Do You Really Need a Newsletter?

Do you like getting free news you can use? Having helpful information delivered directly to you so you don't have to search for it? Chances are, your customers are just like you in this respect.

Newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your customers. Studies have shown that it costs six times less to keep current customers than to bring in new ones. Yet most small businesses invest little, if any, time and resources on customer retention.

Building an ongoing relationship with your customers is the best way to keep them coming back. Sending a simple newsletter is an efficient, economical way to provide added value by offering readers information they can really use. This good-will gesture is the perfect way to keep your name in the forefront of your customers' minds.

An effective, easy-to-create, two-page newsletter could feature:

How tos
Repair or maintenance tips
Upcoming classes, clinics, events
New techniques
Seasonal information

Five Tips for Hassle-Free Newsletters

Newsletters make a great marketing communications tool. Still, too many companies don't take advantage of this simple, ingenious way to keep in touch with customers.

Many think that producing a newsletter is a complicated task. But it doesn't have to be. Newsletters can be remarkably hassle-free, if you keep these five tips in mind:

Know your audience
Choose content, design elements and a writing style that suit your readers and their interests. Are your readers most interested in new products and services? Are they more inclined to want to read about your company's charitable efforts? When in doubt, just ask your customers what they'd like to read more about.

Think simple
Don't let the vast graphic, photo and color choices overwhelm you. While you can be—and should be—creative in your design, you should strive for a clean, uncluttered layout. With too many distractions, your information won't get the attention it deserves.

Use a design template
Design your inaugural issue so that you can reuse the layout for future issues. Create a template that's fluid enough to support variety but uncomplicated enough to make layout a breeze.

Stay flexible
Whether you're publishing annually, quarterly, monthly or otherwise, always anticipate late-breaking news. Be prepared to drop an article in favor of exciting new information.

Have fun!
Don't let the "news" in newsletter inhibit your creativity. Yes, your newsletter should highlight timely, useful information, but it's also the perfect showcase for playful, quirky features that you'd never print in your company's brochure or annual report.