Can sending out a mass group of newsletters work? You know, your are marketing your business but providing some "business" information also. We have several Realitors that do this in our area - just curious if it would work for VA's.

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Sharon
Sharon's Virtual Solutions

Anything that keeps your name in front of potential clients works. I subscribe to a number of VAs newsletters. Due to spam laws you can't just pick random people and send out mass e-mails, you need to get the contact first then they are on your newsletter e-mail list.

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Lanel Taylor, CVA ~ Virtual Bookkeeper
Taylored Office Solutions
Custom fit solutions for all your office needs.

Lanel is on-point. Newsletters are very effective. They do keep your name in the forefront and help to establish credibility, offer insight into services (and personality), as well as offer value for the reader. Newsletters are an excellent way to add email addresses to a growing subscriber list. Newsletters are a top marketing tool.

The subscriber list needs to be established first with the permission of the recipient as Lanel mentions. A 'sign up for my newsletter' box connected to an autoresponder is one way to collect subscriber addressess as folks opt-in.

Jan

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New VAs: I personally recommend Become A Virtual Assistant to Get Started!

Absolutely! Just last month, I sent an e-newsletter to my list, offering them a free report to help them learn to write their own web copy, and one of my previous clients (who is also a subscriber) contacted me a few days later. I had copy edited a book for her a few months back, and she said she'd never even thought to hire me to spruce up her web copy until she got my email. And I wasn't even trying to push my own copywriting services...I was just offering helpful info!

She hired me to write her home page content and when I was finished, she was so pleased that she asked me to work on the rest of her 25-page website (she sells products). She also referred me to her husband, who owns a construction company, and then just the other day contacted me to write her brochure. So from just one email, I've gotten something like 40 hours of work and counting!

So yes, newsletters are a great way to remind people of your expertise and what you have to offer them.

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Tammi Metzler ~ The Write Associate
Free call: "How to Write Email Subject Lines That Grab Attention!"

yes, newsletters with permission can be VERY effective.

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Rebecca Thompson
CLR Virtual Connection * fanTABulous fan pages

I am very interested in starting a newsletter, but I'm worried that I won't be able to come up with enough content to keep it going. My current clients keep me pretty busy. (Yes, I am still looking for more clients as things can change quickly). Any suggestions about the newsletter?

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Kelly Minton
MySavvyVA.com

Don't worry too much about content. Just being a part of this forum gives you plenty of topics that small business owners might need to know about (i.e. resources). I also use topics from articles in Start Up Nation or other small business resource hubs/centers. It at least gives you a topic to start with.

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Tamika R. Johnson, MBA, Principal
administrative partners, llc
www.administrativepartners.net | http://adminpartners.blogspot.com

Thank you so much for the info and the encouragement! I really appreciate it (and feel relieved)...

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Kelly Minton
MySavvyVA.com

I also have a newsletter (visitors can sign up for newsletter on my website). I started to send it out two months ago and I hope it will help me to find new clients

I will post later and share my experience

Jade

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VA for VAs
www.jadesvirtualoffice.com

Thank you Kelly for the question. I am also considering a newsletter but was having a difficult time with content. Tamika gives an excellent suggestion regarding topics.

Thanks all

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Portia Goss
www.thevirtualofficesuite.com

Originally Posted by Administrative Partners

Don't worry too much about content. Just being a part of this forum gives you plenty of topics that small business owners might need to know about (i.e. resources). I also use topics from articles in Start Up Nation or other small business resource hubs/centers. It at least gives you a topic to start with.

Thanks Tamika, I never thought about doing this awesome!

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Katrina
KRB Administrative Resources, LLC

Hello,

I'd also like to mention that some virtual assistants specialize in managing / writing email newsletters. So, there's also an opportunity to bring in a virtual assistant to help you with your VA newsletter! Everyone's skill set is a little different, so don't think you have to do it all yourself.

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Sincerely,
Lindsey Schocke

I'm am going to give a newsletter a try but I have to get a contact list together first. So with your experience for new clients, do you just call potential clients to see if their interested? If so has anyone gotten good responses going about it this way?

I have been thinking of starting an Ezine or newsletter. Thanks for posting this question. It was right on time.

Wow Tammi, that is a great example of how effective newsletters can be! Something I think I'll have to get onto