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Casual Articles - The Five Deadly Fears of E-Newsletter Publishing
I always buy my fresh fruit and vegetables from a little corner market, even though it's right near a big supermarket that sells at cheaper prices.Why am I a loyal customer despite the fact I have to pay more?It's because they remember my name each time I shop there, and if my bag is too heavy, they'll deliver it to my home. The big supermarket does none of these things.If that small business didn't look after their customers, they'd be forced to close their doors within a month. Repeat business is absolutely essential for their survival. It's essential for the survival of every small business.So as a small business owner, how do you make sure your customers become repeat customers?1. Say “Thank you”It's so simple, so effective, and unfortunately so rare to be thanked when you purchase from a small business. We all like to feel special and so do your customers.I'm not talking about the mindless, 'Thank you
Managing the logistics of a monthly newsletter can be tedious at times, no question. But if you've ever successfully assembled a gas grill, you're mor
Have you considered how little post you get these days?I know most of our post is junk mail, statements and bills, so getting a letter from someone or a card is quite unusual and certainly stands out from the rest of the post.With email being so prolific and fast, it is sometimes easy to forget to remember the power of a hand written note.I love greetings cards and always have a supply ready to send a thank you note or to celebrate a birthday.I have even tried some of the online tools, my favourite being Cardstore which have a truly premium feel to them versus some of the other online card distributors.But what would it take for you to develop your own greetings card that you could send as a thank you or a follow up note to clients and network partners?In developing your own gift card, digital printing can certainly has a role to play and you could have a card designed and printed for less than US$3 a card. That is certainly equivalent to the cos
As a small business owner, you know a lot more than you may realize. And although running out of material is the number one reason cited by small business owners for not launching an E-Newsletter in the first place, I have never come across anyone who knew enough about a particular industry or topic to start a business in it, who didn't also have a nearly endless supply of content to choose from.
Remember, your clients and others who have an interest in your area of specialty, don't work in it every day the way you do. The things that are second nature to you, whether it's how to purchase life insurance if you're a broker; how to write a press release if you're a marketing consultant; or how to troubleshoot a light switch if you're an electrician; are all news to those of us on the outside of your industry.
The people who are going to read your newsletter have questions. You on the other hand, have answers, opinions, experience, and perspective. When it comes to your industry, you understand what matters and what doesn't, and how all the pieces fit together. These brief, useful nuggets are the things you write about.
2. Fear Of Technology
An E-Newsletter has a lot of moving parts. There are mailing lists to manage; links to set up; images to lay out; responses to track; and dozens of other small pieces to coordinate and fine tune, all in the course of writing and publishing a newsletter month after month. Managing this process efficiently requires a fair amount of technology churning away in the background. That's the bad news.
The good news is that email marketing has finally evolved to the point where there are dozens of vendors out there who, for a very small fee, will take care of most of this for you (go to Google and search on “email marketing vendors” for a look at what's out there). So while it's true that you will have to go down a learning curve before you can switch your newsletter publishing into autopilot, you no longer need technical skill to get there.
Managing the logistics of a monthly newsletter can be tedious at times, no question. But if you've ever successfully assembled a gas grill, you're more
Successful fundraising letters are exciting to read. They take you to crack houses, battlefields, logging protests, prisons, floods and other places you will never set foot yourself. Effective donation request letters show you the organizations you support engaged on the front lines in the battle to right wrongs, correct injustices and make the world a better place. They put you in the thick of the action. And they usually do this by making a scene.An inexperienced writer will tell you about a subject, place or person. But a writer who knows how to craft novel fundraising letters will show you that subject, place or person—in action. Plays are constructed with scenes. So are movies. And so are the best appeal letters.Novel fundraising letters usually open with a dramatic scene, go on to state the need, invite the donor to participate with a gift, include one or two more dramatic scenes, then conclude with another request for a gift.Here is a sample of the opening sce
The people who are going to read your newsletter have questions. You on the other hand, have answers, opinions, experience, and perspective. When it comes to your industry, you understand what matters and what doesn't, and how all the pieces fit together. These brief, useful nuggets are the things you write about.
2. Fear Of Technology
An E-Newsletter has a lot of moving parts. There are mailing lists to manage; links to set up; images to lay out; responses to track; and dozens of other small pieces to coordinate and fine tune, all in the course of writing and publishing a newsletter month after month. Managing this process efficiently requires a fair amount of technology churning away in the background. That's the bad news.
The good news is that email marketing has finally evolved to the point where there are dozens of vendors out there who, for a very small fee, will take care of most of this for you (go to Google and search on “email marketing vendors” for a look at what's out there). So while it's true that you will have to go down a learning curve before you can switch your newsletter publishing into autopilot, you no longer need technical skill to get there.
Managing the logistics of a monthly newsletter can be tedious at times, no question. But if you've ever successfully assembled a gas grill, you're mor
A plant can save space, time and money with a carouselMany companies think material handling automation is a nice idea, but something for the big guys. After all, computers and automated systems cost money. Automation is designed for high-volume shops. It takes up space. It requires training, and that means hours spent away from production. Once installed, automation needs to be maintained-and that means more downtime. Too often, the decision to automate is put off until a future day when the company thinks it's big enough to need it-or big enough to afford it.In reality, material handling automation comes in many sizes. It saves far more productive hours than it takes in training, installation and maintenance. It can actually save space. It's not something that requires a plant to be of a particular size. In fact, it's an excellent way to help grow to the size you want to be.Consider these examples: An electronics company had four or five people p
2. Fear Of Technology
An E-Newsletter has a lot of moving parts. There are mailing lists to manage; links to set up; images to lay out; responses to track; and dozens of other small pieces to coordinate and fine tune, all in the course of writing and publishing a newsletter month after month. Managing this process efficiently requires a fair amount of technology churning away in the background. That's the bad news.
The good news is that email marketing has finally evolved to the point where there are dozens of vendors out there who, for a very small fee, will take care of most of this for you (go to Google and search on “email marketing vendors” for a look at what's out there). So while it's true that you will have to go down a learning curve before you can switch your newsletter publishing into autopilot, you no longer need technical skill to get there.
Managing the logistics of a monthly newsletter can be tedious at times, no question. But if you've ever successfully assembled a gas grill, you're mor
Business Start Up FundingStartup companies often get frustrated when they can’t find investors willing to fund their new idea. What they don’t realize is that in order to get an investment, they need more than just a good idea and the promise of future profits. What investors are looking for is a “silver bullet” in the business that ensures their small investment will yield a huge return.Business Start Up Funding - You Need a Silver BulletThe silver bullet is the aspect of your business plan that proves your company can grow quickly. For example, perhaps you’ve proven that 100 customers are willing to pay $99 for your newly developed product. If all you need is additional cash to build 1,000 more items to sell more at that price, you’ve got a silver bullet.Investors are compelled to make investments in startup companies that have proven some aspect of their business model “works” and that what they really need is more capital to make it work better, or to
The good news is that email marketing has finally evolved to the point where there are dozens of vendors out there who, for a very small fee, will take care of most of this for you (go to Google and search on “email marketing vendors” for a look at what's out there). So while it's true that you will have to go down a learning curve before you can switch your newsletter publishing into autopilot, you no longer need technical skill to get there.
Managing the logistics of a monthly newsletter can be tedious at times, no question. But if you've ever successfully assembled a gas grill, you're mor
Creating an LLC or limited liability company is one of the popular forms of business registration in the United States. Creating an LLC is possible to do without having to hire a lawyer although most experts advise that it is always in a company’s best interests to get good legal and financial advice before making any major business decision.Like incorporation creating an LLC is primarily designed to separate the business and personal financial interests of the business owners. Unlike incorporation creating an LLC does not restrict a business from having any management or ownership structure that meets their particular business needs. There are neither requirements for shareholders nor any need to protect their rights or make annual reports to them on business operations or investment strategies. There is also no requirement for an annual general meeting of a limited liability company or to prepare reports and minutes from such a meeting. However it is recommended to maintain mee
Managing the logistics of a monthly newsletter can be tedious at times, no question. But if you've ever successfully assembled a gas grill, you're more than technically qualified to publish an E-Newsletter.
3. Fear Of Publishing On A Regular Basis
Although you may be sold on the value of a regularly published E-Newsletter, you may still be worried that once let out of its cage, this beast won't ever leave you alone. The truth is, you're right to be concerned. If I had to point to one factor that plays the most significant role in the failure of company E-Newsletters, it's that the people behind them stop publishing.
Like starting an exercise program, we all go great guns out of the gate: telling everybody we know, celebrating every issue. But (also like exercise), by month four or five the thrill is gone, and many people start to wonder how to quietly put the thing out of its misery.
I'm happy to say that I've discovered two solutions to this potential problem.
First, publish monthly. Although it may seem that dropping back to a less frequent schedule will reduce the burden, in practice the opposite is true. The less often you publish, the bigger a deal it is, and the more it seems to hang over your head. A monthly schedule however, means that the next issue is never more than 30 days away, and you will find yourself less concerned with achieving perfection each time.
Second, create a publishing schedule and stick to it. First Tuesday of the month, third Friday, whatever. The important thing is that you bake it into your monthly work schedule. An E-Newsletter will never be today's top priority, and unless you explicitly determine when it will come out, you're more likely than not to keep pushing it to the back burner.
4. Fear Of Writing
I hear it every day from the small business owners I work with: "I can't put out an E-Newsletter, I'm a lousy writer." W
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