5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Newsletter
Here’s what I believe: Every Business Needs a Newsletter. No excuses. Even funeral homes. Here are 5 reasons why: 1. Monsters in the Dark (because, especially right now, people want to do business with people they know and trust) Trust is at a premium these days. After all, who can we trust? Not the banks…
The Long Tail of Newsletters
I often hear stories that clients consider amazing. It goes something like this: I sent my newsletter to this person six months ago. And today they called me! Can you believe they kept the newsletter all that time and then got in touch? Well, yes, I can. If the newsletter is good. Here’s the thing:…
Excellent Example of a Customized Real Estate Newsletter
I love it when people make an effort with their marketing. (Because – to be honest – so few people really do all that it takes to break through in their market, particularly in the current economy.) I love it even more when my members take the product I offer one stage further and make…
Good and Bad Email Newsletter Campaigns
At least twice a week I have a conversation with a client or potential client about who they can sign up to receive their email newsletter. This conversation most often occurs with people who are new Realtors, insurance agents or mortgage brokers because they don’t yet have a list of past clients. Can they sign…
The Best Way to Send Out Email Newsletters
A common question I receive from people interested in my real estate, mortgage and insurance customer newsletters is whether they can send them using their own email software rather than the hosted service I offer. (With a hosted service, you upload your email list to a website, which looks after the design, list management and…
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People with Your Email Newsletter
Email newsletters – ezines – can be a powerful way to build a relationship with your clients and prospects by communicating with them right there on their computer. But if you abuse the easy access, low cost and immediacy of email, you run the risk of losing trust in the marketplace. Here’s a tongue-in-cheek look…
Real Estate Agents (and Others): The Newspaper Newsletter
I hate it when people have an idea similar to mine and then blog about it first, so that I don’t get the chance to claim it. Anyway, that person is Seth Godin, so I’m not mad. Real Estate agents (and anyone else with a local business) should read his post, Time to start a…
Why 2009 is the Year of the Customer Relationship
I was tweeting with a friend (yes, I’m on Twitter now – follow me!) who had some exciting news to share. It was a wonderful way for her to start the new year. We agreed that 2009 is going to be a very good year for people with enough get-up-and-go to take the bold action…
Why Customer Service Beats Low Prices
If you wanted any more evidence that now – despite the rough economy – is not the time to go cutting price, look at the results of the latest poll published by Marketing Sherpa (see chart at end of this post). It shows that while vendors believe price is the most important factor in customer…
Printed Newsletters and the Internet: Friends or Foes?
The other day I heard someone say, “Printed newsletters? That’s so 90s.” Let’s face it, when you compare them to email and blogs, printed newsletters do have – shall we say – a vintage feel. Dead trees and ink are hardly sexy in green-tinged, e-everything 2008. But this is the thing (actually, several things): 1) …
Shock: Some Good News about US Real Estate
If you watch enough CNN, you’ll be convinced that the American housing market – and the entire economy – is doomed. No hope. Just give up and wait. I’m not saying that things aren’t bad – that a lot of people are suffering, losing their homes and their jobs. The economy has changed and got…
Could a Customer Newsletter Actually Make You Money?
People tend to think of newsletters as a marketing expense. (Of course, marketing shouldn’t be thought of as an expense at all. It’s an investment – at least it is if you do the kind of marketing that allows you to track the results.) But it is possible to create a customer newsletter that actually…
Seth’s Advice to Realtors
As a lot of readers of this blog are real estate agents, I thought I’d pass along the advice of marketing guru Seth Godin. (I reviewed his excellent book The Dip here, and recommend all his work.) He gives two bits of advice. The first is kinda harsh. But the second is spot on. He…
4 Ways to Tell if Your Real Estate Newsletter is Boring
I’m going to ask a blunt question: is your real estate newsletter boring? Because if your newsletter is boring, you’ll be losing thousands of dollars in business because…to put it bluntly… no one will be reading! And if no one is reading, you’re not going to be able to build that essential relationship with your…
2 Easy Ways to Write Newsletter Articles (Even if You Hate Writing)
Many people are put off sending out a customer newsletter because of the amount of writing they think is involved. After all, a blank page can be pretty daunting. So here are 2 ways to make article writing easier. These aren’t new ideas – I’ve heard them mentioned several times before by several people –…
Real Estate Newsletters: 5 Essential Tips to Make Clients Adore You
Sending a real estate newsletter to your farm isn’t about getting a client or a listing right there and then. Unless you hit their mailbox at precisely the right time – just when they are looking for an agent or wanting to list their house – you’re in the business of building a relationship rather…
5 Elements Every Real Estate Newsletter Must Have
Here’s what I hope is a useful list for any Realtor putting together their own newsletter. 1) Clear Contact Information Make it easy for your clients to contact you. Put your name and contact information on the front and back, and consider adding your website URL or phone number at the bottom of every other…
Real Estate Agents: What Would You Do to Justify a 7% Commission?
A lot of my newsletter subscribers are real estate agents, so this post, The 7% Solution, from Seth Godin is particularly interesting. But it’s relevant for any business. Quote: The challenge is… what if you had to charge 7%. What if you had to charge more when everyone else was charging less? What would you…
7 Ways to Use Your Real Estate Newsletter to Grow Your Farm
Attention Realtors: Are you making the most of your newsletter? There are lots of ways to use your real estate newsletter — here are just a few: Keeping in touch with past clients If you’d like to be a client’s “Realtor for life” (something that should be one of your main business goals), then your…
Another excellent newsletter example
Earlier this month, I showed you an example of someone who took one of my ready-to-go newsletters and customized it themselves to make it even better. Today I’ve got an example of a real estate newsletter. This one is by Linda Frankl, a Realtor in Connecticut. Here’s what I think she has done well: Prominent…