Use This Profit-Building, Low-Cost Tool to Promote Your Business
Newsletters are a popular and inexpensive marketing tool. Using either direct mail or email, you can reach a large number of readers, making regular contact with current and potential clients who will become more familiar with your services and expertise each time they hear from you.The nice thing about newsletters is that they’re a great way to market your business without being invasive. Unlike telemarketing or door-to-door sales, a newsletter arrives in your mailbox or inbox without fanfare and you can either read it at your leisure or toss it in the trash (both literally and electronically). And if you’re mailing list is large enough, you’re bound to connect with someone who will recognize just how valuable your services are because they will expect them to be an extension of your quality newsletters.Here are five things that will ensure your newsletters are effective and profitable:
1. Provide practical informationIn order for your newsletter to be valuable to your recipients, you must provide them with information applicable to their particular needs and situation. In order to accomplish this you must know your target market well and understand their most pressing concerns. When you can address those, your newsletter becomes a valuable resource to their business.2. Illustrate your expertiseAs you provide newsletter recipients with valuable information, they’ll come to appreciate your accounting expertise and will think first of you when they’re looking for an accounting professional to manage their finances.3. Be consistentEven if it’s once every two months, be sure to remain consistent. Don’t send one every two weeks and then drop it to once a month when things get hectic. This will confuse readers and communicate a lack of commitment on your part. Pick a rotation that works for you and stick with it. And in order to maintain consistent newsletter quality, be sure to provide timely as well as regular information.4. Capture your readers’ interestNot only should the information be valuable, but it should also be interesting. Your content should have a personable voice that presents you as a pleasant and competent professional. Be sure to include appropriate pictures and graphics to add visual interest. Your newsletter design will also work towards capturing interest will being reader-friendly.5. Promote your servicesThis, of course, is the purpose of your newsletter. While a newsletter shouldn’t use an especially aggressive marketing approach, it should do more than merely inform readers of your services; it should also promote them. Include promotional offers and descriptions of new services in every issue.
You can choose to run your newsletter through direct mailings or email. Either choice has its advantages, which we will discuss in more detail next week. Regardless of the delivery method, you’ll find that this marketing tool enables you to maintain regular contact with your current and potential clients while illustrating your valuable expertise. It’s a great marketing tool without being too invasive. It will create a pleasant sense of community that will go far in promoting a positive reputation for your business.
