While your newsletters are meant to provide information, they have another important purpose, according to Richard Heft, co-executive director of Ext. Marketing Inc. in Toronto. “You create a newsletter to build relationships,” he says. “You create a newsletter to build loyalty.”
Heft adds that it is important to aim your newsletter at two distinct audiences: your clients and your centres of influence (COIs).
Heft shares the following suggestions to help you ensure your newsletter to appeals to these two important groups:
> Appeal to your clients
Make your newsletter fun and appealing, Heft says, by communicating ideas that your clients are interested in.
One effective strategy is to include lifestyle articles with information that clients can incorporate into their day-to-day lives. You can refer to your products or services without sounding like a salesperson.
For example, you can use your newsletter to share tips for creating a gift-buying budget for the upcoming holiday season. You can then connect idea to the importance of financial planning.
Your clients can become even more involved when you ask them for their feedback on what they would like to read in your newsletter.
“It builds loyalty,” Heft says, “because clients will feel like they have a vested interest.”
You might find many clients wanting to know more about similar topics, such as how to balance retirement planning with the expenses that come with raising young children.
And clients with good writing skills can further add their voices to your communications by providing some lifestyle articles of their own. For example, a client who’s a movie buff can provide film reviews, Heft suggests. Just ensure your clients are clear on how you are using this content and that they have given permission to have their names published.
> Engage your centres of influence
Advisors need to think outside of the box when it comes to the development of COI relationships, Heft says.
The initial thought is that you call a COI into a meeting when you feel he or she can solve a specific client problem. However, you should utilize your COIs’ expertise in other ways, Heft says, and the newsletter can play a big part.
Ask your COIs to contribute their own articles based on their specialties, which will expose their brand to your clients. This addition shows your network and your client base that you trust the COIs’ knowledge and are loyal to them, says Heft. Your COIs will likely want to reciprocate.
“Because COIs are involved in [your newsletter],” Heft says, “they may send it to more of their clients. They may be more willing to bring you into their meetings. That’s a business-building tool.”
There is also a possibility that your COI will return the courtesy by asking you to contribute to his or her newsletter, thereby solidifying your reputation to a new audience.