At the very least,
your plan should:
Identify your audience. It's not enough to say, "They're people who like
widgets". Take your cue from magazine publishers. They know exactly who
their target audience is, how much money they earn, what social group
they fit into, and what motivates them to buy. Find out who your
customers are, then tailor your newsletter around their needs and
desires.
Check out your competition. Every business has competition. Find out
what they are doing by researching their product or service. What could
you do better? Is there a gap in their service you can fill?
Identify your newsletter's purpose. What do you hope to achieve with
your newsletter? Do you want to give your subscribers information about
your product to help them make purchasing decisions? If so, you must
first show them how it can make them smarter, healthier, wealthier, or
more successful.
Do you want to position yourself as an expert in your field? Your goal
here is to provide your subscribers with well-written articles that
address issues in your industry. Whatever your objectives, your purpose
will determine what content goes in to your newsletter.
Now what?
It's time to try email marketing; more specifically, an email
newsletter. Email newsletters are cheap an easy to create and send, and
they are proven to increase sales.
Of course, there are many other reasons why email newsletters make good
business sense. Here's just a few of them:
Create a marketing campaign on a shoestring budget.
Measure the results and find out what works and what doesn't.
Build personal relationships with a large group of people.
Track customer behavior and collect user information.
Starting your email newsletter campaign
Before you start any type of marketing or advertising campaign, you need
a plan. You don't have to put together a 200-plus page document
outlining all your goals and objectives, but you do need to define some
basics before you begin.
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Creating Email Newsletters & Content
Here are three ways to provide your
readers with fresh and relevant content.
1. Write it yourself. By far the cheapest approach is to write the
content yourself. If you enjoy writing and if you have lots of ideas for
content, then this may be the best option
2. Hire writers to create your content. If you are not comfortable
writing your own content, you can hire a professional writer. Many
freelance writers specialize in writing newsletter articles.
FreelanceWriting.com is one source for finding freelancers.
3. Use existing content. There are several online article directories,
such as Ideamarketers.com, GoArticles.com, Articlecity and EzineArticles.
Articles posted on these sites are generally free as long as you include
the writer's byline.
Design your template
Just as a magazine has a certain look that appeals to its subscribers,
so must your email newsletter. Decide on a design and stick with it so
your subscribers know what to expect with each issue. Think about how
magazines and newspapers have regular columns in each issue. Divide your
newsletter into bite-sized pieces so the content is easier for readers
to digest. |
