These days, it seems you have to do more than just launch a website to attract
potential readers, customers, and devotees. As technology progresses and allows
the Internet to become more interactive, website owners strive to keep up with the
times. Browse your favorite websites today, and you will definitely notice the changes
since you first visited them a few years ago.
You may find now a favorite website offers an RSS feed, so you can subscribe to
certain articles or news. Some sites might release a regular podcast of information.
A music group, for example, can now provide entire songs for listening enjoyment
rather than ten-second clips. Message boards, chat rooms, and social networking
options allow for more interactivity with site visitors. Yet for a site that does
not require so many bells and whistles there is still a way to keep in touch and
remain effective in marketing. A well-designed, opt-in e-mail newsletter is just
the ticket for the small business, book author, or consultant who seeks to expand
reach.
If you enjoy writing, then creating a monthly or twice-monthly newsletter to send
to regular visitors will provide you with a strong creative outlet for your skills.
More than that, it enhances a personal voice that may not always be detected on
your website. There are many advantages to offering visitors to opt-in to regular
e-mail correspondence:
E-Mail Newsletters Are Fun! Like writing a lively letter to your grandmother, or
addressing a multitude of admirers, the e-mail newsletter allows you to create an
endearing persona for the purpose of marketing your books, music, or products. Fill
your newsletter with personal anecdotes about your business or writing, brief histories
of how you came up with your best ideas, or inspirational vignettes for your readers
to live by.
If your website sells cookies, share a recipe. If you are a novelist, talk about
a recent book signing or write about another author you admire. If you are a consultant,
talk about what motivates you to help others. Taking the time to write one newsletter
a month of quality content can work wonders for your site's traffic.
E-Mail Newsletter Are Inexpensive! Unlike hardcopy newsletters, which can become
costly with production and postage expenses, the e-mail newsletter takes only the
time to write, edit, and distribute. Whether you wish to create one in text or using
an HTML template, you can find a suitable text editor like Notepad or HTML editor
freeware to create your masterpiece. Distribution is a snap, too, when you utilize
a third party site specializing in such communications. Yahoo Groups, for example,
allows users to set newsletter options, so you can collect e-mails and send your
newsletters out with one click of the mouse. If you are looking for something more
professional to suit a business, a quick Internet search will lead you to helpful
freeware or shareware designed to handle bulk mailings. The simple act of setting
up a script on your website (and tutorials for this sort of thing are available
online) to allow visitors to opt into an e-mail newsletter can be a boon for your
Web enterprise.
E-Mail Newsletters sell! The personal touch and genial quality of a newsletter can
enhance your products, books, and services. Let the content you create for site
visitors draw them into the finer, unique attributes of what you have to offer.
A consultant may wish to include stories of how his/her expertise led to great success
for clients, while a book author can share fan mail from readers about how his/her
book was an inspiration. What is so special about your book, your music, your products
that people have to have them? Flesh out the finer points for copy that not only
entertains, but sells, too.
In addition to your own items, offering a newsletter increases your opportunity
to earn income in other ways. If you are familiar with Internet affiliate programs,
you will know that many companies that affiliate offer creative and affiliate links
designed especially for e-mail marketing.
Let's say you write a monthly newsletter about your mystery novels. By joining affiliate
programs of national bookstore chains, you can advertise your book for sale through
these outlets and provide readers with the affiliated URLs. As readers buy your
books after clicking through these links, you get the royalty AND the affiliate
fee associated with the link. But it doesn't have to stop there. Say your mystery
novels are centered around a particular theme, perhaps your sleuth is a pastry chef.
You can join affiliated programs associated with products your sleuth might use.
Mix up the links with some compelling content and your simple newsletter is a potential
moneymaker!
Yet, it doesn't happen overnight. To win readers, you have to dedicate yourself
to writing the content and enticing first-time subscribers to become regular customers.
More importantly, have fun with the newsletter. Make readers feel at home with your
style, and they will want to keep coming to see what more you have to say.
