Eight Steps to Web Success - Step 5: Send an Email Newsletter Once a Month or More Often
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This step is just an extension of the last step. Similar to the RSS feed in the fact you are sharing information with people. There is nothing wrong with the information in your newsletter being the same news in your RSS feed. It is just formatted a little differently.
Make a decision how often you are going to send out your newsletter and then consistently send it. You can dress it up as HTML with images or make it a simple letter with links to your important "new" content. If your main source of revenue is from advertising, then you may want to send it out weekly, so your users come back to your site and view your advertising.
The same rules you learned in step one apply to this step. What can you do to provide new information? What is it about your business that is exciting and changing? Do you have a new product, a new business process, new people working for you or even a new client that might be exciting to current customers or potential customers? Something exciting and new is happening in your business everyday and every week. What is it? Tell the people about it and make them want to come back to your site.
Who do you send email? The best way is to have a database on your site and provide a link for interested visitors to sign up for your newsletter. This way they have requested to be informed of new information. The second way is to ask them to be notified of new products and such when they purchase something from you. It doesn't matter what method you used to generate their email address, provide a way for them to opt-out of your newsletter.
Every time I write a letter to my US Senator, I begin receiving emails from his party affiliation. I’ve got to tell you, it sucks. I didn't ask to be put on their newsletter list, I disagree with their politics, which is why I wrote him in the first place, and I don't want their propaganda. But they do make it easy for me to "cancel my subscription". Make it easy for your users, too and then get their name off of that list.
I was in the direct mail industry for 13 years as a computer person, and one truth is similar with direct mail and the internet. People say they hate receiving newsletters in their email. But they only hate the ones they don't like. Meaning if you love your Eddie Bauer catalog, but don't like your Penney's catalog, you will say you hate direct mail catalogs. The truth is you would be disappointed if you stopped receiving your Eddie Bauer catalog. Make your newsletters informative and fun so your customers love receiving it each week.
Make sure there are links back to your web site in every correspondence you send. With everyone jumping on the broadband Internet backbone more and more people will be able to click on that link and instantly be connected to your site.
So send out a newsletter often. Provide informative well written content. Make sure it links back to your site and enjoy the revenue from happy, satisfied, repeat customers.
Next: Step 6: Come Up with Software Tools that Customers Want to Add to Their Site with Your Link On It >>
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