You have launched your website. She implemented a public relations campaign and spent lots of money advertising in trade journals, magazines, and newspapers. But her daily site visitors are still in the single digits and her sales are… well, let’s just say early retirement is no longer an option.

Now what?

Maybe it’s time to try email marketing. Or, to be more specific, an email newsletter. After all, they require minimal effort to produce and have been shown to increase sales.

Of course, there are many other reasons why email newsletters make business sense. Here are some of them:

• You can create a marketing campaign with a small budget.
• You can measure the results and find out what works and what doesn’t.
• You can build a personal relationship with a large group of people.
• Your subscribers choose YOU when they subscribe to your list.
• You can track customer behavior.
• You can collect user information for specific, targeted campaigns… the list goes on and on.

So, what are you waiting for. It’s time to take the next step and put the power of email newsletters to work for you.

Starting Your Email Newsletter Campaign

Before you start any type of marketing or advertising campaign, you need a plan. This is equally true for email newsletters. You don’t need to create a 200+ page document outlining all of your goals and objectives, but you do need to define some basics before you begin.

1. Know your audience. It is not enough to say “these are people who like widgets”. Follow the lead of magazine publishers. They know exactly who their target audience is, how much money they make, which social group they fit into, and what motivates them to buy. Find out who your customers are, then tailor your newsletter to their needs and wants.
2. Take a look at your competition. Yes, you have competition. Find out what they are doing by spending some time to research their product or service. What could you do better? Is there a gap in your service that you could fill?
3. Identify the purpose of your newsletter. What do you hope to achieve with your newsletter? Do you want to give your subscribers information about your product to help them make purchasing decisions? If so, you first need to help them learn more about your product by making them see how it can make them smarter, healthier, wealthier, or more successful. Or do you want to position yourself as an expert in your field? Your goal here is to provide your subscribers with well-written articles that address issues in your industry. Whatever your goals, your strategy should be focused on your goals.

content creation

Now that you know what you want your campaign to achieve, it’s time to start thinking about the content. Usually this is where the faint of heart run for cover. do not fear. Creating content is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Below are different methods you can employ to keep your newsletter content fresh, relevant, and focused.

1. Write it yourself. By far the cheapest approach in the long run is to write it yourself. If you like to write and have a lot of ideas for content, then this may be the best option. Only you can decide.
2. Hire writers to write for you. If you are not comfortable writing content yourself, you may want to consider hiring a professional writer to write it for you. There are many freelance writers who specialize in writing newsletter articles. You will find several at http://www.freelancewriting.com/
3. Get content from online article directories. One low-cost option is to source content from article directories, such as Ideamarketers.com, Goarticles.com, Articlecity.com, and Ezinez.com. Articles published on these sites are generally free, as long as you include the writer’s signature when posting.

design your template

Just as a magazine has a certain look and feel that will attract your subscribers, so should your email newsletter. Decide on a template design and stick with it so your subscribers know what to expect with each issue. Think about how magazines and newspapers have regular columns in each issue. Break your newsletter into small parts to make the content easier for readers to digest.

HTML or plain text? It’s really a matter of personal preference and what you think will appeal to your readers the most. The jury is still out on whether one sells better than the other, but when in doubt we offer two lists: one in plain text and one in HTML. So let your subscribers decide.

Ready, Set, Go

You have defined your objectives, secured your content and designed your newsletter. Now all you need to do is put it together and launch it to your customers. For this you need a mailing list. Start with your own internal list, made up of people who have specifically requested to receive information from you. Set up a signup form on every page of your website, advertise your newsletter on online ezine directories or other newsletters, and advertise your newsletter in your signature file – the tagline that is, or should be, attached to each email. you send.

Regardless of how you choose to build your list, never, ever become a spammer. Never send your newsletter to anyone who has not specifically requested to receive it. Remember, Can-spam regulations require that every marketing email include an opt-out provision and a valid physical address. If you ignore these rules, you do so at your own risk.

Email newsletters are possibly one of the most effective marketing tools available to online businesses. Take advantage of this opportunity and you are almost guaranteed to attract target customers to your site, create demand for your product, collect customer data and ensure the success of your business.