is for ...

Dear Alun

When people trust you they are more likely to buy from you and keep buying. A newsletter gives you a way of keeping in touch with people and encouraging prospects to trust you.

This is particularly important when you provide a service or product that people need to think about for a while before they make the decision to buy. You need to keep building up your reputation; you need to build a relationship and therefore a level of trust with your readers. Your newsletter is a great way of doing this.

This issue of JAC Tips looks at how to keep it up. I hope you find it helpful - click here to tell me what you think of this issue.

Best wishes,

Chantal

K is for ... Keeping it Up

Ad hoc marketing doesn't work. This means that writing one really good issue of your newsletter isn't enough. Every issue needs to be really good and you need to keep publishing.

How do you keep it up?

• Keep up your quality. Each issue you write needs to provide help and advice to your readers. If it doesn't give them something, why are they going to carry on reading it?

• Keep up your regularity. Decide how often you're going to publish your newsletter and stick to your schedule. If you don't think you can write a really good issue every week, or every two weeks, it's fine to write one really good issue each month. Tell your readers when to expect the next issue, so it'll be less of an intrusion for them. (L is for ... will be published on 12 December. Click to send me your suggestions for this letter.)

• Keep up your offer. Good newsletters don't sell products or services, but provide offers. If you always offer the same free audit or report in every issue, or you offer the same thing as your competitors, your readers will lose interest. Think of something different you can offer; change it regularly or make it time limited to encourage responses.

Using a newsletter is one of the most cost effective ways to grow your business. But don't think that you can use one create and build trusting relationships without a bit of hard work. I don't want to put you off writing a newsletter (because they can be quite fun, once you get going!); I just want to encourage you to work hard at creating something that works as hard as you do.

K is also for ...

Karen at K-Design - if you're looking for really good, cost effective graphic designer, talk to one of my favourite designers.

Kiereen - for fab and funky promotional gifts talk to Sharon.

Kuhnke Communications - for great ideas on improving your presentations, talk to Elizabeth. She's running a number of workshops, or can help you one-to-one.