The Instant Newsletter Solution

Last week I spoke to a gathering of local entrepreneurs.

After my talk, I handed out a survey and got back 25 of them. Their answers to my questions were insightful (I love surveys!), but one was especially interesting.

To my survey question, "Do you send a newsletter to your clients?" the answers were:

Translation: 40% of respondents send NO newsletter to their clients. Bad. Very bad.

Only 8% send a newsletter by U.S. Mail, while 32% send one by email, and 12% send a newsletter by U.S. Mail and email (the best option -- online + offline = synergy).

Why do you need a newsletter?

For every month that you don’t communicate with clients, their value drops about 10%, according to research by The Direct Mail Association.

Erik Van Vooren, of the Direct Marketing Know-How Institute in Belgium, puts it this way:

"Suppose your company lost 10% of your inventory last month? You would panic. You'd get together your staff, lock the doors and figure out exactly where that inventory went. However, the same company can lose 10% of their customers without even noticing."

So, think of a monthly newsletter as a systematic way to plug the leaks and lock the doors in your business, to keep your clients (and profits) from escaping.

If you’re not sending a newsletter of any kind to clients, try the following, in order:

1) Find one useful article online this week. Email it to one client, with a short summary of the article and a note, telling them why you think it’s helpful.

2) Do the same thing next week for another client.

3) Combine the two emails. Write a short introduction. Presto! Instant ezine issue #1 for your business.

4) Print the ezine and mail it. Presto! Instant printed newsletter issue #1.

By the way, I don’t write newsletters, so this is not a pitch for my services. It’s just me urging you to do the right thing. If you do need a newsletter done for you, the BEST in the business is Shaun Buck over at The Newsletter Pro.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab your free copy now, while they last.