.: Why Most Newsletters Don't Work - part two: For Effective Newsletter Content, Get Real
Category:Home / Internet Marketing / Ezines and Newsletters
Client newsletters do generate results. Yet, many business people who issue a newsletter find it frustrating to generate the results they want. This is why most newsletters are cancelled after a few issues. Many eventually conclude that newsletters just don’t work. Those not willing to give up on their newsletter need to get real about newsletter content.
what newsletters do
A good newsletter might never cause a spike in sales. However, if you watch other indicators over time – such as business per client, referrals from newsletter readers, and client retention – you would see how a newsletter performs as an investment in client relations. Newsletters shape market perception. Good newsletters help to build and maintain hundreds of business relationships with meaningful engagement.
What to say?
For many, a newsletter is demanding and time-consuming – especially when content that the issuer wants to communicate elicits difficult-to-measure results.
Some report news to readers already swamped with news. Some offer persuasive articles or clever commentaries to readers who really don’t need to be sold. Some offer lists, tables, and graphs. These, too, come with the risk that readers might not care. So, if a newsletter is best used as a tool of brand management, with what content?
the cost of off-the-shelf content
In a lot of situations, it is tempting just to buy good content, if you can find it easily at a reasonable price. But what is the reputation-shaping effect? Your clients can tell when your message is not really yours.
meaningful, brand aligned
Because a client newsletter is a medium for business communication, and because it assumes a business relationship between the issuer and the reader, a newsletter is a medium for client relationship management. Your clients can tell when you’re involved in your newsletter. Hence the need for original, brand-aligned newsletter content.
the cost of do-it-yourself content
Some decide to keep the connection with clients alive by developing their own content. This entails a commitment to produce meaningful, well-written content on schedule. Many then face these basic assumptions:
1. You need to have talent and creativity.
2. You have to provide value in the newsletter, such as advice or insider tips or discounts.
3. You must educate readers on points related to your business.
Put into practice, these basic assumptions stop some from issuing their own newsletters. These are worth considering, but are not must-haves. What readers really need from you is heart.
survey says…
Gallup research shows that the key to wooing customers isn't price or even product. It's emotion. Gallup developed an eleven-question survey to understand client engagement (CE 11). Eight of those questions (73%) probe emotional engagement. (Alec Applebaum: The Constant Customer, Gallup Management Journal 06/17/01)
emotional engagement
When you engage clients emotionally – which often follows from showing your own emotional engagement – that leads to more loyal, profitable business. People go out of their way to deal with businesses whose values they respect, whose style they like, and whose sincerity they like. When people believe in you, they demonstrate it with loyalty to you and bring more business to you.
medium for meaningful contact
When a newsletter makes people feel good about themselves in connection with the newsletter issuer (e.g. it validates their values) then it can create a feeling of connectedness. When that sense of connectedness is maintained through meaningful contact (e.g. a brand-aligned newsletter) then competitors’ attempts at wooing your clients have less effect.
Why not…
honor what your clients like about you?
reflect their interests?
celebrate your connection with them?
declare the satisfaction you find dealing with them?
measure engagement
In addition to issuing an engaging business newsletter, also set reasonable performance expectations and measures. Rather than short-term sales increases, efforts to optimize newsletter performance should reflect long-term business goals, such as:
stronger client loyalty or retention.
more, higher-quality referrals.
more business per client.
get real sincerely
Newsletters are naturally brand-management tools, and good brand management is good client relations. If you think in terms of client relations – maintaining the connection and managing the client experience – then you can improve your business with a client newsletter that shows your true colors. That’s getting real.
- Glenn Harrington
Article keywords: newsletter, client relationship management, CRM, marketing, branding, loyalty, referrals
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Glenn Harrington is Principal Consultant of the Harrington Newsletter Company in Victoria, BC Canada.
www.harringtonnewsletter.ca
doctor@harringtonnewsletter.ca
.: New Ezines and Newsletters Articles
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2). Crafting Marketing Newsletter Content that Customers Read
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5). What Type Of Internet Sales Model Will Give You The Most Profits?
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6). Ways To Make Money On The Internet By Giving Away A Free Report
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This article details how to construct and develop an ezine from scratch
.: Top Ezines and Newsletters Articles
1). How to create and run an ezine for profit - Part 3
We all know that ezines are not just about sending thousands of email every week to keep and attract new customers. It is also about offering insightful and practical content. If you only talk about how great your services and products are, surely your readers won’t stick around for long.
But the main concept of an ezine in the first place is to assist you in your advertising needs.
2). Top 10 Reasons To Advertise With Ezines
You've heard the buzz but still have some questions. Does Ezine Advertising really work?
Yes, Ezine Advertising really does work and here are 10 reasons why this form of internet marketing is so powerful and effective:
1. An Ezine is an electronic magazine or newsletter. The electronic format makes it easy to respond to your ad. A simple mouse click is much more convenient than picking up the phone, mailing in a card, or driving to a physical store
2.
3). How To Get Massive Free Advertising With Ezines
For the netrepreneur seeking targeted free and low-cost advertising, ezines are an excellent resource. Using the following strategies you can get hundreds of dollars worth of ezine advertising on an ongoing basis, absolutely for free. You can also use these resources to structure an advertising campaign to fit your budget.
Before you get started, make sure you set up a special email address just for your ezine subscriptions - this will be very important to help you stay organized.
4). The Ultimate Recipe to Make Money Online
As you know a well written article can do wonders for your exposure and traffic.
The article should contain good useful information. It should be of interest to the reader. A boring article could possibly brand your site as boring also. Although, someone might find it useful if they're having trouble sleeping. You might want to write about your tips and techniques and turn them into a series of articles for the newcomers that are starting out in this business.
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Stand Alone Advertising
So what are Solo Ezine Ads? Simply stated, these are advertisements published in ezines or newsletters where no other ad competes against your marketing message. Also know as Stand Alone Ads. This ad is then sent to subscribers of ezines who have already agreed to recieve these ezines and any accompaning ads.
Often referred to as the KING of ezine advertising, the solo ad allows the advertiser to reach her audience of willing to buy opt-in subscribers.
6). Article Marketing - The Bad, The unsightly, and The Good
When most people think of Article Marketing, what comes to mind is usually how to write the article rather then how to market it. But there is anthor way and I will show you in this article.
The latest rage seems to be Article marketing and with good reason. It's by far the best free means of promoting your business and increasing your sales and opt in subscribers.
7). Use Ezine Marketing To Boost Traffic Or Profits
You’ve probably seen them advertised or subscribed to a few. E-zines seem to be sweeping the Internet and filling mailboxes. Maybe you’ve thought about creating your own for your site, but decided against it for any number of reasons. Maybe you didn’t see how e-zine marketing could help. Maybe you decided that maintaining an e-zine would be too much work.