Newsletters Help You Stay in Touch

www.kickstartall.com

Newsletters Help You Stay in Touch

by Mary Sullivan

When people talk about “customer relationship management,” they often mean big CRM systems that are more about management than customer relationships. A simpler, more cost-effective way to grow customer relationships is with a newsletter.

Newsletters help you stay “top of mind” in a noisy world by enabling you to develop and maintain relationships with your customers and prospects. Frequent touches with relevant, informative content demonstrate your value and reinforce your brand. They also keep customer relationships warm so you’re remembered when customers are ready to buy.

While hard copy newsletters are still an option, electronic newsletters are low cost, easy to publish, and when driven by value-added content are welcomed by audiences. Keep in mind that you’ll need to build a permission-based distribution list in order to comply with the recent CAN-SPAM legislation.

Visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm for more information on this law.

Here are some helpful tips on e-newsletter publication:

Lists – Buy or Build?

Build your own list rather than buy expensive, highly targeted lists that typically draw low subscription rates.
Start with existing contacts where you can document a prior business relationship.
Send a sample newsletter with a personalized salutation and a known signature to other contacts provided by Sales and business partners, inviting them to Subscribe.
Place a Subscribe button prominently on your Home Page with a link to samples of your newsletters.
Include a Send Email permission checkbutton on online orders.

Use Value-added Content

Be brief and relevant.
Include tips, useful resources, customer stories, and industry trends.
Sync up with other marketing programs and sales campaigns.
Write stories in-house, get permission to reprint excerpts of others’ articles, or use links to other online news.

Style – Keep It Simple

Make it easy for readers to skim through your newsletter.
Standardize your style, and keep it friendly.
HTML formatting is easier to scan and read.
Lead with compelling headlines at the top.

Publishing

Commit to a regular publishing schedule, at least monthly. Less frequent communication lets relationships cool.
Business readers are most likely to read your newsletter mid-week and mid-day.
Schedule consumer newsletters according to the reading habits of your audience.

Distribution

Send your newsletters from a server that can handle high volume. ISPs spam-filter inbound e-mail, and newsletters are at high risk for delivery failure.
Businesses increasingly block e-mails from unknown senders or because they come from “blacklisted” e-mailing services. Ask your subscribers to “whitelist” you.
Always show readers how they can unsubscribe or opt-out.

The goal of your newsletter should be to build customer relationships for the long term. Maintain a quality list and be patient while it grows. Compelling information is viral—people will forward it to others. And keep in mind that your goal is to grow your list of true readers and loyal customers.

About the Author:
Mary Sullivan is a co-founder of KickStart Alliance, an integrated sales and marketing group that helps clients achieve their revenue goals.