When publishing a company newsletter, there are three common mistkaes that people make. Let me share them with you now so when writing and designing your newsletter, you can avoid them!

Mistake No. 1: Unoriginal name and poor masthead design Too many customers will use the company’s name for their newsletter. This usually reeks of “homemade.” The newsletter name and masthead design need to tell the reader what the overall theme of the newsletter is.    

Mistake No. 2: Lack of a quality, targeted tagline. The tagline appears just below the masthead and, in a few words, fully explains the benefits of reading the newsletter or what readers can expect to get out of it. The two examples below are great examples (of course I would say that!) of effective mastheads and taglines. The masthead design and newsletter name give readers an idea what the newsletter is about, and the tagline that follows adds clarity. 

Mistake No. 3: Ineffective ratio of text to graphics Newsletters must be visually pleasing and easy to read, or they won’t get read. Newsletters must have a good balance of text and pictures. In addition, the pictures need to add value to the articles by helping to “sell” them. People tend to look at pictures, headlines, subheads, call-out boxes and bullets. If each of these tells them something interesting, they will then decide to read the article.

If writing and publishing a newsletter seems like a daunting experience, then check out my wildly popular ‘Done-for-You’ newsletter program called Success Advantage. It is truly a No Hassle Newsletter!

To learn more secrets about writing and publishing a newsletter, get a copy of my book, The Magic of Newsletter Marketing, the Secret to More Profits and Customers for Life by clicking here.

In this second installment of what makes a great newsletter, I address the all-important topic of content.  Great newsletters are newsletters that customers love to read. Here are the important points about the kind of writing that customers love.  

Customers love stories. Don’t just describe what you do. Demonstrate your benefits for the customer by telling them about someone like them who succeeded because they purchased your product or service.  

Customers love to learn new things. You’re the expert on your business and what you do. Tell them about new developments. Introduce them to new products or services. Offer them articles that help them learn. 

Customers love a little humor. Just because newsletters are serious business doesn’t mean you should be long-faced and serious all the time. Lighten your message with gentle humor. 

Customers don’t want to work hard to get value from your newsletter. The best newsletter writing is like the best writing anywhere. It’s simple and easy to read.  I’ve been producing newsletters for nearly thirty years for clients in just about every industry.

Whether it’s working with my private corporate clients in Dynamic Communication (http://www.dynamiccommunication.net ), or producing my nationally famous No Hassle Newsletters (http://www.nohasslenewsletters.com), I can tell you that following these rules is not always easy.  Sometimes it is just too easy for companies to take some copy from other marketing sources and drop in the newsletter – just to get it done. The problem with this approach is that your newsletter reads like just another marketing piece. This is a sure fire way for your newsletter to therefore receive the same treatment – which is usually a fast trip to the circular file!    

Have a great weekend!

Today I’m going to talk about the various elements of what makes a great newsletter. The first in this series is entitled, Great Newsletters Writing is Customer-Focused. It’s not about you and what you want to write about. It’s about what your customers want to read. That is worth repeating. Great newsletters are filled with things that customers want to read.  Think about the questions your customers ask. The answers make great copy for your newsletter.  Let’s consider a chiropractic practice. Patients have heard about carpal tunnel syndrome and ask you questions about it. Patients know that chiropractors deal with back pain, so they ask all kinds of back pain questions when they come in the door. And if you’re a chiropractor, you get questions about general health issues like keeping kids healthy. All of those questions and concerns can be turned into articles for your newsletter if you’re a chiropractor. Help your readers solve a problem. Answer their questions. No matter what business you’re in, you know your customers’ problems. You know the questions they ask. That’s what your newsletter should be about. If you start by concentrating on your customers’ needs and wants, you’re on your way to a great newsletter.  Check back in a few days for the next installment or better yet, just enter your e-mail address on the right and I’ll send this blog to your email in box.

If writing and publishing a newsletter seems like a daunting experience, then check out my wildly popular ‘Done-for-You’ newsletter program called Success Advantage. It is truly a No Hassle Newsletter!

To learn more secrets about writing and publishing a newsletter, get a copy of my book, The Magic of Newsletter Marketing, the Secret to More Profits and Customers for Life by clicking here.

As I write this column, the weather around here (greater Philadelphia area) is feeling like fall, after having temperatures near the 80s earlier this week. It never ceases to amaze me that with all of the technology and computer equipment available, the weather can still be so unpredictable—kind of like business!

I have a tip to share with you today that I predict will bring a ton of “thank you” notes coming my way! This easy to use program has saved me HOURS every week since I started using it. If you’re like me, you get far too many e-mails every day! About six months ago a colleague told me about this program that he said would save me several hours every week. Well, after not acting for a few months, I finally tried it out, and I am now this company’s biggest fan! Read the message from the Web site and then I’ll share something else with you.

IMAGINE YOUR E-MAIL INSTANTLY ORGANIZED!

A companion product to Microsoft Outlook 97/98/2000/2002, Nelson Email Organizer (NEO) is an innovative new interface for managing and searching email. With full send/receive capability, Nelson Email Organizer automatically organizes your email into easy-to-access views: by correspondent, date, mailing list, attachment, and more.

On-the-fly word indexing and a Web-style search makes finding messages a breeze—search thousands of messages in just a second or two. No more overflowing in-box, no more time wasted looking for messages.

Need more? I was on a conference call the other day, and the four of us all wanted to refer to an e-mail that was sent 10 days prior. I had the e-mail open in less than 15 seconds while everyone else was still searching! It was at that moment that I knew I had to share this with you all in this e-zine. To check out this amazing (and inexpensive) product, click here.