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,…
Dental care
Just back from the dentist. On the wall of the office was a sign that said something like: "Our aim is to give the very best of care to your teeth so that you keep as many of your own teeth as possible for the rest of your life." A good sign, I thought. A…
“We don’t do marketing”
Interesting article just popped up at Raintoday.com: When It Comes To Marketing Services: We Don’t Do Marketing Many professional services claim not to do marketing, but in reality they are doing things aimed at attracting and retaining profitable clients. Worth a read. (Thanks to Small Business 2.0 for making me aware of this article.)
6 words that get people reading
Journalists are taught to answer some simple questions when they write a news story: who? what? why? where? when? and how? Then they get all the facts. Those 6 words are also great as headlines for your newsletter. Why? Because they promise an answer. An answer that will be revealed only if you read the…
How lists provide quick, easy and powerful content
Lists are one of the easiest ways to provide interesting content for your newsletter. You know the kind of thing: 10 things you must do in your yard this November 5 ways to wash red wine off the rug 99 secrets to buying a used car They’re easy to write because you don’t have to…
How to use your newsletter to get referrals
Referrals are a great way to grow your business. They’re also hard to get. As Seth Godin says in this post today, there’s an element of risk involved on the part of your client if they refer you to a friend (what if you screw up?) and some products and services, due to their nature,…
Little things mean a lot
On the theme of pumping up the gravity of your business, take note of this story of a simple act of thoughtfulness by a DHL employee, which comes from Dr Mike Thomson’s Ethics in Business blog from the always excellent Duct Tape Marketing. It’s these little details that often make the difference.
Marketing doesn’t stop when they come in the door
A new restaurant a block away was offering 2 for 1 lunch combos to get people in the door. Smart marketing – it overcomes resistance to trying something new by giving people an irresistible offer. It increases the restaurant’s gravity. It worked for me – I went! But sometimes marketing isn’t enough – if…
Pump up your gravity
Every business has gravity. Some businesses, like Wal-Mart, Google or Starbucks, have lots of it. Others, like the restaurant around the corner or the commoditized printing company, have very little. When a business has a lot of gravity, customers stay in orbit around it. When a business has little gravity, customers fly away into Space.…
There’s nothing as valuable as…
… an existing client! Listen to this: a friend wrote to his cellphone provider in the Netherlands to cancel his contract (he’s moved from there and doesn’t need a phone anymore). The company writes back, saying stay with us please, and as a carrot offering a year’s contract including 90 minutes of free calls a…
Printing money?
I like Vistaprint. They’ve done some very nice postcards for me – great for small runs. They also have a smart marketing machine. 1) They encourage you to sign up to get emails from them with the bait of special discounts2) They mail frequently – once every few days3) They put great offers in these…
Just keep showing up
There’s nothing like persistence to get a job done – especially when most people give up after just one or two efforts. It’s particularly important in marketing for 2 reasons: 1) When there’s such a noise coming from advertising in general, it often takes more than one appearance to get noticed2) If you keep showing…
Here’s a job for you
Take a look at this paragraph from a job ad recently posted in Canada: The successful applicant will provide support in the elaboration of traditional and interactive communication plans, and carry out marketing analysis for diverse customers that are related to the Internet. In addition, you will identify the possibilities of new mandates with actual…
It’s all about the stories
Years ago, when I was a newspaper journalist, there was nothing that sent a buzz around the newsroom more than when a good story popped up. And even later, when I was working with the website Expatica.com, we lived for stories. Something new. Something you didn’t know. Something that reveals something unusual, provocative…even shocking. Stuff…
13 Newsletter Sins
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…
Now on Squidoo!
I’ve just set up 2 pages on Squidoo. Take a look. About Simon PaynAbout Customer Newsletters
Secrets of a successful newsletter
The content should be about your clients, not about you. Many businesses think all they need to do is say how great they are and people will come rushing. Unfortunately, that’s not the case; it will seem like bragging and you won’t engage the reader. Instead, the content should be about topics that interest the…