Joanne Grey's blog
Newsletters That Get Results
Often, the hardest part about writing a newsletter is figuring out what to include.
A newsletter is simply a collection of small details which, when added together, evolve into a powerful, targeted sales message.
Include the following segments in your newsletter:
News
Include current and relevant news items. Your newsletter should inform readers, rather than blatantly selling to them.
Theme
Choose a theme that is relevant to your industry. It could be a particular problem, or some common questions that need answering. Run this theme throughout your newsletter.
Editorials
Articles that share an opinion encourage credibility, particularly if they disagree with news items or current happenings. Share your point of view.
Expert columns
Find an expert to write on a particular subject in every newsletter. The expert should be someone from your company and presented as such. If you cannot find an expert, write it yourself and include a byline.
Advertise and promote
Place advertisements strategically throughout your content. Design these professionally and make them noticeable. Write a short feature on the product or service you are advertising, perhaps by including a case study. Client reviews work well here, too. Do not ever make up a review. Ever. It's false advertising, unethical and you will certainly lose credibility. If you can't find any reviews on your product, ask your clients for one. Ask for reviews on your blog (make it clear when posting that it may be published elsewhere) or on message boards.
Ensure that your newsletter is informative and pleasurable to read. Bring a smile to someone's day by including something humorous. Don't fill your newsletter with photos of your staff, praise for your organisation and information that means nothing to your clients.
A newsletter is just that - it provides news.
Wordy thought for today:
Spotted Wombat is a comprehensive content marketing and copywriting service in Brisbane, Australia. We provide writing for brochures, newsletters, websites, articles, white papers, press or media releases, blogs or any other writing that enhances your business.
People don't read blogs
Wrong. They do.
In the USA, 25% of consumers read blogs, with14% of them commenting on blogs. More than half (52%) of consumers in Japan read blogs in 2007 and 21% added comments.
The popularity of a blog grows exponentially, with authors of blogs commenting on others' blogs. People refer to different blogs and link to each other, creating a relationship between readers and bloggers.
Realistically, it can take about three months of consistent blogging to generate a reasonable amount of followers and create a credible relationship. Blogging is not a quick-fix solution to a failing industry; neither does it sell a bad product. You might make a few sales by promoting a product on your blog, but you will lose even more sales when people discover that they can't trust you - and they will let everyone know all about it on their blog.
Wordy thought for today:
A camel driver is known as a "sarwan".
Spotted Wombat is a comprehensive content marketing and copywriting service in Brisbane, Australia. We provide writing for brochures, newsletters, websites, articles, white papers, press or media releases, blogs or any other writing that enhances your business.
What if you were seen as THE expert in your industry?
Junta42's Joe Pulizzi always has something interesting to say and provides good content about Content Marketing. Therefore, Joe is seen as an expert in Content Marketing (a label that he consistently lives up to). Read more >>
3 Common Home Page Errors
I was recently asked to critique a friend's website. I found the following 3 common home page errors.
The home page had the title "Welcome to my site" in big letters across the top of the screen.
This was in the most prominent spot on her page. My fingers were itching to hit that back button. It told me nothing about the site, service or product. You've 3 seconds at most to capture your audience. Don't waste it with a welcome message.
The home page had a video, under the welcome message.
The video took a long time to load and was over 15 mins long. I still did not know what the site was about.
The home page had a long paragraph of text under the video.
She described herself and what she did. Aaah, then I knew. She sold educational aids for children with special needs. The paragraph was too long and the information about herself was irrelevant to her product. As a prospective client, I did not need to know what school she went to. I don't care. I do care about the quality of her product and her relevant expertise, though.
The above 3 common home page errors are often made when people try and add too much information into a limited space. The reality is, unless it is relevant to your service or product - NOBODY CARES!
Wordy thought for today:
The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the alphabet and was developed by Western Union to test telex communications.
Spotted Wombat is a comprehensive copywriting service in Brisbane, Australia. We provide writing for brochures, newsletters, websites, articles, white papers, press or media releases, blogs or any other writing that enhances your business.
A reason to blog
The Internet is fully integrated into society. If you are not blogging, or keeping an eye on your brand recognition online - then you need to read a book called "Groundswell" by Forester researcher Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff.
Many companies protect their brand and their name by trying to control negative publicity. These days, trying to control what people say about your brand, has the opposite effect.
Here's a simple case-study that proves the power of the blogosphere:
"In April 2007, a blogger working at a Dunkin' Donuts supplier in South Korea posted an entry titled 'Truth About Dunkin' Donuts,' including accusations of food preparation in unsanitary conditions and a picture of a rusty boiler that allegedly contaminated Dunkin's doughnuts... Dunkin' Donuts was able to persuade the site hosting the blog to remove the item, but it couldn't stop the spread of the conversation in reactions from other bloggers. The entire episode was covered by the Korea Times, surely not the end point that Dunkin' was hoping for*."
Forester research identified a trend in 2006 that people were using internet tools to hook up with one another - which could be seen as threatening to companies when they realise they have little, if any, control online.
Dell computers have 40 staff members whose sole responsibilities are engaging with customers online. There's no way that new media is going to disappear - so find ways to engage with your clients today!
*Li, Charlene & Bernoff, J. 2008. Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Harvard Business Press: Boston.
Wordy thought for today:
Auto-antonyms are words which have two or more generally accepted meanings in the English language that directly or generally contradict each other.
- Example: anabasis means:
- (1) a military advance (2) a difficult and dangerous military retreat
Spotted Wombat is a comprehensive copywriting service in Brisbane, Australia. We provide writing for brochures, newsletters, websites, articles, white papers, press or media releases, blogs or any other writing that enhances your business.
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