Company newsletters can go a long way in educating your clients and prospects to work with you.
If you’re trying to find ways to engage customers and prospects, look no further than the business newsletter.
I could think of several reasons why you should invest in sending out a company newsletter, but here are just a few:
Higher brand recall and association
What do you do after you’ve sold your client’s home, that software package or other product you represent? Do you wait for customers to get in touch with you regarding that product, or wait around and hope they come back to you for that next purchase? Business newsletters offer you a way to interact with ‘dormant’ customers, cross-sell other related products and provide value through information such as product care tips and more. Keeping your name in front of your customers with relevant, valuable information ensures that when customers want to upgrade to a more sophisticated product or service, you’re the first brand they think of.
Quicker, wider reach
The next time you have a new release of a service or product, wait no longer than the click of a button to let customers and prospects know about it. There’s great power with bulk email. With your own company newsletter, you can reach millions of customers across the world in an instant.
Cost-effective solution
Let’s not even bother comparing an email business newsletter to a printed brochure or newsletter. We all know email is cheaper to send.
Environment-friendly
Most mailed newsletters are discarded by most of the recipients. Emailed newsletters are much easier on the environment.
What Makes A Great e-Newsletter?
First of all, there still needs to be content. Remember, people opt-in for content. They don’t opt-in for ads. If you’re just going to be a commercial, don’t even bother. There’s a reason most e-newsletters have a 5-10% open rate. There needs to be a compelling reason for people to open your newsletter… there must be something in it for them. Be sure you’ve got GREAT content that is relevant to the target market you’re trying to reach. The content in your newsletter should be free and actionable steps that your target market can use immediately, without spending a dime.
Once you’ve created some great content, then you may choose to include a special offer or product/opportunity highlight that may be of interest to your target market. I like to refer to this as the “content sandwich.” Surround your advertising with great content that will draw people in. This will lead to more success than just flinging ads at people. And be sure you’re including visuals. People will more-easily absorb your content if you give them a visual break. Learn how to add pictures through the publishing program you’re using; use images often to highlight the content and offers you’re making.
If you’re a direct sales company, consider providing your sales force with a newsletter service that allows them to add a content-driven article, based on the needs of the target market they’ve defined. However, be sure that you as a company are also providing back-up content to publish; in case your salesperson doesn’t have time to add an article. This collaboration benefits both the company and the sales force.
If you’re a salesperson with a company that does not provide an e-newsletter, you can still create your own. Services such as Constant Contact and iContact (my personal favorite) provide good tools to get you started. You’ll pay a low monthly fee for these services, but often just one sale resulting from the newsletter will pay for multiple months of service.
Be sure that you don’t use your e-newsletter to spam anyone. Remember, people MUST opt-in for your newsletter, or else it’s considered spam. Don’t sign up your friends, your mother, and your dog for your newsletter without being sure you have permission. A simple strategy is simply to ask every contact, “Would you like to receive a free copy of my newsletter, which has great articles about…?” If they say yes, then you have permission to send it.
Finally, make sure to stay consistent to your brand along with a clean, well designed layout. You want to make sure that your newsletter becomes a helpful tool, not an eyesore. Feel free to contact me for help when first building your newsletter. Remember, first impressions are key to making sure your future newsletters are read.
By making your e-newsletter a strategic part of your overall content marketing strategy, you will be able to provide the follow-up necessary to convert social networking contacts into customers and recruits for your business, as well as ensuring current customers are return customers.
Posted by Mark Palazzo 
