Wow folks,
I’ve been writing these articles now since the end of September in 2008. I remember that date because I was at Alan Forrest Smith’s MasterClass that weekend, and it was the weekend Hawthorn beat Geelong in the AFL Grand Final. And I didnt really care, because I don’t even barrack for Geelong (even though I live there!)
But I think in that time I’ve delivered some pretty hard hitting topics and unlike MOST blogs and articles on the internet, I’ve filled these ones up with useable content and solid examples YOU can use in your business.
Anyway, I get emails from time to time but hey, I’d love to hear from my readers more often. If you want to agree with me…let me know! And if you want to argue then let me know that too. In fact, if you’ve got more questions about an article, let me know your question. In fact, if you’ve got any burning questions, or you’d just like to know more about something you’re trying to do in your business then get in touch with me.
Just shoot me an email at hugh@salescomefirst.com.
OK, now onto the REAL topic for today.
And that is how newsletters can play an important role in your business.
OK. Now, lets get one thing straight. A lot of people think marketing is all about getting new customers. But that thinking is a bit wide of the mark. The most important thing in your marketing system is customer retention. That’s because its much easier to retain customers and clients than to get new ones.
Any business gets some level of churn, ie customers leaving and customers coming. But because its so much easier to retain customers, you’re far better off concentrating on keeping your existing customer base rather than having them leave while you pursue NEW customers. Imagine if you could get your churn rate down so low that the only people leaving you were the ones that died, retired or closed down.
And then imagine if you could charge them much more.
You’d hardly need any new customers at all. In fact, if you do everything right you can easily grow your business just by retaining your customer base and having a good referral system in place.
And that’s where newsletters come in. If you’re in the service business, such as a mortgage broker, financial planner, gardener etc then newsletters have a really important place in your marketing. You see, newsletters let you keep in touch with your client, so they’re an essential part of your customer retention strategy.
One of the most basic human needs is the need to belong. So newsletters keep people feeling as though they’re important to you. Not only that, but you get to showcase your knowledge and results over and over again. And this re-enforces what your business is all about to your customers.
If you’re in a business where you regularly work for your client, then your newsletter will stop them considering another provider. If you’re giving them what they want each month then the wont want to give this up.
But even if you’re in a business where you work for them infrequently, newsletters are still critical. And that’s because when they want your services again, your business will be their #1 choice.
Accountants, mortgage brokers and financial planners are great examples of this.
Just think, you can print a newsletter and post it for as little as $1. So for $12 a year you can be your client’s #1 choice every single time. And for every client you retain by doing this, you save a lot of time and money NOT having to acquire a replacement.
The most important thing to remember about writing a newsletter is to get MAXIMUM readership. So make sure you keep it light and conversational in tone, and make sure people want to read it.
With that in mind let me give you the most important components of ANY newsletter.
- From the editor – your thoughts and opinions. Keep it personal and conversational, not formal.
- Some articles – keep them short and easy to understand, and make sure you convey benefits for your reader.
- Tips – People love these!
- Joke Corner – Again, remember its all about keeping readership
- Inspirational quotes – same as with jokes, its all about giving people something they’ll appreciate.
- Success stories – basically testimonials, but you can use them as little articles
- Q&A – let people ask you questions. People just love reading the answers.
- Special offers – these can be in the form of a competition as well.
And dont forget to remind them about your referral system. If you dont have one…GET ONE!
I recently did a sample newsletter for a large financial planning firm. They already had a newsletter but quite frankly it was very dry and I imagine it would have been a tough read. So make sure you keep it simple and enjoyable for people. After all, what use is it if people dont want to read it?
Next week I want to go through something that people dont often write about. But I think its very important to understand in a formal sense. So next week I’ll be looking at marketing funnels.
If you’ve got any questions about newsletters, or any feedback feel free to add a comment or email me.
All the best
Hugh Thyer
PS I recently did a sample newsletter for a client and that client will be incorporating a lot of my suggestions to make their newsletter really work for them! If you’d like a makeover done on your newsletter, or a sample drawn up from scratch, please contact me at hugh@salescomefirst.com to discuss it.
