E-newsletters help keep sales and marketing on track

There are lots of reasons to publish a monthly e-newsletter. Keeping in touch with your customers, generating interest in your products and attracting business to your webstore are just a few of them. One reason that we generate a monthly newsletter is that it holds us to a schedule for our business. When you are running a small business you are often wearing many hats and days go by quickly. Issuing a newsletter makes you stop and assess your sales and marketing, each and every month. If you know your newsletter is due in two weeks, you have a self imposed deadline to update your web site, get that new product ready or register for the next trade show.  

Here is our monthly newsletter checklist:

• What new products do we have?
• Do we have any product specials?
• What new designs do we have?
• Are we offering any new services?
• Have we updated our pricing?
• Are the new products, product specials and/or new images on the web site?
• What events are approaching?
• Are we planning to attend the event?
• Are we exhibiting at the event?
• Are we sponsoring the event?
• Are we registered for the event?
• Are we affiliated with any non profit organizations that are hosting an event?
• Have we completed any significant work for a customer that we want to announce or promote?
• Are our customers using our products in interesting ways?
• Do we have any new marketing tips this month?
• Do we have any new articles we’ve written?

If you go through this exercise and can’t come up with any new developments for your business, it could be an indication that things are getting stale. It may be time to reevaluate your products, pricing and promotions. Use your monthly e-newsletter as a way to keep sales and marketing fresh in your business!