“Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Mark Twain said that back in 1897.
Print newsletters have been saying it for the past ten years.
Why? Because many business owners feel…
1. With the internet, all they have to do is post content online; everyone will flock to their site to read it. Plus it’s FREE!
2. Email is king! Just send an ezine. It’s FREE!
3. Postage keeps going up along with printing costs… but email is FREE!
There’s no question about it. Print newsletters should have died a long time ago.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the funeral. The print newsletter suddenly became Lazarus and a resurrection took place.
5 Reasons Why Print Newsletters Are Still Around
1. Printed mail gets delivered – It’s never blocked or caught in spam filters.
2. It is proven that the majority of people prefer to hold, touch and feel what they are reading.
3. Studies show online readers retain much less of what they read compared to those reading printed material. So, if you have an offer with a call to action, wouldn’t it be nice if it was remembered for more than 30 seconds?
4. Print newsletters have more perceived value. Think about it. How many companies are willing to do this? Your customers realize you’re spending money to do it.
5. Print newsletters are sticky. They have great ‘hang-time’. People keep print newsletters for further or future reading. Not only are they likely to be read from start to finish, they usually get passed around.
Email Newsletter Marketing Has Major Downsides
(By the way – for the record – I love the internet and I love my email. I can’t imagine life without it or remember life before it)
With that being said, email is NOT the ‘be all and end all’ of modern marketing.
Yes…email is fast, easy and cheap. But who cares about that if it’s not effective?
Here’s the ugly truth: The vast majority of email lies unopened and untouched in the dark nothingness of cyberspace. Emails are routinely wiped out by the dozen in one fell swoop with the simple push of the delete key.
Even if your name is recognized, you still risk being deleted. Maybe your email got caught in a large chunk of junk mail. Or… maybe they’re just having a bad day.
See, today everyone is bombarded by email overload. Spam accounts for about 90% of it. That means 9 out of every 10 emails in your in box is junk. Do you REALLY think your ezine is being read?
And, if your newsletter gets read, how much attention do you think it gets? A Nielsen Norman Group Report revealed the typical email newsletter gets 51 seconds of your reader’s time. That was four years ago. Today, many say its less than 30 seconds.
So, Which One Should You Do: A Print Newsletter or an Ezine?
Now, I’m not suggesting that you stop your email marketing and newsletters.
You may want to do both. Send an email newsletter on a weekly basis. But, send a monthly print newsletter, too.
There is a gold standard to determine which one is best for you.
Simply ask your clients. Survey them to see which one THEY prefer. After all… isn’t it all about what our customer wants?
About the Author:
When Print Newsletter Expert David Gruttadaurio discovered the power of consistently writing and distributing print newsletters to attract and retain clients, he instantly tripled the sales of his business. Now he reveals his bullet-proof plan to thrive in the new, emerging economy at his Profit Exploding Newsletter Secrets Website: http://www.NewslettersMadeForYou.com. Go there to claim your 3 FREE Real Gifts NOW!
Category: Online Business
One of the systems I help my clients to implement is a schedule for getting on track with their ezine (electronic newsletter) as it’s so important that you have a systematic stay-in-touch strategy in place and a regular ezine is the perfect medium for achieving this!
However, the downside, and where so many solopreneurs fail, is that they don’t get into a regular publishing schedule and they start to lose their connection with their subscribers.
Today I’d like to share with you my top 10 tips for publishing a successful ezine and building that all-important know, like, and trust factor.
1. Create an editorial calendar – this is so that you can plan out in advance what topics you’ll be covering in each issue, and therefore avoid ‘blank screen/page’ syndrome.
2. Create a template – it’s so much easier to put your ezine together when you’ve got a template to work from. Plan which sections you want to appear regularly in your ezine and drop the appropriate content in each time. Hint: there are just two sections that are likely to change each issue – your personal note and your article – that’s it!
3. Keep an ideas section – in your newsletter binder create an Ideas section so that when you come across a resource or topic that you’d like to share with your readers you have a place to store the information, making it much easier to come up with articles and content for your ezine – you simply flick through your Ideas section.
4. Use an article template – when you’re stuck for ideas on what to write about, use an article template. It’s so much easier to write an article when you’ve got the outline done for you and all you need to provide is the content.
5. Use a title template – similar to number four above, but this time you’re just using a title as a basis for your inspiration, i.e. Top 10 Tips to [fill in the blank].
6. Utilize a list management service – this is a biggie! No sending out your ezine via your regular email program; you need to have a proper list management service for a variety of reasons, but the main ones being you need to comply with SPAM laws, signup for your ezine needs to be automatic, and when your list size gets above 50 most ISPs (Internet Service Providers) won’t allow you to send bulk emails via your regular email program.
7. Check hyperlinks – before you hit the ‘send’ button, ensure that you’ve thoroughly read through your ezine and check that all your hyperlinks are working properly. There’s nothing worse than asking someone to click through to a specific page and then find that the link doesn’t work.
8. Don’t include too many calls to action – if you include too many calls to action (i.e. click here to do this, click here to do that etc.) you’ll simply confuse your subscriber as they won’t know what they’re meant to be clicking on. So what will they do … nothing! Only ask your subscriber to do one or two things in each issue.
9. Deliver on time – this is so important. You need to publish your ezine exactly when you say you will each time. Not only does this build your relationship with your subscriber but they will also come to see you as being reliable – you do what you say you’re going to do, when you say it.
10. Seek feedback – And finally, ask for feedback from your subscribers. This is a great way to create one-on-one connections and also get valuable feedback on whether your ezine is providing the information your subscribers want.
Follow these 10 tips and you’ll ensure your ezine success!
Categories
Podcast Creation in 3 Easy Steps
For a long time I was reluctant to add podcasting to my list building arsenal thinking it was simply another task on my already long To Do list and, to be honest, it sounded tedious… manually submitting my podcast episodes to the various podcast directories so that people knew they were there; I didn’t have time for that!
Little did I realize how easy it was to implement this strategy, and reach a whole other audience too – those who prefer to learn by listening! But now that I know how easy it is to create a podcast, I want to share that information with you!
What is a podcast?
A podcast is a collection of individual audio recordings saved as a digital file, such as an Mp3 or WAV audio file. Each individual audio recording is called an episode. People can listen to your podcast (collection of episodes) on the Internet, on their PC, or transfer the file to their portable device such as an iPod or MP3 player. You can also create your own radio show through using podcasts… think about all the Internet Radio Shows you’ve listened to online or read about.
People can subscribe to your podcast using RSS feeds and therefore receive new episodes automatically whenever they become available.
You can easily create your podcast episodes from your newsletter articles and once you’ve recorded several articles you’ll have a well-stocked podcast.
So now you know what a podcast is, let me tell you how you can create your own podcast in three easy steps!
Step 1: Create your template
When you record a podcast episode (i.e. your article), you need to include an introduction and a closing paragraph. It’s not enough to simply record your article without any beginning and end – even though the article itself has a beginning and end!
You need to tell your listener who you are, what you do, what your podcast is about, and at the end tell them where they can go for further information, i.e. your newsletter sign-up URL.
Step 2: Choose your recording medium
If you’re already using one of the online streaming media services check out their services. I’d been using my service for over a year before I realized that I could use the same account to create my podcast.
And the best bit… my service will automatically syndicate each new episode to the various podcast directories meaning that my episodes are published and accessible immediately – even to iTunes! I don’t need to manually submit each episode to the various podcast directories.
Step 3: Use a cueprompter
Now, I could just print out my podcast template (complete with article) and read off that into my microphone and record my episode. But the danger here is that you might not sound natural; in other words, you may sound like you’re reading from a page. What you want to do is let your authentic self come through to your listener.
And the best way I’ve found for doing this is to use a CuePrompter – like newsreaders do when they’re reading the news, or presenters when they’re presenting a TV program. Search “cue prompter” and you’ll find several to choose from!
So now you’ve created your podcast template, chosen a recording medium, and loaded everything into a cue prompter, you’re ready to record and create your very first Podcast episode!
The whole process takes me about 15 minutes tops! And reaches a whole new target audience too.
Whether you love to write or not, the written word is still one of the most influential marketing techniques to help you reach your audience, get your message out to the world and give people an opportunity to resonate with you.
Thing is, even the best of writers can get stuck trying to figure out what to write about. Since my marketing strategy includes writing a weekly newsletter, posting on Twitter and writing blog posts in addition to composing sales letters, answering emails and more, I’ve had to learn how to stay in the flow with writing. I am constantly challenged to stay true to my “voice” while still creating a compelling marketing message.
What I’ve discovered is there’s actually a secret to creating soul-rich writing that naturally springs from your true source and (this is the really cool part) gets the marketing job done.
Allow me to share with you what the secret is so that your writing projects will be simple, soulful and productive in helping you grow your business.
Tip #1: Check Your Mood Before You Write
Writing is a form of energy. That means if you’re cranky, stressed or distracted chances are good those feelings will make your writing project tougher to complete. I love to play beautiful music while I write. Music is so uplifting and, for me, helps my brain click into that place of possibility and magic to become the source of all great writing.
I know this sounds a little wooo-wooo, but I believe on an energetic level your mood plays a huge roll. This is an even better reason to stay positive and in the spirit of gratitude when writing your articles and other marketing communications.
Tip #2: There is No Perfect Time to Write… So Don’t Wait
Waiting until you’re “in the mood to write” means you’ll likely wait forever. Writing is like strengthening a muscle. The more you do it, the easier it gets. So when you have a writing assignment due (like your newsletter, for example) schedule it into your calendar for the same day and time each week. You’ll quickly “train” yourself to think creatively during that time block, so you’ll never get writer’s block when faced with these types of tasks.
Tip #3: Connect to the Soul of Your Reader
Before you start to write, take a moment to connect to the spirit of your reader. In my imagination, I picture and feel a golden light from my heart to theirs. I ask, “What are her struggles, questions or needs on this topic?” Then, I just focus my article on information that will help my reader solve that problem. Simple, fast and easy.
Tip #4: Let Your Personality Shine Through
When I first switched from writing purely about marketing and began to include soul and spirit into my articles, I was scared. “Will people think I’m weird?” I wondered. But I knew that if I held back, I wouldn’t be giving my best to you, my reader. So I boldly began to combine spirit with marketing and, as a result, my business has taken off into the seven-figure mark.
Stay connected to the spirit of your message and you’ll never struggle with writer’s block again. It doesn’t matter if you’re offering a coaching program, workshop or teleseminar. When you stay focused on the energy of your writing, your writing will flow from your spirit and contain a crisp, clear marketing message that will leave people wanting to hear more.
About the Author:
Kendall SummerHawk, the Million Dollar Marketing Coach, is an expert at helping women entrepreneurs at all levels design a business they love and charge what they’re worth and get it. Kendall delivers simple ways entrepreneurs can design and price their services to quickly move away from ‘dollars-for-hours work’ and create more money, time and freedom in their businesses. For free articles, free resources and to sign up for a free subscription to Kendall’s Money, Marketing and Soul weekly articles visit www.kendallsummerhawk.com.
Categories
Top 5 Twitter Pet Peeves
I was speaking with a consulting client yesterday about using the social networks. This client is somewhat new(er) to social media, and is getting a fast-tracked education. 🙂
We got on to the subject of Twitter, and started talking about Twitter do’s and don’ts. While I know what my personal pet peeves are, I was curious as to what other tweeters thought. So, in a highly unscientific survey, I asked.
Here are the responses I got:
1) Lack of engagement
Several people cited this as a major pet peeve, where people follow them without trying to connect with them or find out more about them. This came up most often. It does seem that people really do want to use the social networks to connect.
2) Automated messages after following
This was the second most cited pet peeve. People feel like these messages are clutter and kind of clog up the works. From my perspective, if I follow you, you don’t need to welcome me. Just give me some good information (i.e. be a good tweeter) and I’m happy. Likewise, I am certainly thumbs down on all the direct messages about making money with Twitter, joining your Mafia family, and the like.
3) Spam and porn
This was the third most commonly cited Twitter pet peeve. People, in general, say they are blocking and reporting people who spam or send out pornographic links or tweets. There are some things which should be left to the imagination.
4) Too much tweet repetition
This pet peeve relates to people repeating their tweets. There are various services which let you set up recurring tweets, but the latest news is that Twitter is cracking down on accounts which make notable use of repeated tweets. This means that you can’t really “set and forget” your Twitter account without running a higher risk of suspension. I imagine that occasional repetition is fine, but just keep in mind that people want new information. Every tweet you send out has the potential to build your brand, so be original.
5) Too many hashtags or @ names
This means that people don’t want to read tweets that have too many labels or tags. They also don’t want to read ones which seem blanketed with user names. I, too, notice that I tend to glaze over when I read a tweet that references multiple users. Maybe the balance is to use names, but maybe 3 or less per tweet.
If you want to get attention, gain followers, and be more effective with using Twitter, keep these pet peeves in mind- and don’t do them.
Special thanks to my Twitter connections who contributed to this post:
@paganmomblog, @adamsherk, @Agotthelf
@jodhikavespa, @driveindustries, @mollyzmommie
@SchereLLC, @GAStroz, @AdaMarcom
(If you’re looking to connect on Twitter with people who add value and like to engage, follow them!)
Dr. Rachna Jain is Chief Social Marketer at The Mindshare Corporation. Rachna works with speakers, consultants, authors, and small business owners to develop and execute effective social media marketing strategies. Her proprietary persuasive social media process (sm) focuses on building influence, credibility and visibility online. This translates into greater recognition, increased website traffic, faster lead generation, a shorter sales cycle, and more opportunity for her expert clientele. She blogs regularly at The Mindshare Blog