- Feature Article: Tips for Using Newsletters as Communication and Marketing Tools

- Note from the Author: Launch Your Communications Empire!

- Special Message: On What Frequency Are You Broadcasting?

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Launch Your Communications Empire!

Today's edition of this newsletter is all about regular communications with your audiences. There are so many ways to accomplish that today via the Internet, using text, audio, and video in posts, blogs, podcasts, and other types of news blasts.

Online and offline, however, the plain, old fashioned newsletter remains a tool of choice for many savvy marketers and business owners. It offers publishers great latitude to decide, first of all, what constitutes news, and then a vehicle to convey that information to their subscribers at whatever intervals they desire.

As recently as a few decades ago, many of us could not imagine that we would eventually become our own publishing houses, and the stars of our own personal broadcasting systems. With today's multifaceted technology, we can become instant media moguls when we take over the reins of newsletter publishing.

For that reason, I hope you enjoy today's feature article, "Tips for Using Newsletters as Communication and Marketing Tools." Thanks in advance for your comments!

Here's to your business prosperity,

Adele Sommers, author of the "Straight Talk on Boosting Business Performance" success program

P.S. If you missed any previous issue, visit the newsletter index!

On What Frequency Are You Broadcasting?

Did you know you are a beacon for ideas, positive energy, and purpose that can have a powerful influence on others?

Many people underestimate the range of their influence, and don't send clear, regular signals to their audiences or constituents. I'm not sure why that is, since there are so many tools available today to disseminate useful information.

How can you demonstrate your charisma and leadership? Through consistent, informative, and upbeat communications. So, why not think of yourself as your own radio station transmitting on your own unique channel?

Regardless of the medium you choose, just remember to set your frequency to station WIIFM ("What's In It For Me") -- the universal wavelength that everyone understands. When you present information of obvious benefit to your audiences, they'll tune in regularly for each installment!

Tips for Using Newsletters as Communication
and Marketing Tools
by Adele Sommers

How do you reach out to, and stay in touch with, your clients, customers, or colleagues? Do you have a way to keep your name, ideas, and offerings fresh in their minds at all times?

A number of marketing studies have suggested that it can take at least 7-10 or more exposures to a given company, person, or message to generate a sense of familiarity and recognition in an audience.

That could mean driving past a particular billboard every day for weeks, reading a certain newspaper ad multiple times, hearing buzz about someone in a radio commercial over and over again, or receiving a newsletter for several months -- you get the idea!

If you desire to create a bond with your constituents, you will want to provide them with a way to get to know, like, and trust you (also known as the "KLT" factor). This process leads to building loyal customer relationships over time. It involves finding a way to get onto your audience's "radar screens" at regular intervals -- and staying there. This article discusses:

1) Key benefits of producing a business newsletter
2) Pros and cons of paper-based newsletters
3) Pros and cons of electronic newsletters
4) Optimal delivery schedules

1) What Are Some Benefits of Producing a Business Newsletter?

A newsletter affords certain advantages over other types of media because it's a comforting, familiar concept modeled after a newspaper. Nothing tricky about it -- it can present facts, fiction, fun, advertisements, editorials, and many other types of content without requiring the audience to adopt a new mindset.

The text-oriented medium does not depend on audio speakers or video players to communicate.

You can emphasize tips and "how-to" information, case studies, and third-party endorsements, all of which convey the message that you care about your audience's success!

2) What Are the Pros and Cons of Paper-Based Newsletters?

People generally create paper-based newsletters with desktop publishing tools, print them or have them professionally printed, and distribute them via the postal system or another method. The pros include:

• They provide a tangible and easily portable medium that subscribers can carry with them and read on a bus, plane, subway, or even in the bathtub -- without having to print out something first.

• They're unlikely to be discarded immediately, especially when they're attractively designed. Unlike hitting the "Delete" button, tossing a newsletter takes more deliberation, so there's a reasonable chance of it being read.

• They can be stored for future reference. Hint: Try distributing your paper newsletter already three-hole punched, which conveys to your audience: "Store this document in a binder!" You can even offer an attractive newsletter holder as a subscriber bonus.

The cons of paper-based newsletters include:

• Production and mailing overhead. Paper and ink (or professional duplication costs), the time to fold and label, and the postage all add up. If you produce in color rather than black and white, expect to pay several times more.

• Voluminous newsletters can appear wasteful. Some audiences might cringe at the idea of using so many trees if you regularly send a tome of information.

3) What Are the Pros and Cons of Electronic Newsletters?

People produce electronic newsletters (often called "ezines") in a variety of ways, including:

• A simple text-based e-mail message that is sent to a personal list or via a subscription broadcasting service such as ConstantContact.com, Aweber.com, or 1ShoppingCart.com (my favorite). Note that broadcasting services don't allow attachments.

• An HTML-based e-mail message with images and stylized text (like this one), which is distributed in the same way as a text-based message.
  
  Tip: Good broadcasting systems should allow you to transmit both HTML and text versions at the same time, using a "mime" function. It will automatically detect the recipient's preference for HTML or text e-mail, and present the correct version accordingly.

• A Web page where the newsletter is posted for posterity. (See examples.) Some newsletter producers send nothing more than a short, text-only e-mail that contains a link to an HTML or PDF version posted online.

The pros of electronic newsletters include:

• They have low production costs. Other than the time to produce them and the broadcasting service charges, there are currently no mailing fees involved.

• Delivery time can be close to instantaneous, unless there are server slow-downs or gateway blockages along the way.

• If formatted nicely, they can be printed to serve as handouts or examples of your professional communication style.

The cons of electronic newsletters include:

• Aggressive *spam* filters, which make it very tricky to write content that does not set off alarms. Many ezine producers resort to disguising words that trigger filters (by using creative spellings or inserting extra characters), such as "fr*ee," "guar*antee," "mo*ney," "cli*ck," and many others.

• Strict *spam* regulations, which make it challenging to construct mailings that obey all of the rules, and therefore, more difficult for legitimate e-mailers to do business. (More information on regulations.)

• People already receive too much e-mail, which makes it difficult to compete for their attention. Further, due to the unpredictability of e-mail, it's very likely that not everyone will even receive your newsletters.

4) What Is an Optimal Delivery Schedule?

Your audiences are attention-deprived, with only so much time to absorb information, yet they still need reminders about who you are and what you offer.

• A quarterly newsletter might be easiest to produce, but may not provide exposure frequently enough to keep you in your audience's thoughts.

• Monthly or biweekly newsletters are reasonable options, from both a production and an exposure standpoint.

• A weekly newsletter is really the most frequent option you should consider. Not only is it a lot of work to produce, but it might be too much exposure for some audiences.

In conclusion, newsletters provide a powerful forum for engaging your audiences and promoting your business. To enjoy the best of all worlds, consider producing a newsletter that you send out via e-mail, archive online, and also print for a variety of purposes.

Copyright 2007 Adele Sommers

Tips for Formatting Plain-Text Newsletters

When you are sending a text-only, e-mail newsletter, it's wise to shorten the length of the lines to 64 or fewer columns so that they will not be truncated in strange places by the line-wrapping features of various e-mail programs.

To reformat your text instantly, go to FormatIt.com. Enter the desired column width in the field provided. Then, simply copy your text from whatever application you are using and paste it into the text field, or compose the text directly in the text field.

Once you have entered the text into the field, use the Submit button to send the text to be formatted. Within a few seconds, you will be transported to another page that will contain your formatted text in a similar text field. Highlight the entire text, copy it to your clipboard, and then paste it back into your application. It's that simple!

Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is the author of "Straight Talk on Boosting Business Performance" -- an award-winning Special Report and Workbook program.

If you liked today's issue, you'll love this down-to-earth overview of how 12 potent business-boosting strategies can reenergize the morale and productivity of your enterprise, tame unruly projects, and attract loyal, satisfied customers. It's accompanied by a step-by-step workbook designed to help you easily create your own success action plan. Browse the table of contents and reader reviews on the description page.

Adele also offers no-cost articles and resources to help small businesses and large organizations accelerate productivity and increase profitability. Learn more at LearnShareProsper.com.

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