The problem with those compact fluorescent bulbs
Everyone should be using compact fluorescent bulbs. Except we’re not — and that’s despite these bulbs saving electricity and preserving the thing that really matters: the environment. This is the thing: saving the planet is still a hard sell, even though it shouldn’t be. And so is saving money on power. Why? Because, as Seth…
Elements of a successful newsletter: 9 – The Title
This is the ninth in a series of posts about the elements of a successful newsletter. 9. The Title Many people spend hours thinking about what to call their newsletter. I’m here to say that, really, it doesn’t matter all that much. The most important thing about your newsletter is not the title, it’s the…
Elements of a successful newsletter: 8 – Headlines
This is the eighth in a series of posts about the elements of a successful newsletter. 8. Headlines In a minute, I’m going to give you a way to write great headlines for your newsletter that is as easy as painting by numbers. But first… Several years ago, I worked as an editor on a…
Is your newsletter too passive?
John Jantsch has an interesting post in the Duct Tape Marketing Blog about how many ads fail to ask the reader to do anything: By grabbing your reader, viewer or listener’s attention and making them do something, you stand a much better chance of them following through to the ultimate step of buying or becoming…
Tips for choosing the right paper
A useful post from Rob Kirby appeared on the always interesting Duct Tape Marketing blog today about choosing the right paper for your printing job. Good,basic advice for any printing work, including newsletters. Link: Printing Part 2: Choose the right paper
Elements of a successful newsletter: 7 – Pictures
This is the seventh in a series of posts about the elements of a successful newsletter. 7. Pictures While a picture may say a thousand words, the pictures you see in some newsletters — unfortunately — say a thousand words of gibberish. Why are so many pictures not up to scratch? First, it’s difficult to…
Fun ad for good-old print
Boing Boing posted today this ad for books. It’s true. Print doesn’t have the kind of technical problems faced by the web. That’s why the extra expense of a print newsletter is often worth it.
Web Increasingly Is the Place to Reach Small Businesses
Small businesses are increasingly using the web to prospect, according to a survey by Warrillow & Co. Take a look at the link below. I think the smartest businesses are using email and the web alongside other, non-web methods. That’s very powerful. Link: Web Increasingly Is the Place to Reach Small Businesses, Says Warrillow Survey…
Elements of a successful newsletter: 6 – Writing Style
This is the sixth in a series of posts about the elements of a successful newsletter. 6. Writing Style Your main task as a newsletter writer is to get your newsletter read. Period. So that means your writing should not get in the way of what you are trying to say. What do I mean…
Elements of a successful newsletter: 5 – The Design
This is the fifth in a series of posts about the elements of a successful newsletter. 5. The Design This is an overview of newsletter design. I’ll go into more detail in later posts. There are 2 key things to remember: 1) Your design should make your newsletter easy to read 2) Your design should…
Elements of a successful newsletter: 4 – Offers
This is the fourth in a series of posts about the elements of a successful newsletter. 4. Offers If your newsletter is going to work for you — in other words, if it’s going to increase your income — you’ve got to find a way to encourage people to buy something from you. It’s all…
Getting your words read
There’s a very interesting discussion over at Michael Stelzner’s Writing White Papers Blog about tips to make sure your writing gets read. Michael found 5 tips from CopyDiva’s blog that I agree are excellent pointers for getting your writing read. Worth sticking up on the wall by your desk. Take a look at the post…
How to Grow Your Business
Take a look at this post from Trizle. Just what I’ve been saying about the value of existing clients over new clients. And why building on your existing clients is the best way to grow your business. Just that Trizle says it in, err, a different way. Link: How to Grow Your Business.
Elements of a successful newsletter: 3 – Personality
This is the third in a series of posts about the elements of a successful newsletter. 3. Personality For the most part, people buy from people and not from companies. That’s something many salespeople (and many people who don’t consider themselves salespeople but nevertheless run a business) already know. After all, isn’t it true that…
What is a Loyal Customer?
Just found a post on the Human Being Curious blog, called What is a Loyal Customer. It defines a loyal customer as having the following characteristics: A loyal customer will buy what you’re currently selling, and whatever else you come up with. A loyal customer feels more like a partner than a transactional buyer. Loyal…
Great Resource: Online document conversion
I just tried out Zamzar.com, which converts documents of one type into an other. You just upload your document, select what format you want to convert it to and then wait. The site emails you back with a link you can use to download your document. It took about 30 minutes to receive a 4-page…
Newsletters – not just for clients
Kiss3 made a great point in a comment on a previous post: that newsletters should be sent to prospects as well as to existing clients. Of course, I agree. While sending newsletters to clients is a great way to grow your business – because the greatest potential extra income comes from your existing clients –…
Elements of a successful newsletter: 2 – The Content
This is the second in a series of posts about the elements of a successful newsletter. 2. The Content You’ll remember from my first post in this series that I said it was very important to focus on what interests the reader rather than what interests you. Then you’ll make it more likely your client…
Under New Management
Just had to link to this post from Seth Godin, as he illustrates so vividly what he calls the ‘ego-centric nature of most marketing’. That’s what I was saying in my last post, about why your newsletter must be about your reader, not you.
Elements of a successful newsletter: 1 – The Reader
This is the first in a serious of posts about the elements of a successful newsletter. 1. The Reader. Probably the most common mistake novice company newsletter publishers make is this: writing about the wrong person. What do I mean by that? Simply, that it’s not enough (and it’s not effective) to write about you,…