Newsletters and your customers

Would your customers enjoy hearing from you when you aren't focused on selling them something? Would they like tips about how to use or care for the products you sell? Would they like to know about things going on in the community or enjoy you sharing a favorite quote?

I'll bet they would. And when you send people things of interest, you build that all-important "top of mind awareness."

They very best way to reach out with a newsletter is to write it, print it, and mail it, but if you're just getting started and don't have the budget for it, e-mail works pretty well too. And you can add a sales message - just don't make it the focal point of your newsletter.

There are plenty of companies out there willing to sell you a newsletter for your specific kind of business, but I personally think that the ones you write yourself - or have written just for you - are more effective. And I think that if you've got 4 pages, 3 of them can be related to your specialty, but not "pushing" it.

When I wrote a newsletter for my real estate company, I always included a section of quotes - and often people called or wrote to tell me how much they enjoyed them. I also included home care tips, news about new businesses in the community, and goofy articles like "What I love most about Autumn." People used to stop me in the grocery store to tell me they always read every word.

I have a newsletter laying here from my chiropractor, and I don't think it does the job. The only thing personal about it is his picture, name and address. The rest of it tells me why I need chiropractic. Well shoot! If I didn't know that I wouldn't be on his list to mail to!

The other thing that detracts from this mailing is that the photographs show that it is not personal to this community. Our community is decidedly not diverse. And yet, this newsletter is filled with photos of people from ethnic groups that are not represented here - at all. It may be politically correct to include a variety of ethnic groups, but if they aren't here, they aren't here. So the newsletter shouts out that he didn't write it and these aren't photos of actual patients.

It would be far more effective if he had a photo of Jane Doe, patient, with a big smile and a thank you for how good she feels.

I really believe newsletters help build your business, and that you can be more effective at less cost with a personal message. And if writing just isn't your thing, write me, and I'll help you get it done!

Yours for prosperity...
Marte