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All this week, we focused on the intricacies of e-mail newsletters. Did you learn anything new? Will you start a new newsletter or revise an existing one based on this week’s information? Leave a comment and share your ideas!
-kk
Writing an effective newsletter is one of the most important skills that you need to master. You need to engage your subscriber. With some people receiving up to 500 emails a day you will most likely find your newsletter in the junk mail folder or deleted before even reading. Follow these newsletter tips to build a solid relationship with your subscriber so that you can monetize your email list.
An email newsletter is much cheaper than sending a magazine newsletter, postcard or flyer through the conventional mail. Also by formulating good quality content you build your credibility as an expert so that when you make recommendations your email list will buy from you. A very good way to market your newsletter is to use a squeeze page where you can collect a name and email address. In return the subscriber will gain instant access to a free report. You can use search engines, ppc, ezine advertising, banner advertisements and article marketing to market your newsletter.
I suggest you focus on a specific angle. It is always easier to provide relevant information from a unique angle. For example you could setup a newsletter about internet marketing and focus on list building. List building products you recommend will likely convert much better than general internet marketing products.
The subject line is the most important part of your newsletter. Without an attention grabbing subject line you are going to find that people will not open up your email. I suggest you write a blind subject line. If you put too much information in the subject line people will already know what it is about and will not be curious enough to open your email. e.g. "How many times have you made these mistakes in building your list?" makes a good subject line.
I suggest you follow the following layout for a newsletter as this has proven effective for me. Start with a header. This could be your company logo or a graphic for the newsletter that depicts the theme. Follow this with a table of contents so that your reader can easily glance at the content and go directly to sections that really interest the reader. Use a footer to indicate the end of the newsletter. Also try to keep the format to under 60 characters per line to make it easier to read in an email program like Outlook.
Before you can sell to your email list you need to build a relationship. Only once your subscribers trust you and you provide them with valuable knowledge will they buy from you. Using these newsletter tips you should be able to establish a good relationship with your subscribers.
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Mark Abrahams is a full time internet marketer who has helped others to earn a living online.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_A._Abrahams
http://EzineArticles.com/?Newsletter-Tips&id=512594
Tags: LK article challenge, suzanne lieurance, kristen king, article marketing, monetization, information products, email newsletters, viral marketing
by Donna Gunter
At almost every meeting I attend in my city, I get really positive feedback about my email newsletter, Work Smarter, Make More. People generally tell me they love it, or they ask some question about something I’ve written about in a previous issue. All in all, it’s pretty cool–I kinda feel like a celebrity!
In everything that I do, my goal and my focus is to get subscribers to my newsletter. I’m not trying to sell them a coaching program, nor am I trying to get them to buy some product. I just want them to get my weekly email newsletter. That’s it. Just get a little dose of Donna on a weekly basis (pun fully intended).
My rationale behind this comes from my philosophy that people have to know, like, trust and respect you before they’ll decide to buy anything from you. I’ve finally acknowledged and embraced that I’m a pretty good writer and have decided to lead with that gift and use that as my marketing tool for my business.
Back in 2003, I decided that I made some serious changes to how I published my email newsletter, and I’m now starting to see the results of the writing I do each week. The results include readers calling or emailing me for coaching, to sign up for a program, to sit in on a teleclass, or to form a strategic alliance with them. Just exactly what I’d hope would happen!
Here are the five secrets to newsletter publishing that I learned through the "school of hard knocks" that have helped successfully market my business through email newsletter publishing:
1. Publish consistently on a weekly basis. I initially published my newsletter on a not-so-regular basis initially because I didn’t see my newsletter as a serious marketing tool (silly me!). I then went to a regular monthly publication about a year later and then to a twice-a-month publication, and finally ended up publishing weekly in 2003 Now, if I miss a week, I’ll get a couple of emails wanting to know what happened and where the newsletter is.
2. Let your "voice" permeate your newsletter. My first newsletters had some great resources that a busy business owner would find helpful in the management of his/her business. The only thing about me was a short paragraph about my business at the end of the newsletter. What I realized was that the newsletters to which I best responded were those in which I got to know the writer and liked what s/he had to say. Resources were great, but lessons through personal experiences were incredibly more valuable and were the things that I remembered about the newsletter. I definitely put more "me" into my weekly newsletter now.
3. Show how you can help clients resolve problems. I could just kick myself for letting almost 3 years slip away by doing such a slip-shod job in demonstrating my expertise. Again, resources are useful, but stories of what I’m experiencing or what clients have experienced in their businesses and decisions that have been made to change the way we’re doing business are much more helpful to my readers. Hence, in every newsletter, there’s now a "Business Gym" article in each issue to help my readers run a better business.
4. Set aside time to write your newsletter. Finding space in my calendar to set aside time on a weekly basis exclusively for this marketing activity isn’t always easy. There are many times I want to fill that time with "profit generating" activities (i.e. work with clients) rather than holding onto this time as a business development activity. Since I now publish weekly, it takes me about 2 hours to write the main article for the newsletter. I now set aside time from 9 AM – noon each Wed. morning and knock out the newsletter copy. Some weeks the process flows more easily than others.
5. Repackage and re-purpose your articles. One of my primary motivations now for doing my newsletter is that I’ve now got a personal article bank of roughly 50 articles that I can reuse, tweak or re-pupose when I need to. I submit my newsletter article each week to various online article banks through an article distribution service, place it on my website, and have it available to use to create a special ebook or report that I can sell as another income stream, or re-purpose as a special report for a give-away on my website.
What I’ve now discovered is that by having this client “reservoir” in place (my email newsletter subscribers that I go out and “tickle” on a weekly basis), my marketing has gotten so much easier. On a regular basis one of my readers will wake up and decide that they’ve had enough and can’t do it this way any longer and decide to hire me.
If you don’t currently have a newsletter in place that permits you to reach out and "touch" potential clients regularly, I encourage you to start one. I realize that not everyone likes nor enjoys writing. Perhaps there’s someone you can team up with who could ghostwrite for you based on some conversations you’ve had or on some training or other kinds of workshops you deliver. If you currently have an email newsletter, pay more attention to its care and feeding so that it grows a healthy prospective client base for you. It’ll be one of the best investments you’ll make for your business.
Copyright 2005 Donna Gunter
Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps self-employed professionals make more profit in less time online. To sign up for more FREE tips like these and claim your FREE ebook, TurboCharge Your Productivity: 50 + Tools To Help You Automate Your Business and Make More Profit in Less Time Online!, visit her site at http://www.OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donna_Gunter
http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Secrets-to-Creating-an-Email-Newsletter-That-Gets-Results&id=96210
Tags: LK article challenge, suzanne lieurance, kristen king, article marketing, monetization, information products, email newsletters, viral marketing
Good newsletter names are usually 2-4 words. If shorter, they can’t explain what your newsletter is about, and if longer, they will be hard to remember.
When choosing a name for your newsletter, make sure its abbreviation is suitable. For example if it’s "CNN", you should look for another name because it will confuse your readers.
A good name also describes what your newsletter is about. For example "Affiliate Marketing Insider Tips" is a good name, but "Zapping Tides" is not.
Some people use "the" at the beginning of titles or "newsletter" at the end - like "The Affiliate Marketing Insider Tips Newsletter." But both of these words are unnecessary and just make your title too long and more difficult to remember.
Depending on your newsletter topic and audience, your name can be serious or playful. If you want to choose a playful title, putting an "O" at the end of it makes it funny. An example of such names could be "The Great Gordino" which comes from the publisher’s name - Gordon Bryan.
You can browse ezine directories to find many good newsletter names about different topics. You will get many creative ideas from other people’s newsletter titles. They have spent a lot of time and effort finding a good name and you can save time by learning from them.
The name you choose for your newsletter is very important and literally makes or breaks your newsletter’s success. It can draw people to subscribe to your newsletter, or it can push them away.
So make sure that you learn how to choose awesome newsletter names and titles and choose a good title for your newsletter before starting it.
To your newsletter publishing success,
Ladan Lashkari
About The Author:
Ladan Lashkari is giving away a FREE step-by-step guide to help you choose awesome newsletter names that draw people to subscribe to your newsletter. Also you can find tons of creative newsletter ideas and helpful resources to make your newsletter even more amazing. So make sure you drop by www.FreeNewsletterIdeas.com while they are still available.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ladan_Lashkari
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Choose-a-Good-Newsletter-Name&id=43395
Tags: LK article challenge, suzanne lieurance, kristen king, article marketing, monetization, information products, email newsletters, viral marketing
by Nelson Tan
The typical form of newsletter is a one-way communication where you provide information to customers, such as product updates and announcements. Creating a successful newsletter can be extremely rewarding. Subscribers and customers respond with glowing feedback, online sales jump and your customer relationships and brand loyalty deepens. Here are some useful tips that might help in creating a successful newsletter.
Define Success
Ask yourself "What is the purpose of your newsletter?" A newsletter is a substantial investment of company resources in terms of time and energy, and you need to define in as tangible terms as possible the purpose of your Newsletter.
Voice and Personality
Establish a voice or editorial personality-whether newsy, serious, gossipy or funny-that is synergistic with the image you want to portray and connects with your audience. Remember that e-mail newsletters aren’t e-mail promotions designed to stimulate immediate action. Sales and promotional copy don’t suit e-newsletters. Nor does the traditional tone of broadcast corporate communications. Think of your newsletter as a one-on-one conversation. Just imagine sitting in a coffee shop talking informally with a customer. That’s the starting point for your approach-a more personable and appropriate "human" voice will come naturally. Drop the jargon, drop the sales pitch, be as honest as you can, and talk like a human being. You can have as much or as little personality as is appropriate. Consider adding a brief editorial, a comment or two, an editor’s note, a couple of lines of commentary, a touch of opinion; adding a little human element here and there. Sign editorials, give authors a byline, or list some names down in the administrative section of each issue to which your readers can relate to.
"From" Line
Whether it’s a person’s name, name of the newsletter or company name, determine what will resonate best with your readers and stay with it.
"Subject" Line
"Vol. 1, Issue #8" or "Company News" are not enticing subject lines. They are certainly consistent and simple, but they don’t tell your readers anything that will motivate them to open your e-mail. Your subject line is your calling card-entice your readers with the most interesting or intriguing information in your Newsletter. Use attractive headlines as a means to summarize a section of content.
Style/Format
Establish a format and layout of your Newsletter that is clean and simple, with elements of the Newsletter (table of contents, "Tips", subscription information, etc. located in the same spot each issue).
Content and Relevancy
Figure out what your readers want and give it to them. Seek continuous improvement by obtaining reader feedback and monitoring click-through rates to determine what types of articles are most popular. Another dilemma that we all confront is too much information and too little time. The newsletter’s job is to keep readers on top of trends and the latest developments in the industry. Aim for articles and feature stories to meet one of the following criteria by including either: major industry occurrences, forward thinking industry ideas, education on issues or new techniques, or business opportunities.
Whether your customers work out of a corporate or home office, or employees need answers to questions and tips for improving business activities, e-newsletters provide you with an opportunity to point out work inefficiencies, and share relevant best practice. When you create a newsletter, try changing your focus from selling products and services to solving your customers’ problems. Think about what they need and give options they don’t know exist.
The greatest thing about the electronic medium is that you can quickly add new hyperlinks and include updates on old material should new information surface without incurring another round of cost for a new issue (that happens in the real world).
Don’t Wait Till the Last Minute
Begin compiling newsletter information in advance. Ask fellow marketers to contribute articles. One great source of information is none other than your inbox where you can quickly search for worthy nuggets from the past week and relay the same essence in your own words.
Quality Sources
Where can you get quality content for your newsletter?
Graphics
Use graphics that print well on your printer. Using a good mix of photographs and art work makes for interesting copy. Too many graphics can leave the newsletter looking cluttered.
Frequency
Determine how frequently your readers want to hear from you/receive your newsletter-and what you can commit to. As a rule, a weekly newsletter is ideal. However, don’t launch a weekly newsletter if you are not absolutely certain that you can distribute a quality Newsletter every week. A fortnightly newsletter is a good option too.
Length
A newsletter should be a quick read. Readers expect to finish reading it in 4 to 5 minutes. Short articles increase the probability that your reader will find something of interest to them.
Timing
Test and pick a day and time that works best…and stick to it. Readers should almost be able to set their watches by the receipt time of your Newsletter.
Penetration
You have the option of formatting your e-mail by including colorized text and a variety of fonts, but not all e-mail software supports HTML mail. Consider writing your newsletter in plain text or offer two mailing lists-one for plain text mailings and the other for HTML e-mail.
Make it Viral
Provide information readers can act on or that stimulates reaction-forwarding it to friends and peers, stimulating purchases or requests for additional information. Make it easy for readers to forward articles and information to peers and friends. Provide a "Tell a Friend" link that enables readers to forward the Newsletter with a personalized note.
Search
Make it easy to find articles of interest and back issues. Provide a table of contents and links to articles within the newsletter and to resources and past articles on your site.
Printability
If you want to give readers an option to print, consider providing "printer-friendly formats" on your website. Make sure your newsletter is physically readable. Avoid anything less than 12 point fonts for the article text. Fancy fonts may look good but can be hard to read when printed. Heading and text fonts should be consistent throughout the newsletter.
If you lack experience in print media, seek out assistance if you know someone in the field. If not, don’t worry-the abovementioned basic principles apply. Plan to research your material thoroughly and avoid factual or editing errors, as they will make you seem less credible.
Personalize
At the very least, address the reader by name. The most successful newsletters have a human being associated with them…and a personality. If possible, your Newsletter should be "written by a person" at your company…not the company.
Language
Not everyone has the range and depth of vocabulary as teachers and linguists do. Use words that are easy to understand, and if you do use technical terms, provide a definition that people can relate to. There is nothing more frustrating then a definition that makes less sense than the word itself. Just write in layman terms and keep it short, simple and straightforward.
Spelling and Grammar Check
Sending out copy with numerous errors creates a negative image to your readers. Aside from using a spell checker, have an outsider edit your final copy for readability, grammar and content.
Test and Track
Test the newsletter on few e-mail addresses to check for errors and other issues before sending to the entire distribution list. Keep track of results and reactions to your newsletter to come to an understanding for further tweaks and corrections.
Lastly, to summarise the key fundamental features of an e-newsletter, make sure you include:
E-newsletters can take up a good amount of time if not managed correctly. The use of a list server (a piece of software that runs on your Internet provider’s computer or on your own web server) is a good option. It will automatically manage a list of e-mail addresses. Once you send your newsletter to the list server, it distributes the letter to the stored addresses. For more information on list servers, contact your Internet service provider. If you opt to use another method, make sure you have a plan for handling incoming and outgoing mail when your customer base increases.
In conclusion, your newsletter can serve as an extension of your business that will reach out to your customers. It will allow you to maintain regular contact with them and serve as an effective and rewarding addition to your marketing arsenal. These tips should help you put it all together and help you create an exceptional newsletter.
Nelson Tan is the webmaster behind Internet Mastery Center. Download $347 worth of FREE Internet Marketing gifts at http://www.internetmasterycenter.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nelson_Tan
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Create-An-Effective-Newsletter&id=892729
Tags: LK article challenge, suzanne lieurance, kristen king, article marketing, monetization, information products, email newsletters, viral marketing
E-Newsletters can be an inexpensive and convenient way to keep current clients up-to-date with your business, or easily convert potential customers to new ones.
Format Options
There are several different formats that you can use to send your newsletter.
Text
This format is the good ol’ reliable method. Many individuals prefer to send their publications in this format. Why? Some see it as more personal. Text newsletters will look like a personal email specifically targeted to an individual person.
Unfortunately, some of the bonuses of the following two formats are not available (i.e. photos, video & logo insertion).
Do you send your newsletter via mail and email? PDF may be a viable option for your company. Design the newsletter in desktop publishing software and then create a PDF version of the file, and send as an attachment. You can include pictures, and links in your PDF for your sited resources.
Remember to create a subject line that will remind individuals you are sending your newsletter, or you risk your PDF being deleted.
HTML
This format is growing in popularity, when once considered taboo. HTML newsletters can be designed to look as graphically enticing as some websites. When using this format, it makes it very easy to include photos, video streaming, and link potential clients to your website to find out more information about your business, (which increases your website traffic).
Your Content
When developing content for your current and potential clients, make sure to have fun and maybe learn a little yourself!
Value
There should always be content that is valuable to readers. Many companies pack their newsletters with promotions and self-serving company information. However, by making sure your education and offering your readers information that they find interesting you are sure to have them coming back for more.
Spamming
How can your content affect anti-spam software? You would be surprised at what certain words and phrases will set off that magic trigger. Some third party email newsletter and promotion companies have a spam checker built into their programs. If you decide to develop your own newsletter by not using on of these companies, there are other programs available to you.
One of these programs is available from Spam Assassin. This company is an email filter company and has lists of tests on their website that you can access to run checks against your newsletter. You may not be able to conquer the full battle, but you can definitely wage a war. This information is available at http://www.spamassassin.org/tests.html.
Readership
Directory Listings
Ezine and article directories are one simple way to increase your subscriber lists, and give the opportunity for others to use your articles, with permission. This will increase your readership by peaking interest in your newsletters, and other articles you have produced. It will also redirect more traffic to your website, and may increase your sales, (another added bonus of these directories). If you would like to include an article that is listed in one of these sites in your newsletter you can. This can help speed up your publication process!
Frequency
Remember to keep your communications frequent. Many companies send their newsletters weekly, monthly or bi-monthly. The more frequent, the more the chance to eliminate the possibility of subscribers forgetting that the subscribed to your publication and sending it to the junk mail file.
Increase Conversion
One very important tip for securing that wavering subscriber on your website…have a privacy policy. Include this policy or a link to where they can find it on your website, in clear view on the subscription page. This will help eliminate any worries the reader may have of giving you personal information.
Most importantly…always adhere to your policy!
Third Party Sources
There are several things to look for when finding an outside source to host your e-newsletter. Constant Contact is a company that is everywhere these days advertising. A company like this offers it all, offering a trial period of 60 days or 100 subscribers. Once you hit 100 subscribers, they then charge amounts in increments of how many you have, (i.e. $5 per every 50 subscribers after 100). They manage your lists, opt-outs and “bounces.” You can store photos on these sites, logos, and several documents at one time. Reports are also provided on who opens your email, and who clicks on links.
In conclusion, you should consider several things before creating your E-Newsletter. The format, the frequency, and the content are several of the main elements. This may take some time to achieve this. You will also have to get a subscriber list ready for your first issue. You will have so much fun developing your newsletter, and if you would like to publish one, but don’t have the time, remember, “Your Projects…My Time.”™
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Marah
http://EzineArticles.com/?Email-Marketing-101:-Creating-an-Effective-Newsletter&id=358433
Tags: LK article challenge, suzanne lieurance, kristen king, article marketing, monetization, information products, email newsletters
You already know that one way to monetize your article marketing efforts is by creating and promoting ebooks with your articles. Another easy and inexpensive means of monetizing your work is through an e-mail newsletter.
Do you have an e-mail newsletter? I publish an occassional e-newsletter called Notes in the Margin, geared toward writers, editors, and the people who hired them. You can subscribe for free at www.notes-in-the-margin.com.
Leave the link to your newsletter subscription page in the comments! And keep your eyes on the blog all week long for great tips on improving your newsletter for maximum results.
-kk
Tags: LK article challenge, suzanne lieurance, kristen king, article marketing, email newsletter, monetization
This week, we enjoyed a fantastic teleseminar on how to monetize our articles while reading up on e-books here at the LK Article Challenge Blog. What new information did you learn this week? How will you work this newfound knowledge into your article marketing strategy? Leave a comment and share your ideas with the group!
-kk
Tags: LK article challenge, suzanne lieurance, kristen king, article marketing, ebooks, information product, monetization
Lately you might find that more and more sellers are turning to information products and ebooks to sell on eBay. Why are they doing this? After all each product only sells for a few dollars each, why would you bother?
We live in an age where people want instant access to information. Whether it is from TV or the Internet. If they can get the answer to their problem’s instantly for a few dollars then most people are willing to spend that.
Because of this eBay sellers have realised the potential of ebooks and other information products. Because there isn’t a physical product that you wrap, post and send off - essentially you have an unlimited supply of your product.
You could sell the same ebook over and over again as many times as you wanted and therefore your potential for unlimited profits is only limited by the amount of people willing to pay for your information.
Customers love to buy information products, especially those that tell you how to do something whether it is cooking a hamburger masterpeice to getting your baby to sleep. There is always a demand for an ebook to solve a problem.
And it’s not just ebooks these days, more and more video, podcasts and mp3’s are also being sold over and over again on eBay.
eBay itself has embraced digital products being sold in it’s marketplace and even have a special section for delivering your digital products directly to your customer as soon as they pay. Another reason that it is so popular with eBay sellers, they don’t even have to contact the buyer to let them know where the ebook is, eBay does the hard work for you.
If you are interested in selling ebooks then there is sure to be a topic that interests your buyers from making money online to the latest craft or scrapbooking patterns. All you need to do is stock your shop and wait for the dollars to roll in.
Now that you know why you should sell ebooks on ebay why not get a 25 Page Guide to Successful Selling on eBay for more great eBay selling tips.
Tracey sells ebooks on eBay and knows all the secrets! (Well most of them anyway). http://www.traceys-ebooks.com
If you liked this article, you might like another of my articles: Want to Sell eBooks on eBay? - Where to Find eBooks to Sell on eBay
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracey_Edwards
http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Sell-E-Books-And-Other-Information-Products-On-E-Bay?&id=943158
Tags: LK article challenge, suzanne lieurance, kristen king, article marketing, ebooks, information product, monetization, ebay, selling your ebook
Last night’s teleseminar with Jeff Herring was fantastic. We had a nice group with some good questions, and I think we all learned a lot. I know I did!
Highlights
Listen to the recording or download it to save for later. Be sure to stay to the end for a special offer from Jeff!
Thanks again to all who turned out. I hope we’ll see you at the next teleseminar!
And if you’re not yet signed up for the New Year’s edition of the LK Article Challenge, which runs to the end of the month, there’s still time. Just enter your info at in the handy-dandy form at the top of the page and you’ll be all set.
- kk
Tags: LK article challenge, kristen king, suzanne lieurance, jeff herring, article marketing, teleseminars, ebooks, monetization