Lessons

Lesson Info

Tool #5: Your Email Newsletter

All right, so we're going to go to the email newsletter all right? So top tool number five we've talked a lot about email newsletter, so I've already made a lot of these points, which I'm just going to reinforce. So your email newsletter why you don't want to I've heard a lot of the complaints already I get too many already I don't have any time anything to write about I can't write I don't have time I don't want to bother people all of these uh should not be relevant right? Because why you should anyway newsletters are intimate it is the most intimate marketing tool available to you it's one on one it's you talking directly to someone and that is very, very valuable. It can be as personal as you make it you can use it to show what you know little by little drip by drip it says here's, who I am here's what I do here's, what else I can dio this is an interesting point often people who don't market themselves here from their clients that they didn't know you could do this. Oh, I didn't k...

now you could do that what's because you're not telling your prospects and your clients what else you could do besides the thing that you do for them and so why would they know right? The expectation is they should know what I d'oh no, not unless you tell them and your email newsletter is one of the best ways to tell them I don't care if they read it I don't care if they delete it all they need is to have it in their inbox and be able to go back to it when they need it. Timing is everything, especially when it comes to email. So the most important thing about your email newsletter that how to is to start building your list, right? Even if you haven't written it yet, even if you don't know what it's gonna be about yet start building your list everyone you know, uh, inviting you can you can offer it up in lincoln groups, there are lots of different ways you can start building your list everyone you meet, but don't forget to do that that's really? Because the list is the most important part and then you're obviously going to distribute useful information, you're going to use it to show what you know and what you do, and in terms of frequency, people are often asking me how often I would say monthly if possible quarterly at the minimum all right, no more than monthly and you can do you know a bunch of them all at once and then distribute them over time, right? You can have an editorial calendar, all right, I have some examples um and in the workbook I also have links to the websites where you can sign up for these examples because it's good to get on these people's lists and see what they're doing that will motivate you but here is deidre is from connect with copy forget about doing better just do what I love about her newsletter actually is it's short it's friendly and it's often funny she's a very funny person especially in the way that she writes on people like humor right and because she specializes in capturing other people's personality her job is to bring her personality through right so and she does this thing where she talked about something really random and you're not sure what she's what she's getting at what it has to do with writing but she always makes the connection so you know I stumbled outside for my first jog in ages huffing and puffing I ran along at a snail's pace feeling like I was going to collapse I looked left and a chipmunk was beating me his chimp eyes said come on lady, you can go faster than that, right? I mean it's very engaging it makes you want to read what is a chipmunk have to do with copyrighting she will tell you she will make the connection and if you want something like that for yourself then you can hire her that's the idea all right? Is it working right? Forget about doing doing serious beat me her subject line right? Seriously, the chipmunk beat me a beautiful okay all right, let's look at another one. So here's jill anderson's this's from october she said happy halloween! I just love this scary time of year. And speaking of scary is that how you feel about your website? Right there's the connection right there or how you feel about building websites for your clients? I would love to put your fears to rest. I'm currently booking projects for january and february. This's another way you command the fees you deserve you schedule projects in advance and you can only work with those people who are willing to do that that's a really wonderful way and it takes time. She's been working at this since we started working together. Now she can book clients use so booked sheikhoun book people in advance she'll tell us about that later. If you're interested in a spot, please take advantage of my three thirty minute chat that's her call to action, right? She does the same thing I do and we'll work out all the ghostly details, right? So it's very friendly it makes you wanna read who wouldn't want this newsletter, don't raise your hand and then what she uses her newsletter for is to drive traffic to her blawg right cause that's one of the points of the newsletters that you ca n't tell people where to go and all she does then write this is she's already done all the rest of the writing her newsletter is just that opening paragraph and then she's linking to the first paragraph of her block all right and by the way did you write this for her right? Because she's not a writer although she's actually not bad and that's kind of funny ah lot of these designers that I work with and when I bring up this idea all right you need any money was there oh, I have nothing to write about, okay, we get over that and then they've got too much they write too much it's kind of amazing but it's very consistent so I challenge you all to get yourself to that point and you'll see that actually maybe you have way more to say than you think that's a profound anything like that one hears laura beth uh laura beth studio and really all I want you to see here because you can't see the rest of the newsletter but um is just the title of her newsletter it's called on a mission ideas and insights on nonprofit communications right? So again very targeted she knows who she's talking to and she has called her newsletter something different from the rest of her business and it's its own product almost all right, consign up for that I have an example here from another writer tom tom bush his company's called word stream copy weird dream copy dot com really what I want you to focus on here is his tag line his newsletter is called currents and his tagline copy tips for creative people also targeting creative people it says who he's writing for that's why it lands in your inbox you know whether or not it's for you and hopefully you're only getting it because you are one of these people right plus it's an example of his work and so he's got a short little intro note that is always personal. Okay all right, this is the last one this is from tiffany stds and her company is called whole brain creative she's based in portland or again and her newsletter is called smart marketing from whole brain creative in fact, tom writes this one, right? So we have all of these created supporting and helping each other working together, and she often tells me actually that it doesn't matter what the topic is have her newsletter and I think this is a really important point too, because again the complaint the resistance is I don't know what to write about and sometimes I say, you know what send out an auto responder send out anything because people respond when they have a need, it almost doesn't matter why what you write about what the content of your newsletter is because if the timing is right, they'll totally ignore it and say, I need your help with this right is that it never ever happened to anyone? No, ok, a few people in the audience are not saying yes, but I would like to know if in the chat room that has ever happened to you because that I feel like that happens to me and I've heard it happened to a lot of people right it's all about timing and we get so focused on the content, the material which of course yes has to be good, but it doesn't have to be perfect, and I think creatives are perfectionists, and so we start doing something but it's not good enough. This is why a lot of the websites are not finished and then it never gets up and there's this paralysis that happens. So really tiffany is the example essentially of someone who and she tells me these stories all the time she sends out her newsletter and people just write back and say, I need your help and sometimes it's about what she's talking about because the content of the newsletter should be about what you want more of what you're trying to engage people over so it's also aspirational all right before we do our next, what would you do if j k o tell me what is happening in that it's really interesting, because as soon as he got onto email newsletters, people really recoiled in horror. It just has a bad rap on course. People start saying, well, as soon as I hear those words email blast, I just don't want to know what somebody said pointed out yet why do they even call it that it's just like shooting a cannon into the air and, you know, there's your marking message, but some people have bean actually positive and have had very positive experiences. Janet was saying, my newsletter is our many case studies about clients successes, and then I go on to give tips for how to do it yourself when you do it it's too hard, so you really need me. So she's had successful that it seems to me the people who have instinct to recoil from it, in fact, when they actually pursue it and really put in content that people want to read that it's working. How do you feel about les online unless e versions that traditional things like flyers or even just writing to people through the mail of some people were asking about that? Is that just completely dead now know? In fact, the male has become much more effective because no one is using it right, and especially lumpy male right what I like to call lumpy mail something that lands with a thud on someone's desk they're much more likely to open it and two it'll get the attention so I think personal notes are very, very effective. Thank you notes or follow up notes thank you notes a huge big oh, no yeah, yeah, absolutely. And actually, my newsletter when I first started doing it was called the art of self promotion and it was a paper newsletter that I sent by bulk mail through the post office and it was very effective so and so now really, this is just the evolution of that I think it could be very interesting tio continue to do that to send um printed newsletters but this is much easier and there's so many services available toe make it really easy. I think also another question that people have a sense they have is a question of time they feel that they are particularly building a business is a creative they've already signed up for lots of newsletters and as soon as they get busy they they see it is then an irritation even though they signed up for it there just in our database with females so they eventually just unsubscribe but they're not reading them that that seems a shame to it is and you know when people unsubscribe uh it could be taken personally it could be felt as a rejection so it is important to have a bit of a thick skin and ask people why they unsubscribed but when that happens to me and when people do I go back and I say please tell me why I'm happy to unsubscribe you but also I think that because there are so many other ways people have of staying in touch and following people the email may not be the most important and it's certainly not the preference for everyone right? Everyone has their own preference for how they liked to follow people or how they like to stay in touch so with someone doesn't want the email that's okay, maybe you can say well then, please follow me on twitter or please, you know be a friend on facebook great advice, okay justin, any recommendations on what services actually used to get the emails out like I d'oh d'oh one of my favorites and the one I used is called my emma dot com highly recommended feel free to use my name marketing mentor um they're great uh also male chimp is one that a lot of my clients use and I believe that's free up to a certain number of messages or people on your list so it's a good one to test your email newsletter and email marketing with constant contact is another there's lots of good ones out there okay, so now we're going to do the what would you do if I kind of already answered this question but let's see if you remember what I said, what would you do if you met a new contact at a networking event and you want to add them to your email newsletter list? Exactly? You just asked the trick is actually remembering right in that moment of, uh, exchanging business cards and talking about what you d'oh you have tto have the presence of mind to think about the follow up. In fact, one way to deal with that is to make a note about how you're going to follow up and remind yourself to ask, all right, so now we're going to do we're wrapping this segment up, and we'll do that with the, uh, exercise so in the workbook you have of links to the sample newsletters and the place to sign up for those and the exercise, all right, so the people sitting in the room can't exactly do this right now, but I want you to find one or two email newsletters in your in box that you like, right? Because we all have email newsletters that we like and think about what is it about that newsletter that you like? In other words, why you don't subscribe, right? What is it? Can you think of one justin yeah, it's funny at lunch time I was just opened up a newsletter from social print studio ok? And I like it because a there's lots of beautiful photos includes photos that I was like that's beautiful it's coming instagram style photos and they sound like they're speak talking to me like that it's just a kind of comical tone and um, it's feels very down to earth it's not like promoting I think they just got the news that I was looking at was like, the top ten things they want to do is a company in two thousand fifteen, so I just thought that was cool. They were kind of pulling back the curtain on what their processes like it just felt very down to earth, which I really like interesting and also that idea of there speaking to me, right? I mean, if you could analyse how exactly they're doing that, that would be very valuable to you and then figure out how you can apply that to the people you're going to try to reach out to anyone else. Meena yeah, I get when from the table. Hopper um, two reviews local restaurants, anything in the food scene and it's so well written that you it just makes you smile and laugh and it's interesting? Um yeah, I mean, if I could bottle that and put it into mine. That would be great, but I can see it takes a lot of writing skill for sure. So maybe you need a writer to help you that's. Fine. Yeah. The ones that I opened most are the off thought leaders that I follow. Ah, one in particular that tim farriss he started attending out his newsletter. I really enjoyed that it's actually full of resources and downloads like that. Bree sources and downloads are also very important. You can curate content. We'll talk about content marketing in the next segment, but you can cure eight other people's content and send it out in your newsletter with credit, of course, but you don't have to be the originator of all of your content. You could just pass things along that would be resourceful to your prospects and clients and that they would find relevant and useful. Do we have any, um, ideas in the chat room about why people keep, uh, or love the newsletters that they get? Yes, I mean, people are sharing some of the ones that they really, really like. Heart handmade newsletters is the best says laddie says, because it's very thoughtful, it's personal it's, approachable andi she also gives relevant, non recycled information. On damien oliver, you said the best one for knitting she's annetta is to know you a knitting shop. They they talk about upcoming seasons, months and how to get through family gatherings or how to make me laugh about things I've seen. Please sign up for my quick tips that's my email newsletter confined that on marketing dash mentor dot com and to close things out, I will tell you what this segment's goody is in the extra goodies bundle it's an article I wrote about whether or not you should do an email newsletter or a blogger because this is a question I get a lot and most people don't see the difference like it's, just content. So what format is best? And the short answer there's a long article in there, and you can get it at bit li that a slash command fees. But the short answer is an email newsletter, as I said before, is personal and intimate, and you send it directly to the people you're trying to reach. Ah, blawg is public, and people have to find it unless you were driving traffic to your blogged. But in terms of marketing that's, why I don't put blawg on the top five mark. In tools. And I do put email, newsletter because you have more control that's. The other thing about all the social media as we close out this segment about the five marketing tools again, notice that I really haven't talked too much about social media except linked in because you don't have control over it. You have a little bit of control over what you post, but not about what they do with it, or who sees it or when. And you really do need the control if you are going to command the fees you deserve.