1) Use other people’s content
You don’t have to write all the content in a newsletter you send to clients. There are sites such as www.ezinearticles.com and www.realestateinvestingarticles.org that will allow you to use articles written by other authors in your newsletter. Outsourcing of content can be done inexpensively through sites like elance.com. If you find an interesting article or blog post on the web, ask the creators for permission to reprint their content in your newsletter. If you aren’t posting their content on your website, they may be open to trading their content for some additional exposure.
2) Keep it brief
A sixteen page newsletter is probably overkill. It will not only be a major project to create—it’s also doubtful that your clients will read it. Too much information can keep people from reading your message.
3) Send it via e-mail
Beyond the time expense, printing and postage for newsletters can cost a lot of money. Sending your newsletter via e-mail is cheaper, better for the environment and more time-efficient.
4) Use e-mail newsletter software or service
There’s no need to recreate the wheel: You can send quality e-mail newsletters for very little money. There are many web services—such as www.ezinedirector.com—which offer free e-mail newsletter services for small accounts, and a variety of newsletter publishing programs. Check out the software E-campaign, which offers great flexibility for about $200.
5) Leverage the content you create
You may want to write at least one of the articles in your newsletter. After all, this helps establish more firmly in your clients’ minds that you are the expert. Besides publishing this content in your newsletter, you can place it on your website to drive ongoing search engine hits. You could also send it to an online publisher with greater distribution to get your content and expertise in front of a larger audience.
Labels: newsletters