“News,” most any “news” has its own intrinsic appeal. Humans are conditioned, probably evolved, to being attracted to things which come across as “news.” The appeal of news is hard-wired into our psyche, and it is our nature to be drawn to news.
In ancient times, news could be a matter of life or death, so news always drew attention. Good news or bad, the proclamation of “news” is powerfully effective, which is why it is often incorporated into headlines. It’s even morphed into just the idea of “news” – because something “new” or an “announcement” can trigger the same effect.
Today we’re hit with more news than we can handle, so our brains will filter the majority of it out on a subconscious level. We tune in figuratively and literally to news which is relevant and useful. Otherwise, we’d spend our whole day listening, watching, and reading the news.
Relevant or useful news is still likely to catch our senses and give us cause to focus. One way to leverage the value of “news,” in a way that helps your organization to build prospect and customer relationships, is with a quality newsletter.
To build perceived value over time, a newsletter must be an honest effort to inform your public – to provide your readers with material that helps them one way or another. If it’s just another advertisement with some news about your firm thrown in that readers could probably care less about, it will only be another reason for your audience to “opt out.”
A good newsletter can build your reputation, establish credibility, and invite your prospects and customers to see the potential for your products and services. The more effort you put into helping your readers, the higher the likelihood that they will want to reciprocate by doing business with you.
With the low cost of producing an HTML email, the cost of producing and distributing a newsletter is generally less than the cost of print production. However, don’t rule out a print version for more lasting impact, which will not get blocked by SPAM filters! Either way, your newsletter can be integrated with your website, to provide easy access to support materials and links to integrated direct response offers. Newsletters are a super way to build repeat traffic to your website, draw in registrations, download requests, and more!
For more ideas on producing newsletters I’ve posted an article on the “Resources Page” of the First Direct web site – click here for a link to the section on “Free Sales & Marketing Tips” and then select the article entitled, “Newsletters – To Print or Not to Print.”
GoldMine Success© is an example of a newsletter that truly strives to provide value to its readership. I love to receive communications back from recipients thanking us for ideas and information! I also like getting topic requests. As the publisher, we put in considerable effort to give our customers material they can use to help them market better, sell more, and manage smarter! (Please give us your feedback.)
