When a potential client is ready to buy what you’re selling, how are you going to make sure YOUR name pops into their head first? Marketing techniques are tricky because the moment you’re ready to promote your services is not necessarily the moment your customer is ready to buy.

A well thought out, professional newsletter sent on a consistent basis keeps you in contact with your list and keeps your company and product in front of your clients without pressuring them to purchase. At the same time, it ensures that when they are ready to buy, they’ll have quick access to your contact information.

Why newsletters work:

• You get a second chance to make a first impression.
  Now, I don’t mean that literally. After all, the first time is the first time. What I mean is that you get a second chance to introduce yourself, your business and your products. As time passes, a potential client you met at a networking breakfast who is finally in the market for your product might not remember that you sell it. Or maybe in that conversation you mentioned your teleseminar, but you didn’t get the chance to tell her about your retreats or eBooks. A newsletter gets that chance back for you.

• You can showcase your creativity and personality.
  Taking the time to design and write a professional newsletter gives you the chance to make a real impact on your potential clients. If face-to-face interaction isn’t your forte, a newsletter provides an opportunity to really shine and stand out. If you’re great at one-on-one, following up a meeting with a polished, informative newsletter is the perfect way to reinforce your message in the minds of new people on your list.

• You can reach many people at once.
  Imagine if you had to call every person you know to tell them about a new program. Or, what if you relied only on breakfast networking meetings for interacting with potential clients. That’s a LOT of time you’re spending “out there” when you could be spending time billing. Besides … think of the calories! (Really, don’t we all go to those things for the buffet?)

• Fans make better customers
  Banner ads and pay-per-click campaigns make good dents in your marketing budget, but you can’t really connect with random people who may or may not be interested in you, like you can via a newsletter. People are on your list because they want to be there. They (hopefully) look forward to what you have to say, and look to you as an expert of some sort. THOSE are the people that you want to spend your marketing dollars on. People who have invested time in you already.

Newsletters remind your potential (AND EXISTING) clients of what products and services you offer, keep them aware of new launches and make sure that when they’re finally ready to make a move, you’re within easy reach.

Things to put in your newsletter:

• Helpful Tips and Tricks
• Lists with useful information
• Links to articles
• A short personal note

Things to NOT put in your newsletter:

• Too many promotions (buy! buy! buy! = unsubscribe
• Spelling mistakes or poor grammar (this is REELLY importint, see how dumm it looks?)
• Unnecessary, super personal details (We are glad your athlete’s foot is better, but…TMI).

How often should you send out your newsletter?
There is no magic number for how often you should send your newsletter. I’d say not more than once a week, but don’t let more a month go by without making some contact with your list. If you send a lot of promotional material to your list, take that into consideration. You don’t want to bombard them with daily messages. (That’s what Twitter is for. We’ll get into that in a future post.)

The bottom line is, make your newsletter short, interesting and valuable. It’s a representation of yourself and your business; make sure it’s well written and looks professional. Most important, be consistent and get your message out there. After all, how are they going to know if you don’t tell them?