Putting together a newsletter is a pretty time-consuming enterprise and is one of the major newsletter mistakes. The brainstorming alone can take a considerable amount of time if you’re really focused on choosing topics that your recipients actually want to read. Then there’s the writing itself, which can account for a huge slot of your time when you consider your initial drafts followed by the revision process. Once you have your content, don’t forget that you need to set up your actual newsletter design and then coordinate with a printer. Even if you’re paying an assistant to take on the job, you’re now paying someone else for several hours of work. The point is, if you’re new to the idea of Integrated Concepts Group, consider whether you can put together a polished newsletter filled with interesting content that’s both beneficial and entertaining for our low monthly rate.
We don’t ask a lot of our clients. As an engaged business, we understand and value the importance of time and productivity. With that being said, however, we cannot stress enough the importance of reading your own newsletter! Make sure you give the final newsletter proof a quick read before you send it out. Because you’ll inevitably receive positive feedback on the content from your customers and prospects, you’ll want to be prepared to chat about it with them. One of the numerous benefits of sending a monthly newsletter is the conversation it can strike between you and your clients. Who needs the weather when you have so many interesting topics from your articles to talk about? Just don’t get caught in a moment where it’s obvious you haven’t read the articles yourself. It will be a genuine blow to your readers, who think it’s you who’s orchestrating and writing the material. In fact, the same goes for your entire team.
This goes hand-in-hand with our advice to read your newsletter before it goes out. By reading the newsletter, you’ll know exactly which content you want to share on your blog and social media pages. And if you read it with as much enthusiasm as your recipients will, you’ll probably have a lot of engaging ideas for expanding the content.
Just don’t make the newsletter mistake of keeping your content exclusively for your newsletter recipients. You don’t have to share ALL of the articles on your blog and social media, but do share some. Several recent studies have stressed the number of prospects who “check you out” online, via your website and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Therefore, it’s imperative to post at least once a week on your social media and keep your blog updated on a monthly basis (which, in turn, keeps your website looking fresh). When you consider that interesting content is one of the top three reasons that people follow brands on social media in the first place, your newsletter content is the perfect thing to post.
Hoping to be wooed by your online presentation, prospects will see that you not only blog consistently but that you really value the same thing they do: content. The difference is, you’re the one generating the content and therefore, not only do you value what they do, but you’re an expert in your field too. Thanks to your newsletter, all of your bases are covered and you can continue to do what you do best, with the knowledge that your online presence is taken care of. Tip: Encourage prospects to visit your website and/or sign up for your printed newsletter by providing teasers from your newsletter content, rather than the entire article(s). Giving them a small snippet and telling them they can read more by signing up is a great way to take curious prospects to a different level.
This is HUGE. We consider your business spotlight to be the most important component of your newsletter. Although we will always provide you with other features for this area, do take advantage of our monthly interview feature at least 80% of the time. Your business spotlight is your chance to really engage with your readers with “behind the scenes” news about your business. To brag about an exciting new product or service, introduce a new employee, give details about an event, or share something of value with your readers. By the way, this particular feature is our favorite choice for blog content…all you need to do is copy and paste!
Because of their direct delivery, tangibility, and unique WOW factor, printed newsletters are one of the BEST ways to connect with your customers and prospects. But good things take time to marinate. First, you have to give your readers enough time to realize that this is ongoing service, rather than a marketing ploy. Once they realize after a few months that you’re committed to sending such great content, you’ll naturally build trust and impress them even more when they realize this is not a benefit you’re going to stop delivering.
Second, you have to keep the magic number in mind at all times: only 4% of people need your service or product at any given time. It’s not your job to convince people that they need what you offer—the need is inevitable. It’s your job to keep in constant contact so that it’s YOU they contact when the need arises. If you give up on your newsletters too soon, then you miss out on months of opportunity. Emails get spammed and deleted. Social media posts don’t get seen by many people. Continuous cold calling feels obtrusive. But your monthly newsletters? Gold. They’re a friendly, unforgettable way to reach out without annoying your customers. And when they need a service or product in your industry, guess who they’re going to call? The business that’s reached out to them each month and given them something valuable for free. The business they’ve come to see as an expert, thanks to your rich, informative content.