I'm hoping that I can get some guidance. I've been doing lots of reading and have come to the conclusion that I need to start a newsletter. I have a few questions:

1. How often do you create one?
2. What kind of content to you include?
3. How long is it?
4. Do you mail or email or both?

I really appreciate any feedback.

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Carolyn
Atlantic Virtual Assistant

The important thing with a newsletter is to make sure you provide content people want to read. Make sure the newsletter isn't just an ad for your services (although you should have information about what you do and what you offer clients in the newsletter). That being said, try to decide how often you can provide valuable content to your readers. It may be once a month, it may be 4 times a year. You also need to decide your budget for the project because mailing out a newsletter once a month could get pricey, depending on how many people are on your list. Once you do your newsletter, take it to the post office to have it weighed before you send it out. It would be really terrible to have them all returned to you for insufficient postage.

If you decide you want to do an email newsletter, make sure you understand everything about the Can-Spam Act of 2003. I wrote a blog about email newsletters and the Can-Spam Act that you can view here. You can read all the regulations there and some tips, so I'm not going to retype it all here, but basically you have to make sure you have permission from every single person you send the email newsletter to, or else you can be fined and blacklisted. It's also important to make sure your newsletter is branded like your website and other correspondence so people recognize it as coming from you and don't hit the "this is spam" button because they don't immediately know who it's from. Make sure you send it out consistently, or else people can forget they signed up for your email newsletter and gave you permission and mark it as spam.

Hope this helps!

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Yvone M. Kon
M.Y. Marketing & Design
Your Virtual Marketing Assistant - At Your Service!
www.mymarketingdesign.com

Hi Carolyn,

I subscribe to lots of e-newsletters. Some are VA newsletters. This gives me an idea of the kinds of things they are sending out. That might be something helpful for you too.

I also listened to a great free telecast by Ali Brown the self-proclaimed Ezine Queen. She has a free 45 minute audio on her site in which she offers suggestions about why you should do an email newsletter and what you should put in it. You might find that helpful as well.

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Shari Sultana
Online Business Manager (marketing for retail ecommerce)

I send out an e-newsletter every other month. For instance, I just sent one for May/June at the beginning of May. I use constant contact because of the tracking and report functionality and have gotten very few opt outs. I can see who has clicked through and how many times they have actually opened and reviewed my newsletter. I use the information from the report to help me establish a sublist of people who wouldn't mind getting something more than every two months. To those people I send a reminder about my bi-monthly promotion -- which is also included in the original email.

My target audience are entrepreneurs and so my content has to do with information that is important to them. For example, the importance of delegation, new IRS standards, etc. I always tie it back to how a VA can help with these topics. This month I also featured my newest client "meet our newest client" and I had Microsoft Tips/Tricks (how to change your notes to a different color). So content is basically things that they could likely benefit from. I've gotten alot of lookers.. now if I can just convert them. This is only the 2nd bi-monthly newsletter but I'm trying to get them used to seeing my product and name. I finish it off with a "coupon" at the end of the newsletter for the 60 day period. This month was $5 per hour off of marketing services.

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

Is it worth it to create a newsletter if your just starting my business. I like the idea of newsletters and providing them to client. But can they be used for attracting prospective clients.

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Monique Terrell, CEO
Sparkle Professional Office Services, LLC
www.sparkleofficeservices.com

Newsletters are another great way to communicate with your clients and/or potential clients. I have one client who found my website through Google, signed up for my newsletter then contacted me to contract my services for her coaching business. Newsletters are GREAT!!

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Kylie Short
Tilda Virtual Services - Making virtual personal

Even though I produce newsletters for two of my clients I have always been hesitant about doing it for my own business. But after reading all the feedback here I'm definitely adding it to my upcoming marketing strategy.

Anything that you do to promote your business is worth it. You have to test ways to attract business, the keyword is "test". A newsletter is worth it only if you think so. Doesn't matter what others thing, what do you think. I send out a newsletter once a month and if something comes across my desk that I think should be shared immediately I do. My subscribers are important to me and I only send out what I believe they would be interested in. Think business and not like someone who just wants email from family and friends.

Saundra Jackson

Thank you everyone. I am going to try to put one together. My target right now is local small business. I like the idea of the coupon that is only available for a certain time period.

You guys are the best.

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Carolyn
Atlantic Virtual Assistant

Tamika,
Just a question here. When you send out your newsletters what program do you put them together in? When they arrive in someone's email box is it text or html? or something else. I am interested to know how you are able to see (through the functionality in your program) how many times a person clicks through it and how long they look at it for.. I think this type of feedback is kind of clever (especially since they really have no idea you are monitoring it)