A newsletter is one of the best ways to get repeat traffic. Sending your newsletter will bring back people to your website who were interested enough in your topic to give you their name and email address. That's why this method of marketing is so valuable.
What is a Newsletter?
A newsletter (sometimes called an ezine) in this sense is considered any email sent to people who have asked for it. The format of your newsletter can be fancy or just plain text. The important thing is that you treat your newsletter subscribers well and build a relationship with them.
How can you start a Newsletter?
It's quite simple to start a newsletter, but, to do it well, it does cost a bit of money. What you don't want to do is just email people on a regular basis from your hotmail or Outlook. That doesn't follow the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) and it's just bad business.
In order to follow the guidelines and avoid being fined, you must do the following:
- Show your correct return email address. You may not mask the address as something other than what it truly is.
- Not have a misleading subject line. We all see these in our junk mail folders, so you know what they look like.
- Include easy “opt-out” instructions. Most mailing services include this automatically.
- List your mailing address in each newsletter sent.
The good news is that there are wonderful autoresponders and mailers that will help you to stay in good standing with the FTC.
How do you choose a Service for your Newsletter?
There are plenty of services available. Some are free and some are paid. We do not recommend using a free service, as it doesn't not represent your business well, and oftentimes includes advertisements from other businesses in your mailings. That kind of defeats the purpose of having a newsletter, right?
When shopping for a service, find out the following information:
- What is the standard delivery rate? Many services can't get their messages through because of spam filters.
- Is there a limit to the number of subscribers or the number of lists you can manage?
- Will you get charged if you need another list or can you have as many as you'd like?
- Does the service offer free training and support?
- Do they offer a free trial?
What are the other benefits of a Newsletter?
Other than the benefit of bringing visitors back to your website, you can also reap many more rewards from having a newsletter.
You can offer affiliate offers or specials, on occasion, to your list for more income.
You stay fresh in the minds of your potential customers. If they need what you have to offer, they are much more likely to remember your website and type in your URL.
And, newsletters oftentimes are forwarded to family and friends so you have the potential for them to become viral and spread like wildfire.
If you don’t have a newsletter, get working on that. Your business will benefit from it.