So why do some web sites bother to offer a newsletter and others don’t? So why bother? Believe me, I am contemplating this very thing as I sit here and wonder if there isn’t enough to do already. However, everything that I do and stand for at Gemstone Business Solutions would be a waste of time if I didn’t do it for my clients.
An online newsletter is just a way of staying in touch with a target market and/or the clients in your business. It sends the message every time you email it of “Hey, I am here and ready to do business with you.” In other words, it acts as a reminder. It is a way of keeping your name and the name of your business before your clients.
Why should you publish a newsletter on your web site?
Karen Cappello, a well-known business coach at www.KarenCappello.com states that clients need to see something in front of them in the form of a contact (newsletter, email, card or phone call) seven times before making a purchase. This also includes making a decision to use your services. A newsletter — especially an online newsletter — can do that effectively by saving your business mailing time and postage.
So what should this newsletter look like?
Believe it or not, many clients and friends have mentioned to me that they prefer newsletters that are either HTML or text. While the graphically enhanced versions offered through Constant Contact and Aweber are nice, you don’t always know how long they will take readers to download.
A newsletter which takes too long to download will cause the reader to become discouraged. They may not want to wait for the newsletter to download. Believe it or not, there are still those individuals and clients using dial-up, so you don’t want to discourage them from reading your newsletter.
Headlines should be short and clear with the main articles covering one major point. This one major point should be covered in two to five sub-points that are easy to understand and are beneficial to the reader.
The article should inform, clarify, encourage, enthuse, provoke thought or satisfy the need for additional information. When appropriate light humor may also be used.
Products may also be mentioned in you online newsletter, but too many hyperlinks should not be used. You want to keep your client’s eyes on your newsletter not clicking to other web sites.
What should this newsletter say?
The newsletter should be aimed at a targeted audience or industry. It should cover what the concerns are for that industry. It should also have statistics to back up your assumptions. Being able to answer critical questions and concerns for that industry is a must. Only then will you be able to provide the kind of content that readers will read. You will also be able to earn the respect of your readership.
Many new web site owners completely dismiss the importance of a well-written online newsletter. It takes more than a web site to let clients know that you are in business. The old adage of “Build it and they will come” is something that keeps most web site owners from connecting with their target market via an online newsletter. They feel that just having a web site should be enough to attract clients.
However, when clients find your web site, they may not know you or be convinced as to why they should do business with you. Being able to offer this added feature — this online newsletter — will continue to keep your site visitors coming back to your web site time and time again. Clients will get to know you and your business through your newsletter.
Who will read this newsletter?
Maria Veloso at www.webcopywritinguniversity.com and the author of Web Copy that Sells says that it all comes down to “courting” the client or giving them a reason to come back to your web site. Over time, the reader will come to recognize you as an expert in your field. You will become someone that they can trust. A well-written, well-researched newsletter will help to position yourself strategically as an expert in your field.
According to Ms. Veloso, another mistake that new web site owners make is to make the newsletter too broad. The newsletter is not meant to appeal to everyone, but to a target market. She later explains, “When you call out to everyone, you call out to no one.”
In summary, it all comes down to balance. Within the scope of your particular business and industry, you want to appeal to all of the major players in your readership. Give them content that will appeal to them time and time again. Remember the four U’s — urgent, useful, user-friendly, and unique. If you can do these four things each issue for your target market then you have done your job.
So where does the blog come into all of this?
The best way to explain how to use a blog is to use it as page of your web site, which reflects more of your personality to your target market. You can also use it to promote products that you like. This is your “opening up” a little more. I like to say that it’s your business casual side.
Nowadays some bloggers are using their blogs to add membership sites and videos from YouTube. I have used my blog to get readers to comment on some of my newsletter articles in my online newsletter, Chiseling Out Success.
What to do if you don’t want to publish the newsletter yourself?
If all of this is sounds like too much work or too complicated to do, delegate it. We at Gemstone Business Solutions are a group of virtual assistants and other remote professionals that offer newsletter writing and design to small businesses. We would be happy to accommodate you with this request.
