Marketing with your own newsletter

Top 5 Tips for Marketing with Your Own Newsletter

No matter what type of business you have, one of the best – and most effective – marketing solutions you have – is your own newsletter.

Your newsletter can be as simple as something you plug into your autoresponder every week – (if you do it this way, it’s a good idea to use both plain text and html) – to a pdf version that your subscribers can download – to something that’s created on your Website or Blog – to a printed version that’s actually mailed out using snail mail.

But whatever version of a newsletter you use, it’s one of the best ways out there to reach your ideal target market, and make a connection with them.

Here are 5 top tips to make marketing with your own newsletter faster, easier and more profitable:

  1. Keep it consistent. Decide on a publishing schedule for sending out your newsletter. According to marketing tests, having a daily newsletter – offering one article, tip sheet or checklist can be the most effective.  But it’s also a lot of work.  To make it work, you might want to find some reprint articles, private label rights articles or look for other people who are willing to have a ‘guest column’.  Another option is to outsource article writing.  The 2nd most effective schedule is weekly, and this might be easier for you, especially if you’re a solo-preneur.  If you don’t have a lot of time, or you’re just getting started, look at a bi-monthly or monthly newsletter – as you build your subscriber list, and get better at doing it, you can always increase the number of times you publish.
  2. Create an ‘editorial calendar’. Depending on your business, niche or industry, there are lots of ways you can break your topics down. Having an editorial calendar not only helps you to stay organized, but it will keep you from facing writer’s block and getting off schedule because you don’t know what to write about.  Here are some ideas: Break it down by season… ‘Hot Tips to Keep the Kids Busy While You’re Working This Summer’ could mae a great article for WAHMs, for example. Add in holiday-related articles… “How to Throw Great Stress-Free Holidays Parties”… Look for special days or events that can be tied in to your business… “How to Reconnect with old chums during National Friendship Week”…  And when you’re looking for events – are there local, state, regional or national conferences, workshops, trade shows, etc. that your clients are interested in that you can tie into? And don’t forget your own speaking engagements, teleseminars, workshops or other events that  you’re either hosting or participating in.  You can promote those in advance by writing articles, giving links to videos or podcasts, or presentations.
  3. Include updates from time to time about what’s going on in your business, or when it’s relevant, your life. Everyone likes to feel special, included – a part of the ‘inner circle’.  So from time to time, ‘throw back the curtain’ and share a little information about what’s going on behind the scenes of your business, or if it’s appropriate, your personal life.  Don’t go into the big, hairy details, or give TMI (too much information), but let your subscribers feel like they’re ‘in the know’ – and you’ll be rewarded with loyal, happy subscribers who not only like and trust you more, but who will refer you to their friends, family and colleagues.
  4. Don’t promote all the time. Everyone likes to buy new things, but no one likes to be ’sold’ to. So the working formula is 3 to 1. Provide three times the content for every one time you promote a product or service.
  5. Be authentic. Find your own ‘voice’ and use it. Be honest, open – and totally you.  Your subscribers will know if you’re not – and you’ll lose them.  Keep it real, and have fun with your newsletter.

And there you have it – the top 5 tips for marketing with your own newsletter.

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