Create a newsletter that gets read

“You’re continuing to remind them why you’re the best fit,” she says. “Even if you don’t hear from them, there’s a reinforcement of your brand that happens when you’re not there”

These tips will help you create a newsletter clients and prospects will read:

> Leave out the technical terms
Make sure the newsletter is easy to read and understand.

For example, don’t duplicate a dense economic report in your newsletter, says, Sara Gilbert, founder of Strategist in Montreal. If you think the message contained in the report is important to your readers, discuss its significance in your own words and in a way that’s easy for your readers to understand.

Remember that people like to scan information, she says, so use short sentences or even bullet points. Paragraphs should be no more than two or three sentences long.

> Mention your practice — briefly
Showcase your industry expertise, not your business, in the newsletter.

A newsletter should not be a promotional piece about your practice or services, Bekhor says. It should give readers an understanding of your knowledge of the financial services industry.

It is acceptable to include a small mention of your practice or personal experience, but that should be only a side-note, she says.

> Tell readers what to do
Include a call to action in the newsletter to engage your clients and prospects.

A call to action will tell readers what to do next, whether it’s to forward the information to a friend or to schedule a meeting.

“Marketers believe that if you tell someone how you want them to behave it is more likely that they will behave that way,” says Bekhor.

You can even include multiple calls to action. Just make sure one is given priority.

For example, scheduling a meeting is more important than forwarding the information to a friend. So, Bekhor says, the call to set up a meeting should be given more prominence on the page.

> Keep it short
Think about the value of the content rather than the length of the newsletter.

Advisors often over-estimate how long a newsletter should be, says Bekhor. It doesn’t have to be several pages in length. A newsletter can be as small as a single paragraph offering readers a useful tip on retirement planning.

What is important is that the content offers value to readers and is something they can use, she says.

> Get your timing right
How often you send out a newsletter depends on you and your practice.

Bekhor suggests sending out a newsletter in correlation to events and announcements from your practice. For example, if you participate in speaking engagements throughout the year, release a newsletter each time you speak at an event.

Gilbert, on the other hand, recommends sending a newsletter every 30 days, particularly if you’re sending it to prospects because people tend to forget things after that time.

IE

Create your own newsletter
May 17, 2011

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