About every week or so, on Facebook (Jim Palmer), I review and critique a newsletter that someone has sent me. Often times the person who wrote the newsletter will post a ‘comment’ back to me. Well, last week I reviewed Larry Lane’s newsletter and I thought Larry’s reply was very powerful.  In fact, Larry’s reply contains as many important lessons of newsletter marketing that I wanted everyone to see it. What follows first is my critique and then Larry’s reply. I will underline the powerful lessons that Larry points out so well.

REVIEW/CRITIQUE: Last night while selling my new book, The Magic of Newsletter Marketing – The Secret to More Profits and Customers for Life, at the GKIC-Philly chapter meeting featuring Dan Kennedy, Larry Lane stopped by to show me his latest newsletter. Larry is an architect from New York and heard me speak at Marlene Green’s local GKIC chapter meeting a few weeks ago. Larry said that based on my suggestions he updated his newsletter and asked me if I would review it – so here goes!

The first thing I noticed was that Larry updated the back page, what I refer to in my book as the ‘prime real estate.’ Now, no matter what side of the back page his customers see when they look through their mail it will have a ‘familiar’ and pleasing look to it and is less likely to get tossed out. My suggestion, Larry, is to add your picture to the top left, by the return address, to further help people recognize this as something they want to read.On the bottom, while I love your “energy saving tip’ I would brand this section, perhaps as “Larry’s Monthly Money Saving Tip.” The article or tip can change monthly but the column or section will be stronger if they recognize each it month, again, building familiarity.

I also like how you put your ‘monthly offer’ on colored paper as a free standing insert, not with the offer in the body of the newsletter. This is very important as you don’t want your customer’s perceiving your newsletter as ‘just another marketing piece.’ They will be less likely to read it they think they are being sold something.

Based on my 28 years of experience producing great newsletters that get amazing results, I want to share five secrets with you on how to create a great company newsletter. 

Secret # 1 - Tell them what else you do. Many customers initially engage with a business by purchasing a single product or service. Over time they may do repeat business, usually reordering the same product or service, unaware of the other products or services that the company has to offer. How many times have you heard a client I didn’t know you did that,” or, “I didn’t know you also sold that”? Or, “I didn’t know you also sold that!” These are all missed opportunities to increase your revenue. 

Secret #2 - Tell them what’s new. As business owners, we are always coming up with new products and services. A newsletter is a great way to get the word out to people who already trust you and find value in what you sell. This can often be done quite effectively by way of customer success stories or testimonials. 

Secret #3 - It’s not about you. This is very important. Your newsletter is not about you or how many industry awards you have won. Your newsletter should be about what’s important and interesting to your customers and clients. Inform, educate, and entertain them, and they will look forward to your newsletter. It is also vitally important that your newsletter have the right ‘balance’ of content. Too much about your business and it will look and feel too much like a marketing piece. Learn more about the ‘proper balance’ by visiting www.successadvantage.net.

Secret #4 – Recognize the expensive real estate! The back page of your newsletter is not simply the mailing panel; it is the first thing your readers will see when the newsletter comes out of the mailbox. This is a great place to put important items that you want readers to see. 

Secret #5: – Frequency trumps everything. Frequency is more important than the size of a newsletter, whether it’s color or black and white, or even the quality of the content! Yes, you heard me right – I would actually prefer a homemade cheesy newsletter published monthly to a professionally designed newsletter done twice a year. You simply must have frequency to build trust and relationships.

To learn twelve more secrets of a great newsletter, get a copy of my book, The Magic of Newsletter Marketing – The Secret to More Profits and Customers for Life at www.SuccessAdvantagePublishing.com.

Do you struggle finding content (or finding the time to write it) for your newsletter? Does this prevent you publishing every issue on time? Has this “blank page syndrome” even prevented you from writing your first newsletter?! If you answered yes to any of these questions, I created Success Advantage just for you! Imagine every month getting 21 pages of great content that you are free to use in your newsletter! Now imagine that you also get my awesome ‘ready-to-use’ newsletter templates, my monthly coaching call, a monthly audio lesson and a don-for-you ezine! Subscribe today and let this amazing program become your Success Advantage – check it out at http://www.successadvantage.net

You want all of your customers to remain close to you. You want the relationship you have with your customers to grow, and you obviously want more repeat business. In addition, every business owner wants their current customers to refer other customers to them. Am I right?

Being in regular and frequent contact with your customers is known as “Building Your Fence.” Your fence is designed to keep your clients and customers in and the poachers out. A poacher is anyone who is trying to steal your customers. It could be a direct competitor, but it could also be another company that is targeting the same dollars that your customer uses to buy your product or service.

To remain strong and effective, a fence must be properly maintained. If you are not in regular and frequent contact with your customers and clients, your fence will begin to deteriorate, losing one slat or whole sections at a time. Either way, the result is the same. As your fence becomes weaker, you will lose customers and profits.

Let’s be practical for a moment. You have probably invested a great deal of time and money growing your business and building your customer list. Don’t let your hard work, and the hard-won relationships you have with your customers—and the profits they bring you—slip away by being lazy and not communicating with them.

One of my mentors, marketing genius Dan Kennedy, actually coined the phrase “fence building.” One of the best pieces of marketing advice comes from Kennedy’s book, No B.S. Direct Marketing. “My single biggest recommendation is the use of a monthly customer newsletter. Nothing, and I mean nothing, maintains your fence better.”

Commit right now to starting (or restarting) your monthly print newsletter. Dollar for dollar, newsletters are the most effective marketing tool available. Plus, customers who read your newsletter are usually in a good position to do business with you again and recommend your product or service to others. Every time you mail your monthly newsletter you make your fence stronger.

However, let me leave you today with the other side of the coin, and a visual.

Every month that you do not mail your customers a monthly newsletter, your fence loses another slat! Lose too many slats and your customers will be gone.

Think about this picture the next time you get too busy, lazy, or cheap when it’s newsletter time!