I took an online marketing course recently where one of the many interesting topics discussed was: is email marketing push or pull marketing? When you have an email that you send to your contact list, are you reinforcing a magnet or hammering your message? Are you using inbound tactics, or the same old outbound interruption strategies?

It’s a more subtle problem than you might think. You might understand what inbound marketing is, and center your social media around being helpful to your market. You might think that creating an email newsletter is part of the equation, and naturally churn one out like clockwork, updating your opt-ins with the latest company news.

Ooops, the alarms just went off. It was that last phrase. Is that what you’re doing, updating readers with your news? Well, yes, to some extent, else why is it called a newsletter?

But, here’s the crux. Your company’s latest news is simply not of strong ongoing interest to anyone besides you and your mother. [...] Click here to read the rest of this post at the Virtual Assistance and You Blog.

The Virtual Assistance and You Blog is authored by VAF member Mary of Virtual Writing and Communications Solutions.


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You made some very good points about focusing on the needs of your reader (potential clients/clients) to show how your services can help them. Is this just another marketing message to show HOW your services will help them?

Janet

Janet - Actually, no, not in the best newsletters. You want to talk about the bigger universe of your services/products - which actually means not talking about them at all. Rather, focus on real life, and let your brand be inferred. For instance, a baker does articles in his newsletter about famous bakeries around the world. A hairdresser does articles about beauty. Maybe a web designer writes about design, or sends photos she's taken.

The place where real life intersects with whatever your brand offers should be your focus, and is much more likely to interest your readers than anything specifically about your company.

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Mary H. Ruth/Virtual Writing & Communications
http://www.writingVA.com

Mary,

I had never thought of it this way. Thanks for this great post!

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Bette Creek
http://bettecreek.blogspot.com/
www.ashbusinessservices.com