I live in a small town. Very small.

You can’t walk down the street without running into someone you know.

You can’t use the crosswalk without a friendly honk from a neighbor.

And you can’t line up at the grocery store without catching up on the day’s news.

Although there’s a little of the Truman Show about it – all those characters going about their business in a confined environment – I love living here. It’s a real community.

I was talking with a client the other day. At the heart of our chat was some simple message: his newsletter should about leveraging the personal relationships on which he has built his business.

In an environment in which you are assaulted by big brands and online vendors, there’s a lot of value in providing personal service. Face time and handshake time is one way to differentiate yourself.

The trouble is, in today’s world, face-to-face meetings are becoming less common.

That’s why I think of your newsletter as “relationships in print”.

I said to this client: think of the type of information you would share – the value you would offer – when you meet a client face-to-face.

…then put that in your newsletter.

That’s a very powerful way to look at your marketing.

After all, even if you don’t live in a small town, you can give your newsletter a small town feel.

Here’s where you start with a content-rich newsletter you can add some local flavor to.