Being the organized professional that you are, I’m sure you’ve started a list or database of potential clients who have inquired about your services, other entrepreneurs you’ve met at networking events, names you’ve collected at trade shows and speaking engagements, and other contacts. It’s great to have that information on file, but your business will benefit much more if you have a system in place for staying in touch with them on a regular basis.

Newsletters

I conducted a survey last year in which 95% of the participants stated that they subscribe to at least one newsletter, and 22% subscribe to more than five. Offering a newsletter is a popular and effective way to keep your name in front of people, because instead of just trying to sell them your services, you provide valuable information from which they can put to good use.

If you enjoy writing, you can craft your own newsletter and send it out, either by mail or email. If you decide to write your own newsletter, I strongly encourage you to ask someone else (me perhaps?) to go through it with a fine-tooth comb for spelling and grammar mistakes. No matter how strong your language skills are, it’s very difficult to spot your own errors, because your unconscious mind sees the message the way you intended it to read.

If writing is not your forte, or you’re just too busy to fit it into your schedule, you can still send out a monthly newsletter, thanks to two seasoned professional organizers, Debbie Jordan Kravitz and Tammy Burke. With their valuable service, you can easily send an issue of Organizer News to your mailing list every month. You can view a sample issue on their website, and your first month is free, so you can try it out and see whether it’s right for your business.

When you sign up for the service, you’ll receive:

  • A Microsoft Word document which you can customize
  • A PDF version of the newsletter that you can simply print and mail or attach to an email
  • An HTML version that you can send out using one of the popular email marketing systems, such as Practice Pay Solutions

By the way, Practice Pay Solutions also offer tools for selling physical and digital products on your website, managing your affiliate program and a lot more. I’ve completed their certification program, and will be happy to help you get started.

If you’d prefer to use your own unique newsletter content, but don’t have the time, interest or skills to put it together, let’s talk. With my experience in the organizing industry, I can prepare drafts for you, on which you can apply your finishing touches, or even ghost write articles on your behalf. I can also design a customized ezine template to match the look and feel of your website, and suggest themes for your monthly newsletter. Here is a sample of a newsletter I created for one of my clients.

I can’t cover the topic of newsletters without mentioning that you should NOT add people to your ezine subscriber list without permission. It’s very presumptuous, if not illegal, and may result in your messages being blocked by many ISPs and email service providers. Instead, send a copy of a recent issue along with a personal message inviting them to sign up. Don’t worry that this will result in your list being smaller, as there’s little if any value in sending your newsletter to individuals who are unlikely to read it anyway.

Are you ready to send out your newsletter?