When that something also gives them good information or entertainment, it’s that much better.

For one thing, you can take your cup of coffee and go sit on the deck to relax and read a newsletter. A computer screen doesn’t offer that opportunity for comfort. And if you’ve included good information, your newsletter will hang around to be passed to friends or family. That means they’ll see it and think of you a few more times before it hits the round file.

However… if you’re trying to promote your business on a non-existent budget, sending your newsletter via e-mail is better than not sending it at all.

Why should you use a newsletter?

Because it is a non-threatening, soft sell method of reminding people that you’re there and that you offer something that they might want or need soon. It helps you maintain “top of mind awareness” with people who might otherwise be lost to a competitor.

What do you put in a newsletter?

It depends upon your business, of course, but here’s a starter list:

• Something personal, but not too personal! News about a class reunion you’ll attend soon or a child going off to college, or that new puppy. Just a little something to remind people about “who you really are.”
• News about your industry. If it’s real estate, give a market update. If you’re a hairdresser tell about a new development in hair care products. If you sell cars, give a sneak preview of features to expect on next year’s models. Just make it something that your readers didn’t already get on the evening news.
• News about a non-profit that you support – perhaps an event coming up or a success story.
• A few good quotes that reflect your own attitude.
• A puzzle – you can get software that lets you build crossword puzzles based on words used in your profession
• Your own thoughts about life. I used to sometimes write a column such as “20 things I love about Autumn” or “The best thing about January.”
• Seasonal tips – like reminders of things to include in your tax deductions or fun things to do on the 4th of July.

Who should receive your newsletter?

Send your news to past customers, present customers, and your sphere of influence. Then, if you serve a particular geographic area, you can expand your list and use it as a prospecting tool.

When you’re just starting out and your list is small, leave room to write a personal note on newsletters you’re sending in the postal mail. It doesn’t have to be long, just something that shows you were thinking of them specifically.

While your sales message should take up only a small part of your newsletter, this is also a good place to include notice of a special sale or a coupon. If you can make it exclusive to your readers, all the better – because it will make them feel special.

What is that #1 rule?

“It’s not about you.”

Many marketers think that their message should be about themselves and all the wonderful products they sell or the wonderful service they give. But it isn’t.

An effective marketing message is about your potential customers and clients – and what they want and need. The truth is, they aren’t the least bit interested in you or the products and services you offer. They care only about “What’s in it for me?”

When you’re selling real estate, no one cares if you’ve got a beautiful office. The office is no benefit to them. No one even cares if you have 13 different designations – unless you show them how those designations are going to help them buy or sell a home faster, easier, and in a way that’s financially beneficial to them. No one cares if you’ve been named Realtor of the Year or attended the NAR Convention.

None of that matters. What matters to your potential customers and clients is their problem – whether it’s getting their home sold quickly for a good price or finding the home of their dreams for a price they can afford.

When you’re selling a product no one cares about the research that went into producing it or how large the manufacturing plant is. Right now they might care to know what country that product is manufactured in – but the real bottom line is this: What will it do for me?

They want to know how that product will make their lives better in some way.

• Will it save them time?
• Will it help them do a better job of something?
• Will it make them more beautiful or handsome or healthy?
• Will it relieve a physical pain or a mental anxiety?
• Will it make them lose or gain weight or grow hair on a bald head?
• Will it make them more intelligent or give them more prestige with their peers?
• Will it help them “Get the girl?”

So how can you write about what you’re going to do without talking about you?

You can’t, not entirely, but you can begin every marketing piece with a focus on the customer, so that you gain their attention long enough to show them how you’re going to solve their problem.

Although you will probably need to edit and re-arrange later, start by writing the word “you” or “your” at the top of the page. From there begin writing a sentence that goes straight to their problem. Then just keep writing. Pretend you’re talking to someone who is right there in the room with you. Then tell them how their lives are going to change for the better because of your product or service.

Just turn everything around. Instead of saying “I’ll help you…” say “You can count on me to…”

This first draft might be what I call “lumpy,” but that’s OK. Because by writing the first draft this way you’ll get your head turned around to thinking of your customers and what they have to gain when they listen to you.

One caution – don’t become obsessed with banishing the words I, we, or me. You will have to use them now and then. Just don’t’ begin sentences with them!

So what am I talking about?

I’m talking about the fact that just one person at a time will read your message. And the fact that as much as you’d like to, you cannot write an effective message by trying to interest the entire population. You simply cannot send a message that will appeal equally to a 19 year old and his Grandma – or even his Dad.

So the first step in sending an effective message is to narrow your audience. Choose an age group or an interest group. Choose a geographic group or a gender group. And then break that down even farther, until you can “see” a member of your target audience.

Even if your product or service will appeal to different groups, it will appeal for different reasons. So think about all the people you know and select one friend or acquaintance who fits the group you’ve chosen.

Next, take the time to really think about that person. What worries him? What motivates her? What causes excitement and happy anticipation? Think about the income, life priorities, obligations and problems that person has. Try to get inside his or her head and mentally go through his or her day.

Now think about how your product or service is going to either solve a problem or add pleasure to that day. Think of the obvious ways and the small ways.

Next, keeping a mental picture of the person you chose, begin talking about your product or service just the way you would if you were sitting visiting over a cup of coffee. Pretend that it isn’t even your product or service, but something you’ve found to be of value.

Unless you want to use a recorder, you’ll have to “talk” on paper. Otherwise, you’re apt to lose the good words you come up with. Keep talking until you’ve exhausted all the benefits this product or service will bring to your friend. These are the reasons why he or she should buy your product or use your service.

Now you’re ready to distill those thoughts by picking out the benefits that will be most important to this person. Once you’ve chosen those major benefits, you can begin writing your ad and your headline around them. You can bring in the smaller points, of course, but only if they support the big picture that you’re trying to paint.

Remember, your message will be read by just one person at a time, so write to just one person and maintain a conversational tone. Keep your focus on the benefits that will most appeal to that one person – and avoid phrases like “all of you” or “many of you.”

And… if you decide that writing your own promotions isn’t much fun, get in touch! I do think it’s fun.

If so, business probably isn’t increasing at a very rapid rate. So try these three simple steps to connect with more customers and build loyalty from your current customers:

• Write thank you notes
• Hand out more business cards
• Send “how did I do” letters

Thank you notes will create a buzz about your business that may surprise and shock you.

Why? Because nobody does it any more. Sure, store clerks are trained to say “thanks” when a customer spends money. And stores that use e-mail might have an automated thank you note they can send at the touch of a key. But hardly anyone takes the time and effort to write a thank you note, put it in an envelope, and mail it.

So when you make it a habit to send at least one thank you note every day, people will start talking – and the talk will be good.

At first you might not have an easy time thinking of who to thank. But if you put your mind to it, you will. Of course you can thank people for coming in to your store or for allowing you to give a presentation. If you sell on a party plan you can thank your hostess – and you can thank every person who attended a party. You can even thank the clerk who works in the local deli for slicing your cheese just right!

It takes a little effort to get some names and addresses, but when people start talking about how thoughtful you are, the effort will pay off.

Take the time to be specific in your thanks, so the people who receive your notes will know the thanks are genuine.

Next – hand out more business cards. Hand them out to people you know and people you don’t know. If you’re in your store, hand them to customers and ask them to let you know if there’s something they wish you’d stock, or if they ever spot a problem with your store. If you provide a service, hand them to everyone and say “Please call me when I can be of service.” If this is the 2nd or 3rd time you’ve given them a card and they ask why, tell them it’s in case a friend of theirs needs you.

Send “How did I do” cards. This little card needs only about 4 or 5 questions – which must relate to your business. If you have a storefront you can ask if they found what they needed, if the store was clean enough, if your help was friendly. You can mail these, or hand them out when you ring up a purchase. If you ask customers to mail them back, bribe them with the offer of a special coupon or a free something.

If you provide a service, ask if you answered all their concerns, if they felt that you understood their needs, and if there’s anything else they’d like to know. You can even ask if there was something they wish you had done that you didn’t do.

People like to be noticed, they like to singled out as someone special, and they like to be asked their opinions. So build relationships with your customers and future customers by giving them what they like

To help you build your local business, I’ve written an e-book outlining a simple plan using these ideas and more. Whether you have a storefront, sell on the party plan, or sell your services, this e-book will help you build your client list faster and easier than expensive ads could ever do. So find out How to Build a Local Business…

Upon investigation I found that their web host, Imbris, no longer exists. It’s been gone since sometime around the end of last month.

According to news reports, no one knows why. There’s a sign in the window that says “Closed,” and they’re not answering any calls or emails.

They may be a victim of the economic downturn – perhaps too many customers couldn’t pay their bills. Or perhaps they had some kind of personal health or financial crisis. Whatever the reason, they’re not there and their customers are out of luck.

I was further surprised when I went to Who Is and learned that I’m still the contact person and admin for that domain name, even though I haven’t been with the group for several years. I thought I had changed that…

But they’re lucky, because I’m still here and willing to do the work to change it.

Hopefully the web designer who re-built their page a couple of years ago has kept everything in his own computer, because they’re going to have to start all over.

Another rescue I wrote for had bad luck with that one. Their web designer had used some kind of on-line service and NONE of their web pages were stored in his computer. When that host went away they had to start all over from the beginning.

Another danger of using small hosts lies in professionalism – or lack of it.

A friend of mine had her site with a local host who had also done her web design. And they refused to make corrections! This is not so good when one of the mistakes is an incorrect phone number.

Since they refused to fix the errors she asked me to do it, but they had control of her site and refused to give her the user name and password to get in. The whole thing made no sense, since the corrections might have taken all of 10 minutes.

She decided to discontinue their service, but with no copies of her web pages where she could get to them, we had to “steal” her pages one piece at a time and reconstruct them. The words were pretty easy, but the swirly graphics were in many pieces – putting them back together was a trick!

The next hurdle came when she tried to switch hosts – because her name wasn’t listed in the Who Is information. A computer-savvy employee had set it all up and used his own name as contact person and admin. Unfortunately, he had passed away, so my friend went through weeks of sending proof that she had a right to move that domain.

The lesson: Host with the big guys – and always, always, always list your own name as owner of your domain.

If someone else built your site and you aren’t sure, just go to www.whois.com and type in your URL – you’ll find out where you stand. If you find you aren’t there, contact your web person and have him or her go make the change. Don’t wait until they’ve moved away, gotten mad at you for some reason, or (perish the thought) passed away.

I purchase my domain names and host them with GoDaddy. Not only are they big enough that I think they’ll be around for a long time, their service is exceptional. That’s why I have an affiliate link to them on the sidebar – I trust that if I send them customers, they’ll treat those customers well.

One last thing: No matter where your website is hosted or how much you love or trust the person who maintains your site – keep current copies of your web pages in your own computer and in your back up.

Having those pages readily available could save you weeks of grief.

It was a home-made brochure and had no graphics. But that wouldn’t have been so bad if it had contained some kind of “reasons why” anyone would want their services.

Instead, page 2 was a warning: “We’ll deliver this stuff, but we’ll charge you extra for delivery. And we aren’t going to set it up or take it down. Furthermore, you’d better make sure everything is clean before we get there to pick it up – and you’d better have it stacked in one spot, ready for us. Oh, and if you lose any of our stuff… look out!”

It goes on to explain that all rentals must be paid for in full 14 days before the event. If you’ve reserved ahead and cancel within 25 days of the event, they’ll keep the 50% deposit.

Oh my…

How about a first page that entices… that spells out the reasons why renting from them is so much more convenient and cost-effective than buying those tables, chairs, glasses, etc. and having to store them when not in use?

How about suggestions for times when these items would fill a need?

How about including a photo or two of their equipment all set up and looking attractive?

How about leaving all those dire warnings for the last page? You know, AFTER you’ve convinced your readers that they really want what you have to offer?

And then, in place of a snotty “you have to do this yourself” message, (noted in all caps, by the way) how about “Sorry, we can’t do set up and tear-down, but we can give you a list of individuals who would like the job.”

I just shook my head.

I couldn’t find what I wanted so waited until the owner finished with her customer to ask for her help. Meanwhile, I wandered around, looking at other things.

What did I find but a whole shelf filled with spices in bulk. And since I knew I was out of Italian seasoning, I bought some. This little bag of heavenly smelling spices cost me a whopping 59 cents… and was approximately twice as much volume as I’d have gotten in a jar at the grocery store for about $4.59.

After I left I started thinking about it. There are probably plenty of people in town who haven’t been in that little health food store. They don’t know about the wonderful face creams or the organic oranges or the little tins filled with yummy licorice candies.

And I’m sure they don’t know that they can buy fresh organic cooking spices for a fraction of the cost of grocery store spices. So what if they come in a little plastic baggie so you have to put them in your own container at home?

So why doesn’t this store owner advertise those spices?

She’s probably thinking that she doesn’t make enough on a bag of spices to make it worth the ad. She’s right about that – but dozens of new customers coming into the store and seeing all the other “goodies” she has to offer could make a real difference in her revenues.

She was all out of the kelp powder I wanted to sprinkle on my homemade dog food, so I’ll stop by the next time I go to town… and I’ll talk to her about advertising her spices.

They know they have a wonderful product or service, but somehow, no matter how often they send a letter or an e-mail, and no matter how often they pay to have their message printed in a publication, the results don’t come.

If you’re finding yourself in this position, here’s one primary reason why:

You haven’t learned rule #1 about marketing.

That rule is: “It isn’t about you.”

You may think that a marketing message should be about you and your expertise or your years in business or even your beautiful new storefront. But it isn’t. It never was.

Consumers don’t care about you. They don’t care who you are or what you know. They don’t care how long you’ve been in business.

What they care about is the benefit they’ll receive from doing business with you.

Thus, your marketing has to be about them. Any reference to you has to show how it helps them. For instance, if you’re a mechanic you could say that you spend X weeks every year in class learning how to repair the newest BMW’s. If you’re a hair stylist you could talk about classes you take to stay up with the latest styles, or brag that one of your creations was featured in a style magazine.

Whatever you say – it must relate to how it benefits your prospect. If you can’t turn it into a benefit for them, then don’t bother to mention it, because it might do more than bore your reader. It might backfire.

Consider the dentist who runs an ad each week showing a photograph of his lovely family. He has 8 kids to feed, clothe, and send to college. Does that mean he’ll give you a beautiful smile? No, it means he needs to make a lot of money!

Another mistake is to confuse benefits and features. A feature is the size of the motor on a new vacuum cleaner. A benefit is how fast and efficiently it will suck up dirt and get your cleaning job finished. The deeper benefit is that you’ll feel proud of how your home looks. And the even deeper benefit is that your mother-in-law will have to approve of your housekeeping skills.

So before you begin to write, consider your offering from the eyes of the consumer. Consider what’s in it for them. Then write about that.

And… if you get stuck, get in touch. Writing copy to show consumers why they want and need my client’s goods and services is what I do.

So how can you compete? Sell service. Sell convenience. Sell a feeling of community, and belonging, and being a welcome, valued customer.

Too often, stores do just the opposite.

For instance, today I took my husband’s prescription and had it filled at Costco. I don’t even belong to Costco, because I don’t go to “town” often enough to make it worthwhile – but I was so cross at the local drugstore, that it was worth wasting part of my day in town to do it. The bonus was that the prescription cost half of what it costs when I buy locally. Had the local drugstore treated me well, I would never have known that.

What made me so cross? When I called in the refill a couple of weeks ago the doctor denied it, saying my husband had to come in for his annual visit first. But did they call and tell me? No, they let me drive 12 miles to go get it and they said “Oh, sorry, the doctor denied that.”

Creating good will with customers isn’t really that difficult. In fact, a few months ago I wrote a small e-book about an easy way to create customer loyalty, and even get your regular customers to bring you new customers.

Interested? Follow the link to: How to Market a Local Business.

Here’s to prosperity,

Marte

Take a minute and re-think that position.

Few live in a community as small as mine – population about 1,500 – but even here, businesses would benefit from a website, for the simple reason that a website is always there, and it gives – or should give- a lot more information than a listing in the phone book.

Say you want to go out to dinner. Which restaurant serves the kind of food you want – and at what prices? Will you try a new place and take a chance on not finding anything you want to eat – or paying twice what you might pay at the old “tried and true” spot?

What if you could go to the website and see a copy of the menu? And what if you could see what their hours of operation are?

We have a couple of places that close early – or do they still do that? I heard a rumor that one or the other is staying open for dinner one or two nights a week. Is it true? We don’t know, so we won’t plan to go there.

See how those conversations in your head ramble on? What if they could be answered through a quick search on the web?

And what if someone is new in town? They have no idea where to go – but a website (with proper SEO, of course) would tell them.

Restaurants aren’t the only ones, either. For instance, which gas stations offer service? Can you get your oil changed in town – or not?

How about hair dressers? Is there someone in town who can do a pin curl like grandma likes? Or someone who is really sharp with the new hairstyles the kids crave? Does anyone stay open in the evening so you could get an appointment after work?

How many dog lovers in our small town know that the feed store carries high-end dog food? Only the ones who also have livestock. (Yes Jack – you need a website!)

I could go on with examples, but let’s get back to the basics here…

Your website is a tool – a tool to let potential customers know the benefit of doing business with you. That might be your expertise in a certain area, or it might be the products you carry, or your hours of operation.

You could spend thousands of dollars on newspaper ads to tell them, but when a person wants to know, do you think they’ll really go search through the newspaper to find your ad? That’s not likely – but if you have a well-optimized website, they can find what they need in minutes.

Think about this. A domain name costs only about $10 – and hosting costs only a few dollars a month. And once you have your information uploaded, it’s there. I promise you, it won’t be lining a bird cage or helping get the fire started the day after tomorrow.

If you’re not a “do-it-yourselfer” It may cost a little to get the copy and the graphics, but once you have them, you have them. You don’t have to pay again and again and again like you do with either newspaper or yellow pages ads.

Even better, if you have a little talent for the written word, your website can include a blog – where you can interact with your customers and build relationships that bring in more and more new business.

Think about it – and then, either get yourself a website, or take a close look at the one you have to make sure it answers the questions your potential customers have. Remember… they want to know “What’s in it for me” if I visit this establishment or call this business person?

Tell them!