Tips! How do I make a Newsletter work?

I wanted to continue with some tips on an internet newsletter after my recent blog on this issue. I am not sure if I ran out of space, forgot what I was writing or decided it was too long for one blog. But here are some more ideas for your newsletter!

Be sure to use that imagination but also you need to find items that are of interest to the readership. I interviewed a financial expert from USAA (United Services Automobile Association, a military financial and insurance organization) for our military family newsletter. With their permission I used their information in our blog and newsletter. It was great as we saw a lot of increased readership and visits from folks looking for information during the economic crisis. We actually gained 500 readers in one month from several efforts but a key was to provide information that was useful on a day to day basis.

I am a retired Air Force pilot with a lot of world wide experiences which give me a different perspective on issues. Be sure to show a bit of personality and share your own experiences to reach out to readers. One of the best parts of MilitaryAvenue is that we lived the life, relocated 18 times in 30 years and have seen many of the challenges military members and their families face each day. We also have multiple military experienced folks working the site including military spouses, National Guard spouse, retired military and military brats! Tell your readers why they should read your newsletter with a bit of your human story. They will see a human behind it instead of just words and yep, humor is good but just be careful not to offend anyone.

Don’t forget those other employees perspectives as well! Sales, support and other staff can be a great resource for ideas in the newsletter as well. They may have head direct contact with customers and are aware of the current “scuttle-butt” (defined as shipboard rumor or gossip). Are any of them regular bloggers or write for other reasons? Depending on their role and responsibility you might ask for their help or at least their ideas for articles, columns, etc.

We will continue to provide “Tips” as a way to help our Partners and readers with the challenge of reaching their customers with information and methods to expand their sales through effective marketing. Of course, in line with the recommendations we are always looking for feedback so drop us a line on how we are doing!

Have a great 2009 and help take care of the troops and their families who so deserve our support and appreciation!Posted byColonel KonThursday, January 08, 2009Labels:Col K,Tips