- Boring them to death. If they fall asleep, they’re not going to read…and they’re not going to take action.
- Writing
just about yourself or your company. Your mother will be interested but
your customers won’t. They’re all tuned to WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). So
make it about them…not you. - Publishing
only when you feel like it. Don’t let your customers forget you publish a
newsletter – you’ll have to educate them all over again if you do. - Dodgy photos. Watch out for lo-res, pixellated artwork (you know, the ones that
are all jagged.) Nothing marks you out as an amateur more than fuzzy pictures. - Self-serving headlines. Readers want benefits…a reason to read on. So show them right
there in the headline why that article is essential reading. - Boring them to death. Did I already mention that? Good. It’s important.
- Faded
photocopies. A photocopied newsletter is fine, but do it well. Don’t make it look like there’s a world toner shortage. - Forgetting to put a call to action in there. This is essential. Give people a reason to come back to you and do business. Without an offer or a "reason why" clients or prospects should do something, you’ll be wondering if they received the newsletter at all. Don’t waste your opportunities.
- Making it too corporate. Don’t be too formal – show your personality. People don’t want to deal with a big company, they want to deal with a person. So put some raw emotion in there.
- Tiny type. People are lazy enough — and many have failing eyes. Don’t make it
any harder than necessary. (The same goes for illegible designs, of course.) - Pictures without captions. Those words under your images will be some of the most
read part of your newsletter – so don’t leave them out. - Thinking you are too ugly to print your picture. It’s not vain…it’s marketing. Putting your picture in your newsletter will enhance the connection you have with your customers.
- Not publishing often enough. Once a month is ideal; every 2 months is OK. Less, and they’re going to wonder if you died.
If you have any other rules…add them in Comments.