By: Tim Haas
Owner/Web Developer
Haas Consulting
Web Development Services

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The Value of a Good Newsletter

Good day to all of you, and welcome. It is a pleasure for me to have an opportunity to combine two things I greatly enjoy, writing and web development. I thank you for your participation and look forward to sending you my monthly newsletter. Today's publication represents our first newsletter. Over the course of time, I hope to address issues about web development that relate to you as a business owner or non-profit organization. This publication is not intended to be lessons on how to create a website, that is best left to professionals; such as myself! What I do hope to accomplish is to help you develop a better understanding of the internet as it relates to your needs. I hope to generate some thought and ideas on how you can and should incorporate your website into your marketing plan. I encourage your participation and comments, please feel free to communicate with me. With that said, lets dive into an oddly appropriate topic for the premier issue of the Haas Consulting Newsletter; the value of a good newsletter!

An online newsletter has a lot to offer. It is content rich, colorful, dynamic, and above all very affordable. You can reach as few as one person or as many as millions of people, all for the same cost. A well written and received newsletter will provide value to its recipients, as well as provide credibility to you as an expert in your field.

A good newsletter will contain information that is valuable to your potential customers. You can present information that people can use and tie it into the products or services you offer. As an example, if you sell camping equipment your newsletters could offer tips on how to make camping fun and safe; then include an ad announcing an upcoming sale on tent accessories. A service related example, if you are a heating and cooling specialist your newsletter could discuss the importance of maintaining your home's furnace; then include a reminder that winter is coming and it is time to have their furnace serviced. You might even include a coupon offering a discount for anyone who replies because they read your newsletter. The possibilities afforded here are limited only by the imagination.

Of course content is only part of the equation. The newsletter needs to be clean and easy to read. It must be well designed and take into consideration not only the viewers eyes, but their operating system and connection speed as well. A great looking newsletter that looks cool but takes forever to download, will most likely not be viewed. Some internet providers limit the size of files that a person can download, so if your newsletter's file size is too large, it will not even be delivered!

A huge benefit is that you can make your online newsletter dynamic. Once you have gotten their attention you can provide a link to your email, or even straight to your website where you will hopefully convert them into paying customers. For instance you could follow this link to my site and learn how I can help you with your web needs, or click on this link to send me an email asking me to call and set up an appointment with you.

Above all, to be effective, your newsletter can not be seen as "spam"; the internet's version of junk mail! Writing a good quality, easy to read and informative newsletter is a great way to start. You need to include a notice with each newsletter indicating that they are receiving the letter at their request. You must also include some functional method for them to request removal from the mailing list. And above all if someone asks to be removed from a mailing list, do it! It is also a good idea to include a copyright for your newsletter with instructions on how to reproduce the content, should someone want to. My anti-spam and copyright policies are in the green box below. Note the conditions under which I will allow someone to reproduce the contents of my newsletters. There is nothing wrong with some free exposure in exchange for rights to reproduce the content.

Another consideration that needs to be addressed is how often to deliver a newsletter. I would suggest that you plan on no less than monthly. It does require time to write a newsletter; especially a good one! You can deliver newsletters more frequently if you have the time to do it. Never promise to deliver a newsletter then fail to meet the deadline. It won't leave a good image of you with your customers. You can make the process much easier by delegating some of it to others. You could hire someone, or assign it to an existing employee, to manage the newsletter leaving you responsible only for writing the content. If your organization isn't large enough to handle a project like this you can always hire an outside firm. You guessed it! This is one of the great services offered by Haas Consulting!

Using an electronic newsletter as part of your marketing strategy is a valuable tool. Be creative, make it dynamic, interesting and of value to your customers and enjoy the rewards. Remember to take the time to do it well, and utilize people you know can get the job done.