OPE daily

A late but welcomed edition to the Marketing week of OPE daily.

Continuing in the theme of marketing, I am particularly fond of the Newsletter. It is amazingly budget friendly, available in multiple formats, and easy to implement. The newsletter acts as a sales tool, a branding tool, and mesenger. Communicating with your customers is paramount, and the Newsletter will help fill in the blank spots.

 Whether you use paper newsletters, electronic, or a combination of the two, the cost of communication is extremely inexpensive. The ability to reach your clients in multiple formats can be particularly powerful. Just be sure to coordinate the branding effort and maintain consistency regardless of the medium.

The newsletter is great way to announce products or services. You can also offer incentives, alert customers to industry trends, and most importantly help your customers learn more about you. It is particularly useful to communicate information that may otherwise be difficult or impossible to report to your clients and prospects. Three areas where newsletters are effective in communicating are:

1. Bad news. Price increases and product or service problems are more palatable when you have the opportunity to explain the causes and your proposed actions.
2. Good news. Here is a perfect opportunity to inform clients of products or services that you offer that don’t necessarily come up in the normal course of business.
3. Intangibles. You now have the chance to sell the intangibles of doing business with your company.

Where to start

You must first develop your newsletter. Naming your newsletter is an important first step. Use a little creativity to tie it into your business name if possible. Something such as “Clippings” or “the Compost Bin” are examples I have seen. Follow the name with a coordinated slogan and contact information. I am of the less is more camp, so I prefer to keep the layout clean and un-busy. You want to get the readers attention without the newsletter being so busy that it becomes cluttered.

Then what 

Next is the newsletter format. There are number of layouts (some are even available for free) you can download. I suggest you find one that suits your style and learn to use it over and over. Adding color and photos are a creative way to add visual interest, but be mindful of the costs involved.

Speaking of Costs

Besides design and print, distribution is the next largest cost. Whether you are purchasing email lists or postage stamps, it is up to you to manage the costs of this project. As I said earlier, you can find designs for free, and print your mailers on your own. You can also create your newsletter to be a self-mailer to avoid the need for envelopes or include them with your invoices to prevent double postage.

Time to write

How long, what topics, and layout will be important in maintaining reader interest. Again, I stress the less is more rule of thumb. It is better to have your customers contacting you for more information than for them to not read your newsletter because it was too wordy. Use headlines to grab readers. It is also wise to vary your topics in order to gain wider appeal. Your readers will all want different things from you at any given moment. Remember that it’s not all about selling. Selling is important, but people will only continue to read if you give them a reason. Seasonal lawn tips or plant reviews and recommendations are great ways to engage clients and prospects. This is also a good venue to reiterate your company’s mission and values.

Finally

Getting your readers to contact you is your goal. Offering some sort coupon or discount in your newsletter can help you measure effectiveness and readability. Surveys and other questions within your newsletter are also excellent ways to  stimulate dialogue between you and your customers as well as tell you who is paying attention to your writing.

*A final tip: you can also save on the cost of newsletters by selling advertising or sponsorship to business that support your products and services.  For example, the supply store you deal with may be running a sale on irrigation pipes, let your customers know and it may be just the reminder they need to start your next project.

Keep in touch with your clients and prospects by informing and entertaining them with newsletters. Teach them and sell to them, but remain genuine and coordinate with any other marketing materials you use. You will be surprised how much knowledge and sales you will receive because of your efforts.