Sometimes “quick tip” articles are very simplistic and therefore easily overlooked. This guest article from Debra Stang is one of those… but be sure you don’t overlook it because these tips are right on the money. If I wanted to I could create a full seminar around them. What you should do is ask yourself, “Am I doing these things already”? Can I do them?”

And if you do, you’ll see a marked difference in your online business. Enjoy!

An email newsletter can be a powerful and cost-effective marketing tool for your business. There are many online companies that can help you manage a lengthy mailing list and create attractive newsletter templates. Unlike direct mail newsletters, there are no postage costs and no time spent having to fold the newsletters, put them in envelopes, label them and take them to the post office. And when you’re dealing with email newsletters, it takes only a little creativity and planning to boost them from “okay” to “awesome.” These tips will help.

Build a Large Mailing List with a Short Opt-In

Make it easy for visitors to your website to sign up for your newsletter. Create a short opt-in form that requests the visitor’s first name, last name and email address. Make sure to place the opt-in form on every page of your website so that people who are interested don’t have to search for it. It’s also a good idea to offer a small incentive, such as a free ebook or a coupon, for signing up for your newsletter.

Allow for Easy Opt-Out as Well

Have you ever found yourself stuck getting newsletters you no longer wanted? If you’ve asked to be removed from the mailing list several times with no results, you will not get a warm, fuzzy feeling when you see that business’s emails in your inbox, nor you will be tempted to hire them. A newsletter only works when you send it to folks who truly want it.

Offer Fresh Content

Although your newsletters can link back to blog articles, they also need to offer fresh content to keep readers interested. Perhaps you can cover changes that are taking place at your business or new products and services that you are offering. It’s also great to look for a hook in the local or national news. If a popular restaurant in town just got cited by the health department for a rat infestation, you can cover the story and offer helpful tips such as I do for my rodent control website.

Sponsor a Contest or a Giveaway

Put together a short quiz about your line of work and offer a reward to the first person who answers all the questions correctly. The reward doesn’t have to be huge — a free consultation with one of your experts, a sample of your best products, a book about your field, or a coupon for a free box of donuts are all nice and relatively inexpensive prizes.

End Your Newsletter with a Call to Action

What steps would you like your customers to take after they finish reading your newsletter? Do you want them to visit your website, hire someone from your company to come out and inspect their home for pests, or forward the newsletter to friends who might enjoy it? For best results, make sure you state your call-to-action clearly and succinctly.

Putting together a monthly newsletter doesn’t have to take a lot of your time, nor does it require any special writing ability, but it can help you win new clients and strengthen the loyalty of the clients you already have.

This guest blog post is brought to you by Debra Stang who enjoys writing newsletters about many topics, including her niche site for rodent control.