers. You can also, of course, mention what you’re doing for them, why they chose you and what their experiences have been with you. Make this very much a secondary aim of the article.
• Make sure you plan ahead. Newsletters are normally okay for the first couple of issues. Then the publisher runs out of ideas. Always make sure you have at least three issues worth of material on hand at any time. This way you won’t be scrabbling around to fill the space at the last minute.
• Make sure it’s read by the right people. Not just the receptionist, but the people who make decisions. You must send it to named people at your customers and prospects. By all means distribute further copies less formally, but make sure your main targets get their own copy.

A Low-cost Action Plan for Newsletters

1. Choose a name for your newsletter. It doesn’t need to be fancy. ‘ABC News’ will do, if you can’t think of anything else. If your company name lends itself to a catchy title, use it. Here are some businesses I’ve just picked at random from the telephone directory and newsletter titles I’ve invented:

• ‘Prime Life’ (Prime Health Ltd.)
• ‘Direct To You’ (Direct Holidays Ltd.)
• ‘The Scribe’ (Scribes Financial Services)
• ‘News Corner’ (The Corner Shop)

If any of the above-named businesses happen to be reading this, my creative advice is free on this occasion!

2. Think of subjects for four main feature articles that will give value to your customers. Remember the key words: inform, educate, advise, entertain. Share your knowledge and expertise with them. Teach them how to do something they couldn’t do before.

3. If you’re struggling, try this. Pick a topical subject in your line of business, or preferably your customers’ line of business. Give your view on it. Get a couple of customers to give their views on it. Contact an industry specialist and get his quote on it. Journalism is easy when you know how! Try and assess what the impact will be on your customers. Advise them how to deal with it. Try and predict what the future will hold. You may be wrong, but some view is better than none. Make sure you include a “disclaimer” where necessary. This should state that your views are only views and readers should seek professional advice before taking any action.

4. Write your first article. What thoughts do you want to leave them with? Plan the ending first. Then the main ideas that will get you there. Then the beginning. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Aim for 800 to 1000 words. This will fill the best part of an A4 page, split into columns.

5. Get two customers to contribute a profile of themselves. You may be able to do it for them from their company and product brochures. If they’re doing it themselves, make sure they know what your deadlines are. Ask them to have their article with you at least three weeks before you want to publish. That will give you enough time to edit, ask them any follow-up questions, and fit the article to your available space.

6. Make the newsletter one sheet of A3, folded in half, printed on both sides. This gives four pages of A4. You will need about two-and-a-half pages of features, allowing for the titles and last page.

7. The last page should be a feedback form for the reader to fax back to you. See appendix “Newsletter feedback form” for a sample layout. Make sure you capture any information that’s appropriate for your marketing efforts (e.g. which industry magazines they read). Give them an incentive to respond, at least the first time (prize draw, announce the winner’s name in the next issue). You’ve seen it all before! Just try and make yours a bit different.

8. If you’re short of material, make it a single A4 sheet, two-sided. Your feedback form may then be just the bottom half of the second sheet.

9. Get it printed and out on the streets!