|
|
Developing an electronic newsletter
There are thousands of
things to write about in a newsletter. You can
develop different “departments” and run with them. Ideally they’ll
provide opportunities to link to your web site (“web drivers”).
It’s a good idea to limit a newsletter to no more than five regular
departments and 1000 words. These numbers have been recognized as best
to hold a reader’s attention.
Here are some department ideas from a wonderful guide called "The
Online Copywriter's Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Write
Electronic Copy That Sells" by Bob Bly.
• How have customers benefited from your products or
services
• Case studies
• Industry expert interviews or Q&A
• “Ask Jack” segments written (or ghost-written) by
employees
• Leadership letters
• Reader feedback
• Trends and news, company or industry
• Tech tips column on how to use your product or
service (like this one!)
• In-depth product or service exploration
• Company history or anecdotes
• Meet the staff
• Activities and events
• Community involvement reports
• Quotes and fun facts
• Fun quiz or short survey
Don’t worry if you like more than five of these. Pick two or three as
departments and rotate the others in and out.
If this seems great but you’re not comfortable writing or don’t have
time, no worries. There are companies – like SOS, for example! – who do
this for clients on a regular basis. We tackle everything from
designing the newsletter so that it complements the rest of your
branding, to writing the content, to handling the mailing list, to
sending the emails. Or we can help you learn how to do it in-house.
Either way, the cost is such that it almost doesn’t make sense not to
utilize this modern-day communication tool. If you’re not using an
newsletter to keep in contact with your customers, you’re missing a
huge opportunity. |
|
|
|
|
