Many business owners worry about how to stay in touch with a growing customer base. They know when you build relationships, you build sales, but worry about the cost of person to person contact. One of the most common responses is to start a newsletter.  Newsletters are an excellent medium to keep in touch with a large volume of customers and prospects. The idea works, but not everyone does a good job.

Few people understand the few basic rules.

It sounds a little obvious, but most newsletters are interesting to no one but the writer. If you talk about how wonderful your company, your new equipment or product is, you will be amazed how quickly people hit the delete button. Interesting newsletters are hard work. They have to be written from the readers’ point of view. How do you write about your new equipment from the reader’s point of view? Tell me how I can get what I need from you quicker, or cheaper or more simply. Tell me that’s why you bought the equipment. No one wants to know you have bought a new $500,000 widget packaging machine unless it translates into some specific advantage for them.

I believe it is better to focus on providing information to help your readers be more successful, or more informed, or showing them how to avoid pitfalls in buying and using your type of products or services. People love quizzes and how to guides. For example if you are in home improvements, you might write about 6 Ideas For Giving Your Home Better Looks And Extra Living Space or if you are in carpet cleaning, 4 Dangers Lurking In Your Carpets. That would be much more useful than talking about your 23 years of experience, your new trucks or the new guy you hired.

Remember it cost 6 times more to get a new customer than keep an old one. Don’t send out a newsletter that will turn existing customers off.

Make Your Newsletter Newsworthy. People love to be kept up to date on interesting or important things going on in their business or their industry.