| If your newsletter, like mine, is an
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| | just from issue to issue. Appeal to
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| important piece of your marketing plan, I
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| | divergent interests and points of view and
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| encourage you to give it the time and
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| | needs for information. It's fine to give
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| money it requires, because I know it will
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| | some tips or advice, but get some human
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| get read. Your readers will comment on it
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| | interest in there too. Report on an
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| and, when you offer an item for sale,
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| | interesting recent event in your personal
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| they'll place orders.
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| | life, or offer an opportunity for your
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| Now, my business is very small, and my
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| | readers to engage with you, perhaps enjoy
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| mailing list has not yet reached 200. The
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| | a discount or enter a fun contest. Offer
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| advice I'm offering is not for large
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| | several "flavors" in each issue.
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| companies that print 1,000 or more
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| | 6. Use color photos! Not clip art. Or at
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| newsletters and have them mailed by an
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| | least use a combination of the two. Take
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| administrative assistant who doesn't know
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| | pictures of your customers' grand openings
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| half the people who will be reading them.
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| | or successful installations of your
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| This advice is for the small business
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| | equipment. Feature casual photos of your
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| owner wanting to deepen relationships and
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| | staff at work, or picture a recent fund
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| create some buzz around a young, growing
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| | raiser for charity or your latest
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| business. I take time with my newsletter
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| | representation in a trade show. Pepper
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| and treat it with respect, and I always
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| | your page with interesting photos, not
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| follow these ten rules:
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| | just text or a mixture of text and clip
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| 1. Keep the publication schedule fluid.
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| | art.
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| Send a newsletter when you have something
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| | 7. Create a document that is both readable
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| to say. Don't lock yourself into a monthly
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| | and appealing. Avoid goofy fonts that call
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| or quarterly publication schedule and then
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| | attention to themselves or are hard to
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| scrounge to find newsworthy material to
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| | decipher. Keep your layout clean and neat,
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| fill the space. Sometimes I mail a
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| | with some white space. Jazz it up with
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| newsletter two months in a row; other
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| | line and color-and those important
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| times I have a gap of three to four months
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| | photographs!
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| between issues. Do you think our readers
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| | 8. Copy in color! And on decent paper! The
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| keep track? I don't.
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| | finished product must look and feel
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| 2. Send it by snail mail, not email. An
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| | appealing if it is going to be read. Find
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| e-newsletter can (and will) be deleted in
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| | a printer who will provide clear, clean
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| one mouse click, perhaps read first, more
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| | copies with good photo resolution and
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| likely skimmed, very possibly ignored
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| | color reproduction at an affordable price.
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| because this is not the right moment to
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| | You might consider saving money by
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| stop and view an e-newsletter. A paper
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| | printing the front in full color and the
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| copy, though, if not read immediately,
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| | back in black and white, but don't cave in
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| will hang around, waiting to be read.
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| | to all black-and-white copy. It's just too
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| You'll see your newsletter on a friend or
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| | dull.
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| client's desk. Sometimes, during a phone
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| | 9. Personalize every copy-by name. I leave
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| conversation, an individual will say,
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| | a bit of space (truly just a bit) for a
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| "I've got your newsletter right here in
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| | handwritten message, and every newsletter
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| front of me." The difference in delivery
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| | gets a few words from my pen, even if it's
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| method represents a huge difference in
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| | as simple as, "Just keeping in touch,
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| cost; I think it's worth it.
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| | Chris." If you're not going to make it
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| 3. Change your newsletter every time.
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| | personal, it's not worth the paper and ink
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| Tinker with the layout, even just a
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| | you've paid for, and it's surely not worth
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| little, but especially change up the
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| | the next and final tip. Read on.
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| content. Again, don't lock yourself into a
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| | 10. Send it in an envelope-First Class.
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| book review each time or a recipe corner
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| | What percentage of the mail you receive
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| or "Ten Tips of the Trade," because you
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| | these days comes to you in a sealed, First
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| might not have anything really powerful to
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| | Class envelope? Not much, if your postal
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| fill that particular space next time.
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| | mail is anything like mine has become over
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| Besides, the routine gets old-hat after
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| | recent years. And how many pieces of First
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| awhile. Present the news of your business,
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| | Class mail do you open in a month (in a
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| however it might play out in this
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| | year... in a lifetime!) that have all of
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| particular issue. Don't worry about
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| | these qualities:
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| standardizing it. (Even if you use a
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| | - Attractive, appealing and readable
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| template, which I do not, change the
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| | material
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| material substantially.)
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| | - Offering interesting, useful or
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| 4. Make your newsletter a celebration, not
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| | entertaining reading
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| a sermon or warning or reference guide.
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| | - Bearing a handwritten message to you,
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| Showcase your customers and clients. Focus
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| | personally, from the sender?
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| the spotlight on members of the
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| | Do you see now why my newsletter is
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| constituency that will be reading the
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| | special to the 150 readers who receive it?
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| mailing. In that way you build
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| | There's nothing else like it in their pile
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| anticipation: Who will be in the spotlight
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| | of mail-ever! Follow my ten self-imposed
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| next time? Might it even be me or my
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| | "rules" and you too can send out a
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| business?
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| | newsletter that gets read and even
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| 5. Vary the material in each issue, not
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| | anticipated.
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