Is Your e-newsletter Focused on Building Your Business?

By Deb Gilroy, Ph.D

“I write my e-newsletter every other week, but hardly anyone reads it.”

“I’d rather walk on glass than write another e-newsletter!”

“I get great feedback on my e-zine, but never get any clients from it.”

Any of these sound like you?  How can you up the odds that your e-zine gets opened, scanned or read?  How can you ensure that it’s doing the job you want it to do?

Clients who come to me with online writing challenges usually report that either their e-zine is not getting a good click/open rate, or that they get a super open rate and lots of good feedback, but no new clients or leads.  In either situation, the problem is the same:  their e-zine is not getting the job done. It’s not bringing in leads or clients because it doesn’t have the right focus.

The purpose of an e-zine is three fold and all your writing focus should be centered on these three goals:

1. Build RELATIONSHIPS with your readers so that they      want more of you 

Let’s say that you want to lose weight.  You have heard about weight loss coaches, and you either get some referrals or do a search and find three that look interesting.  You sign up to get more information from them. 

Newsletters or e-zines from the 3 weight loss coaches arrive in your inbox:

• Coach A has an article about nutrition that you’re pretty sure you’ve heard about ten thousand times. 
• Coach B offers no usable information and is filled with hype and hyperbola trying to convince you to enroll in a pricey program. 
• Coach C has a heartfelt and warm message about an aspect of her weight loss you can relate to.  It presents some information that gives you a new mindset or perspective or makes you curious.  It plants a seed by mentioning an upcoming program related to the new information, and offers a tempting incentive to sign up.  

One day, fed up with your weight, you open Coach C’s latest newsletter and decide to enroll in her next program, because you already feel connected to her.

2. Share helpful information and rich content that      meets your audience NEEDS

Your job is to write about what your potential clients need.  They need information that will help them see positive change NOW.  So providing helpful hints, or tips, (as I am doing here), giving content that actually can help or has meaning beyond what readers can find on  Google’s first two search result pages is CRITICAL. 

Readers are much more likely to want your services if you have:

    A)   Given information that reminds them of their need.

    B)   Shown them some ways to start meeting that need.

    C)   Demonstrated that you have even more good stuff!

That’s the heart and soul of content marketing.

Encourage your readers to TAKE ACTION to work with you

If you want readers to invest in your services or information products, you have to ask them.  Tell them what the next step is, show how easy it is and then make it easy.  E-zines that don’t invite and encourage you to DO something about your challenges are missing the boat every time.  But don’t misunderstand – I’m not advising you to scream or yell, to be salesy or fill your e-zine with superfluous hype.  Instead, be real, authentic, welcoming and helpful. 

Let’s revisit the examples above:

• Coach A (offered a lackluster article) is just supplying information, and that isn’t enough. 
• Coach B (no information, lots of hype to get you to sign up for a pricey program) is just plain pushy, which most readers will resist. 
• Coach C (authentic, offered valuable information, mentioned upcoming related program with tempting incentive to sign up) is the clear winner: She focused on solid content, authentic messages, relationship building and offered both a reason and encouragement to take action.

Whether you’re a great writer or not, you can include these three keys for an authentic and effective e-zine. You’ll be putting your newsletter to work for your business, making it worthwhile for both you and for your potential clients.  

Deb Gilroy, Ph.D., is a business writing coach and writer for coaches and therapists, specializing in capturing and integrating your authentic voice in online visibility.  She combines her journalism, psychology and business experience to help her clients grow their businesses with effective online marketing.  She is a member of the International Association of Women in Business Coaching, the International Association of Professional Life Coaches.  You can reach her at debra@writingyourwaytosuccess.com