How to Write a Newsletter That Brings in Sales While You Sleep

In this article I'm going to explain the importance of online newsletters and why you need them, and give you the basics of how to write a newsletter yourself.

Online newsletters are a powerful sales tool, and if you're not already using one you're leaving money on the table. They're easy to set up and maintain, they're inexpensive, and they pay for themselves many times over with all the sales they bring in.

Newsletters let you keep in touch with customers and prospects. It's like popping in to say hello and reminding them of you are and what you have to offer them.

Imagine you are a real estate agent and you just sold a house to a new customer. By the time they need your services again, they may have forgotten your name or lost your phone number. But if you get their permission to send them your newsletter you can keep in touch until they're ready to move again. And perhaps they'll recommend you to a few friends and your network will multiply.

I've also known some accountants who send newsletters and remind customers when tax season is starting. And my wife's hairdresser sent out a note that he was moving to a new salon. If he hadn't done so, she would have lost touch with home and she would have needed to find someone new. Newsletters are an easy an inexpensive way to keep customers from switching to a competitor.

You can also use your online newsletter to:

• Send updates on promotions to get people to visit your store
• Send out coupons to loyal customers to increase repeat business
• Recommend new or seasonal products to help pre-sell before they get to the store
• If you get enough subscribers, you can even sell ad space in your newsletter

Do you see the power of online newsletters yet?

How do I start my own online newsletter?

It's actually a lot easier than you think. You don't even need your own website (though I recommend you have at least a simple web page for collecting emails and generating leads).

The first thing you'll need to do is create an account with a newsletter service. The only one I recommend is the Aweber newsletter and email autoresponder system.

Aweber is highly reputable, the customer service is awesome, and they have video tutorials that show you exactly how to set up your newsletter. Their "double opt-in" requirement will also protect you from accusations of Spam. That's VERY important, and you should never try to do your newsletter on your own. Just use Aweber and you'll be safe.

Once your account is set up you can begin collecting email addresses. There are a couple ways to do that:

• If you have a website, Aweber gives you the code to add a form that collects names and email addresses. You can see an example on this page to the left. Adding the code is as easy as copying and pasting one line of text into your page, and you can customize it to fit better with your own site.
  
  
• Many stores collect email addresses on paper at the cash register or front desk. Then they manually add the information through the Aweber control panel. Once added, the prospect will receive an email requesting they confirm their subscription to your mailing list. If they don't confirm, Aweber won't let you email them (this is an example of their Spam-protection) because someone else may have given you their email address and they may want nothing to do with your emails.

You'll want your mailing list to keep growing. The more people on your list the more sales you should make.

With Aweber, you can send two different types of messages, or a combination of both. The first type is called an autoresponder sequence. You can set up a series of messages that will go out automatically to each new subscriber. For example, if you own a hardware store you can set up a series of messages that teach "7 ways to improve your home's curb appeal." Messages can be sent once a day, once a week, or however often you want.

You can also send Broadcast messages, which you simply create like a regular email and send out to your mailing list whenever you choose. Broadcast messages are great for announcing specials and promotions.

You can play around and see what types of messages get the best response using Aweber's detailed statistics.

To recap, you should now understand how important a newsletter is to your business, how to write a newsletter yourself, and how to use Aweber manage and maintain your newsletter.

For more information on the Aweber newsletter and email autoresponder system, Click Here Now.

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