Not Far From It Now

Do you have time to personally contact all of your clients and prospects each month? Probably not. Depending on the size of your business, reaching each client once or twice a year may be a real accomplishment. What are your customers missing in between?

A newsletter helps to make sure your customers and prospects know what is going on. Information on new products, changes in hours or services, upgraded systems or upcoming events reach them on a timely, regular basis. A newsletter also gives you the opportunity to provide a small free sample of your experience, insight and advice through articles that speak from your expertise.

Newsletters dont have to be expensive. An e-newsletter (electronically produced and emailed to customers) avoids postage costs and can be completed with easy-to-use templates. A printed newsletter does have some upfront costs, but it also doubles as a marketing piece for months afterwards.

Where do you get material for your newsletter? Events, new staff and changes in operations are part of your daily world. National news stories or industry happenings may inspire you to provide an opinion related to your business. Trade associations often release studies and statistics worthy of coverage. Anything you would put in a press release is also potential newsletter story.

Still strapped for ideas? Here are five more ways your newsletter can work hard to tell your story.

Testimonials--Gather quotes from customer surveys or ask satisfied customers to tell how your company met their needs. (Get permission before using full names or company names.)

Case studiesSimilar to a longer testimonial, but with more detail, case studies tell the story of a unique or difficult client problem. It showcases the features of your product/service and how you helped the client meet their need. Be careful to get client approval before disclosing any information about their business operations.

In-depth newsHere is the chance to go behind the scenes of an event, behind the headlines of recent news, or into detail about a new product/service/location. Talk about customer benefit, or tell the story about how the new service was created to meet an unmet need.

Highlight staffA newsletter is a great place to introduce new customer-facing staff, acknowledge awards and completed continuing education, recognize a job well done or introduce back office staff. Customers like to feel that they know the people with whom they do business. Add some human interest and showcase your best assetyour people.

Thank/educate/shareYour newsletter can also provide the opportunity to thank customers outright. This can happen in conjunction with an anniversary or significant event. You can also include newsletter-only coupons or specials. Educate customers with a more in-depth article about an industry trend or unmet need. Be sure to tie it back to a way your service addresses the problem. Share your vision as the business owner, and explain your philosophy of doing business and your plan for the future. You can also weigh in on important industry or regional issues that affect your business.

Your newsletter has pass-along value, too. That means that a customer or prospect may hand off your newsletter to another person who needs your service. Make sure your layout is crisp, your graphics and colors are consistent with your other brochures, stationery, logo and web site, and that your newsletter gives a positive, professional perspective. Your contact informationphone and fax numbers, email address, physical address and web address--should all be easy to find. Dont make it hard for them to place an order!

You may also want to think about using your newsletter as a way to flesh out your web site. Newsletter articles, case studies or testimonials make great web content. Its a two-for-one hit for effort, and the copy continues to work for you after the newsletter is gone.

Your newsletter is a sales rep that never sleeps. Harness the power of a good newsletter, and put it to work for your business.

Gail Z. Martin owns DreamSpinner Communications and helps companies in the U.S. and Canada tell the Real Story of their business through exceptional writing and marketing. Gail has an MBA in marketing and over 20 years of corporate and non-profit experience at senior executive levels. She is also the author of The Summoner, a fantasy adventure novel.

Sign up for a FREE email mini course, FREE marketing conference call and a FREE teleseminar on Telling Your Real Story, at http://www.DreamSpinnerCommunications.com Find out more about Gails books at http://www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com Contact Gail at 704-595-9581 to start telling the Real Story of your business.

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