The Virtual Assistant Blog

Tell Your Readers What To Do

Justine Curtis — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:21:45 +0000

If you go to the effort of writing an ezine, do not forget to tell you readers what you want them to do next. You are writing in order to build a relationship. So, do you want them to go to your website to read the rest of the articles, or download something for free? Do you want them to purchase a product or service? If so, give them a reason to do it now rather than later, and provide a link to click, so they can buy it now. If you do not tell them what to do next, they will not do anything apart from read your ezine and delete it. Tell them what to do, and, provided that they are interested, they will do it.

Invite Interaction

Justine Curtis — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:21:08 +0000

Do not forget to ask your readers for their comments, questions or future topics they would like to see covered. The whole point of writing an ezine or newsletter is to build a relationship with your prospects and invite further interaction. You want them to take the next step by picking up the telephone or sending you an email. Make it clear that not only is this an acceptable way of contacting you, but the best way.

Send Useful Information

Justine Curtis — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:15:37 +0000

One of marketing’s basic rules is to know your target market well. Know their interests and things about which they like to be kept informed. If you come across information that you feel would be useful to your target audience, add it to your ezine (crediting the author or source, of course). The more useful the information you provide, the more likely your readers are to stay subscribed.

Get The Balance Right

Justine Curtis — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:14:52 +0000

It can be very tempting to fill each of your ezines with information about your latest service or product, and, indeed, your readers will be expecting to hear a certain amount of that. But, do not forget also to include some free tips or an advice spot. Giving a measured amount of free information marks you as an expert in your field, and a generous one at that.

Send Messages At Reasonable Intervals

Justine Curtis — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:14:16 +0000

Do not use your ezine in the same way as you would Twitter or a blog. Your subscribers have given you permission to send them information, but, if you abuse it, they will soon be sorry they did. The result will be that they will leave your list just as quickly as they subscribed to it. Send updates once or twice a month and leave it at that.

Use A Proper Email Delivery System

Justine Curtis — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:13:25 +0000

When you first start sending out email newsletters, it is very tempting to send them using your normal email delivery service, such as Outlook. After all, it is free and already there on your desktop. However, internet service providers frown upon mass mailing, and you will find very quickly that your email address will be blacklisted and you may be banned from sending any email. There are many legitimate ezine delivery services available whose costs are minimal; use one to manage your mailing list.

A ‘Double Opt-in’ System

Justine Curtis — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:12:38 +0000

If you use a proper ezine delivery service such as Constant Contact, Aweber or Vertical Response, your subscribers will go through what is known as a ‘double opt-in’. This means that, after submitting their email address through your website form or other link asking them to sign up for your newsletter, they will receive an email asking them to confirm their subscription by clicking on a link within it. This is key, as it stops third parties from adding subscribers without their knowledge.

Make sure your subscribers actually subscribed

Justine Curtis — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:10:01 +0000

There is nothing more annoying than being inundated with unsolicited sales emails. We all hate it. If you are boosting your subscriber list by adding email addresses from business cards you have picked up, trawling the yellow pages or your local Chamber of Commerce’s mailing list, your messages risk not only going straight to the junk mail folder, but also alienating people with whom you might have established good working relationships. Make sure the owner of the email address has requested that you send them information, or, at the very least, has agreed to receive it.

How to Get Involved With Social Media – LinkedIn

Justine Curtis — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:08:23 +0000

LinkedIn is more of a business networking tool than a social one. For example, it is structured in such a way that your occupation and education are featured more than your hobbies and interests. However, it works in much the same way as Facebook in that you can invite people to connect with you and join common interest groups. It also has a feature where you can recommend people, so it is great for asking for testimonials.

How to Get Involved With Social Media – Facebook

Justine Curtis — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:07:36 +0000

Many of us have used Facebook for personal networking for many years. But did you know that you can also use if for business? Again, it is a great way to connect with people with similar interests, and it is easy to build relationships by interacting with other people in your network.

You can also create fan pages for your business and post events to advertise particular product launches.