If you’re planning on using a newsletter to communicate with clients, consider these tips provided by Joanne Ferguson of Advisor Pathways Inc.:

> Do a client survey before starting your newsletter program. Find out what kind of information clients are looking for, and include those topics in the newsletter.

> Keep it short. A newsletter should be something a client can pick up and read fairly quickly.

> Use it to keep clients informed about developments in the markets.

> Plan ahead. When mapping out your newsletter schedule, decide on editorial content for each issue. If it’s monthly, pick a theme for each month to make it easier to come up with timely topics.

> Keep content moving and varied. If your newsletter is the same every issue, it will be more like a brochure and clients will stop reading it.

> Include a brief bullet-point summary of each team member’s functions. It tells the client whom to call for what.

> Use a newsletter company if you lack the time or skills to produce your own newsletter in-house. Many suppliers provide client newsletter formats, and some provide content.

> Consider joining forces with other professionals, such as a doctor, an accountant, a lawyer and a real estate agent to put out a newsletter together. You will reach a significantly larger audience, with excellent referral potential. — MONICA JOSEPH-MCINTYRE