I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—it’s critical that your newsletter be friendly, fun, informative, and entertaining. If it’s not, you customers aren’t going to read it every month. If you are in the habit of filling your newsletter with information about your company, you are going to turn it into one long sales pitch. Your readers will catch on in a hurry. Not only will they not look forward to it, they’ll probably start getting in the habit of filing it in the trash the moment it arrives.

By making it fun and informative, your customers will start looking forward to it. “But, Jim, isn’t the point of the newsletter to market my company?” Sure it is. That’s why I recommend using a freestanding insert in your newsletter that contains your “sales” information. Keep your really sales-y stuff out of your newsletter, but include it on a separate sheet.

One of my customers, Play-a-Round Golf, does this very effectively in their newsletter, Family Times. The owner, Steve Graves, subscribes to No Hassle Newsletters and uses my “ready to go” template with a custom masthead that we created for him. Steve follows the format—the body of his newsletter is all about what’s fun, interesting, and entertaining to his customers. When it arrives in the mail, and they see it’s Family Times from Play-a-Round, they’re very, very likely to read it. Why? Because they know they’ll be entertained. When they’re entertained, they will also be looking forward to receiving the next one. Okay, great, you’re thinking. So how does Steve make any money?

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I’ve often been asked, “Is it wise to send the same newsletter to different customer groups?” For instance, perhaps you own a business that has both retail and wholesale customers. My answer: more than likely it’s not a good idea, and I’ll tell you why, but have no fear. Sending two newsletters is not as difficult as you may think.

If you have two or more different customer groups (here we’ll use our example of a business that has both retail and wholesale customers), obviously you’re going to write a separate personal monthly message, because if you’re talking with wholesale customers you’re generally talking a different language. Wholesalers have a different language than retailers. You might use certain jargon or buzzwords. Any special offer, obviously, will need to be tailored two different ways.

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Let me share 5 secrets with you about newsletter marketing that will bring you success.

#1: Newsletters help you keep customers.

As I have said repeatedly, it’s far more costly to acquire new customers than it is to retain your existing ones. A good newsletter program helps you create relationships with your customers. When you share information in your newsletter, you build trust and establish rapport. When you share valuable information, your customers will actually look forward to receiving your newsletter. Plus it helps you stay top-of-mind with them. As soon as they receive it, they’re thinking about you and your company. Issue after issue, you build stronger relationships with your customers.

#2: Newsletters help you get new customers.

Good, informative articles give your newsletter what marketing pros call “pass-along” value. When a customer passes along one of your newsletters to a friend, relative, or colleague, you get a referral. Your customers don’t simply hand over your newsletter. They’ll hand it over with a statement like, “Charlie, you have got to read this. I read this article and know it will help you as well. And XYZ Company is great. I deal with them all the time.”

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One of the many great benefits of social media marketing, particularly for entrepreneurs and small business owners, is that it allows them to play and compete on the same playing field as huge companies. You see, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a home based business or a multi-national corporation, everyone has access to the same 140 character Tweets on Twitter and everyone has the same ability to attract new clients with engaging blog posts! Read more of this informative article by clicking here!

Don’t Be Afraid To Be You (and Chill out on Biz Stuff!)

Whether writing on your blog, Facebook, or even Twitter, give your readers more of you! Be authentic and be real, let your personality shone through. Nobody will come back to your blog or read your posts if all you do is write about ‘company stuff’ and they especially won’t comeback if you’re perceived as always trying to sell something. Chill out, give your reader some information that is fun, useful and entertaining and they’ll likely come back for more! Read more of this informative article by clicking here!

Newsletters Help Keep Customers Longer and Spending More!

No matter what business you are in, your current customers hold the best prospect for future growth. According to research from Bain and Company, getting business from your current customers costs about a fifth of what it costs to acquire a new customer. Read more of this informative article by clicking here!

As you may have surmised, this is one content rich newsletter. If you’re not getting it in your email every Tuesday morning, you can subscribe for free at www.JimsNewsletter.com.