One of the things Advantage can assist you with is creating and managing newsletters. The following is an article by Lisa Taliga of Virtual PA Business that explains how you can use newsletters to obtain new clients and keep your current clients informed. The original article can be found here at Ms. Taliga’s website, Virtual PA Assistant.
Use
A Newsletter To Get More Clients
by
Lisa Taliga
Imagine the following scenario: six months ago you paid someone
to come and do your gardening. You’d like to use them again but
you can’t remember their name and have lost their business card.
You end up going to another gardener, which means that the first
gardener has probably lost a customer for life.
How easy would it have been for that gardener to stay in touch
with you by sending you a newsletter with gardening tips and
product recommendations?
If you’re running your own business, you can’t afford not to
have a newsletter. Sure, it seems that every business sends
out one nowadays but that is no reason to avoid using this invaluable
marketing tool. It’s an excellent way to build ongoing customer
relationships, establish trust and build credibility.
The most cost effective way to send out a newsletter is by
email. That way you avoid printing and mailing costs, and it’s
so much more immediate.
Here are 5 tips to using email newsletters as a way of staying
in touch with your customer base:
1. Use the 80% 20% Rule
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is talking only
about themselves in their newsletters. Think about the newsletters
that you delete and the ones that you make the effort to read.
Usually the most interesting ones contain solid information
and tips that benefit you in some way. Think about what would
really interest and help your readers and write articles on
those topics accordingly.
80% of your newsletter content should directly benefit your
reader. Only allow 20% of your content to promote your business.
2. Choose a schedule and stick to it
Consistency is the key when sending out newsletters. Whether
you decide on a monthly or fortnightly newsletter, make a commitment
to yourself to keep to this schedule. If your newsletter is
good, your customers will start to look forward to hearing from
you and you don’t want to disappoint them, do you?
3. Pick a quality newsletter provider
I did a lot of research into different newsletter services
and it turns out that Aweber is known as one of the best in
the world. I haven’t been disappointed. Aweber gives me fantastic
service at a very reasonable price.
As part of signing up, you get free templates to use. Customise
these with your logo and photo to add that personal touch. Aweber
also manages people wanting to unsubscribe from your list automatically,
which is a great time saver. You can try Aweber risk-free for
30 days here:
http://www.virtualpabusiness.com/recommends/aweber.html
4. Plan your content
Instead of inwardly groaning when suddenly it’s time to send
out your newsletter again, why not brainstorm and work on some
article ideas in advance? Think of your newsletter as an ongoing,
fun project and it will be.
5. Put your sign-up box on your website
Make it easy for people to sign up for your newsletter by putting
a sign-up box prominently on your website. Also invite people
to sign up by putting a sentence at the end of your email signature,
saying something like ‘Sign up for my newsletter with the latest
articles, news, tips and stories at ………’
The time and effort that you put into your newsletter will
pay off dividends by increasing repeat business, and bringing
in new business.
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Lisa Taliga is a Virtual Assistant and author of ‘Freelance |
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