An age old bootstrap marketing tool is a customer newsletter. NFIB gives several tips for developing an effective newsletter as part of your marketing tool kit. Here is a summary:
– Set up a template with a good design.
– Write articles based on specific topics that you know are interesting to your customers.
– Ask for contributions from your customers.
– Hire a freelance writer to edit the text before flowing it into the columns.
– Always proof the newsletter in a printout, not merely on your computer screen.
– Set the newsletter aside overnight and review it again in the morning.
– Using a printer is usually worth it because the quality will be higher, especially when using color.
– Create mailing labels using your customer list.
– Consider creating an electronic version of your newsletter.
One additional idea that I would suggest is to write articles that highlight your customer’s businesses.
Many businesses are taking their newsletters onto the Internet. Here is an example from one of our alumni, Charles Hagood of TAG.
One important piece of advice that I would offer is to make sure that this is something that you have the time, interest, material, and resources to continue over time. If it is an interesting and useful newsletter they will notice if you give up on it and stop sending it to them. And that will send a negative message to your customer base that could hurt your sales.
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