Newsletters - The Missing Link in Your Business
When I talk with a new client for the first time I have a series of questions that I ask them. Do you publish a newsletter is one of them. Most popular response? "No, I know I need to do that, but I haven't gotten around to it yet." As a matter of fact, I just recently took a poll on my Facebook and the largest percentage of people agreed with that same statement. My hope is that this post will encourage you to take that first step.
At this moment about 30% of my new business is coming from my newsletter. That is new business that I would not have without this effort. In addition, my newsletter serves as a platform to create awareness about my business and my brand.
Reasons why you should be publishing a newsletter:
**New business development**
Build a target audience/Prospect list
Branding
Establish yourself as an authority in your field /Increase credibility
Announce new products
Gage interest
Great referral instrument as people send good newsletters to their friends, coworkers and colleagues
Traffic driver - drive traffic to your website and social media sites
Convinced yet? :-)
One of the things I really love about my newsletter is the reporting feature. It tells me who opened it, how many times they opened it, if they forwarded it, and if they clicked through to my website or social media site. It helps me see what topics get the most interest from my audience and that helps me not only gauge what I should be talking about but a deeper issue, potential business development ideas. The reporting tool can help me gauge interest on a specific idea that I may have for a new product, and when you look at the reports from that perspective, this information becomes PRICELESS!
So the point I am trying to make is the value in doing a newsletter is so multi-faceted if you look at the whole picture. Most people understand the sales part of it but they don't really use all the research to their benefit. Don't just see it for face value, look way past that. So when I say a newsletter can grow your business if done well, that is exactly what I mean!
Design matters! Your newsletter is a representation of your company so it is very important that is a very thorough and well thought out effort. As a matter of fact I feel pretty confident that this component is the obstacle of most business owners.
Good content is crucial! If you want your newsletter to achieve impact and influence you need to seriously consider the content you are delivering. I think about my newsletter all week long, I plan carefully what my topic is going to be and I put a lot of thought into how I am doing to deliver the information. My main objective is to provide value for the reader, even if it is something small, I want my audience to walk away with something they can use in their business right away. In addition I want to be a resource of learning and new information. I get many notes about my newsletters, thanking me and telling me how great they are. Although the goal is to grow my business through this effort, the notes make my day, and make me feel good about the time I invest.
In essence the newsletter has to provide something of value to the reader, it has to be worthy of their time. It cannot be a sales pitch. (Unless you are a retail establishment, there are exceptions - your readers will want to know about upcoming sales etc.) Your newsletter also has to be a consistent effort - this is another obstacle to the business owner. I feel that business owners don't want to commit to producing a regular newsletter that they feel burdened by the continuance of creating good content.
Yes, I won't lie to you, publishing a newsletter is a large undertaking. It takes commitment and lots of work. I promise you it is worth it!
I am currently in the process of developing a Business Development Workshop. I will be targeting the small business owner with this product. There will be a component of developing your database, creating your list, designing the newsletter, how to produce good content, and in addition Business Development 101. If you have interest in receiving information once this is launched you can email me at tammy@socialheavy.net.
Hi there! My name is Tammy Hawk-Bridges and I am the owner of SocialHeavy. I am over-the-top passionate about what I do - and what it can do for your business and your BRAND!
I created SocialHeavy after making the observation that businesses were jumping on the social media bandwagon in droves but they were leaving their branding behind. However, not really at fault because even though social media has been around for a long time most people still do not know HOW to use it properly and they don't know all the customization opportunities that are there to make your business stand out.
So who am I? I am first a branding and marketing person, second I am a great graphic artist and web developer. In addition I am a business woman with an eye for the bottom line. One of my favorite things to do is make a small business look big!
Connect with me!
http://www.socialheavy.net
http://www.facebook.com/socialheavy
At this moment about 30% of my new business is coming from my newsletter. That is new business that I would not have without this effort. In addition, my newsletter serves as a platform to create awareness about my business and my brand.
Reasons why you should be publishing a newsletter:
**New business development**
Build a target audience/Prospect list
Branding
Establish yourself as an authority in your field /Increase credibility
Announce new products
Gage interest
Great referral instrument as people send good newsletters to their friends, coworkers and colleagues
Traffic driver - drive traffic to your website and social media sites
Convinced yet? :-)
One of the things I really love about my newsletter is the reporting feature. It tells me who opened it, how many times they opened it, if they forwarded it, and if they clicked through to my website or social media site. It helps me see what topics get the most interest from my audience and that helps me not only gauge what I should be talking about but a deeper issue, potential business development ideas. The reporting tool can help me gauge interest on a specific idea that I may have for a new product, and when you look at the reports from that perspective, this information becomes PRICELESS!
So the point I am trying to make is the value in doing a newsletter is so multi-faceted if you look at the whole picture. Most people understand the sales part of it but they don't really use all the research to their benefit. Don't just see it for face value, look way past that. So when I say a newsletter can grow your business if done well, that is exactly what I mean!
Design matters! Your newsletter is a representation of your company so it is very important that is a very thorough and well thought out effort. As a matter of fact I feel pretty confident that this component is the obstacle of most business owners.
Good content is crucial! If you want your newsletter to achieve impact and influence you need to seriously consider the content you are delivering. I think about my newsletter all week long, I plan carefully what my topic is going to be and I put a lot of thought into how I am doing to deliver the information. My main objective is to provide value for the reader, even if it is something small, I want my audience to walk away with something they can use in their business right away. In addition I want to be a resource of learning and new information. I get many notes about my newsletters, thanking me and telling me how great they are. Although the goal is to grow my business through this effort, the notes make my day, and make me feel good about the time I invest.
In essence the newsletter has to provide something of value to the reader, it has to be worthy of their time. It cannot be a sales pitch. (Unless you are a retail establishment, there are exceptions - your readers will want to know about upcoming sales etc.) Your newsletter also has to be a consistent effort - this is another obstacle to the business owner. I feel that business owners don't want to commit to producing a regular newsletter that they feel burdened by the continuance of creating good content.
Yes, I won't lie to you, publishing a newsletter is a large undertaking. It takes commitment and lots of work. I promise you it is worth it!
I am currently in the process of developing a Business Development Workshop. I will be targeting the small business owner with this product. There will be a component of developing your database, creating your list, designing the newsletter, how to produce good content, and in addition Business Development 101. If you have interest in receiving information once this is launched you can email me at tammy@socialheavy.net.
Hi there! My name is Tammy Hawk-Bridges and I am the owner of SocialHeavy. I am over-the-top passionate about what I do - and what it can do for your business and your BRAND!
I created SocialHeavy after making the observation that businesses were jumping on the social media bandwagon in droves but they were leaving their branding behind. However, not really at fault because even though social media has been around for a long time most people still do not know HOW to use it properly and they don't know all the customization opportunities that are there to make your business stand out.
So who am I? I am first a branding and marketing person, second I am a great graphic artist and web developer. In addition I am a business woman with an eye for the bottom line. One of my favorite things to do is make a small business look big!
Connect with me!
http://www.socialheavy.net
http://www.facebook.com/socialheavy
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