Why you must not forget to send out an e-newsletter

I believe that there is a great misconception among many who are trying to do their own self-promotion. I am referring to the general misunderstanding that there is no merit to email marketing campaigns. I would like to set the record straight right now. If you are not sending out an email campaign at least once a month, then you are not marketing to the people who care about you and your message the most. These are your highest level of influencers and your biggest cheerleaders. They've specifically asked you to keep them updated. Your email list is like gold. Treat it as such.

I know what many of you are thinking: email marketing is spammy. Well, it can be if you do it the wrong way. If your first statement in your email is, "Buy my book" or, "Buy my lipstick" then it could be a little spammy. But it doesn't have to be that way! If you provide a service, then give your clients an information-packed newsletter that is applicable to your service. For example, if you are an editor, send your clients a newsletter with tips and tricks that will help them during the writing process. If you own a retail store, send them some coupons and let them know about new product without directly asking them to come in and buy it.

Don't just send them a regular email. Seriously, don't do it. Sign up for MailChimp or Constant Contact. MailChimp has a free account if your email contact list stays under 2,000 subscribers. This way you can make your email newsletters beautiful, and you'll get analytics to see how many people are actually opening your emails to them (or not opening them). You can integrate these services within Facebook so that people can subscribe right from your business or fan page. You can also add a sign-up form directly on your website.

Email marketing is not the only egg in the marketing basket, but it's a big one. Take the time to research your audience, decide what message you want to convey to them, what your call to action will be, and how you can integrate all of these things within your email campaign. If you need help putting together a successful campaign, visit the sites I mentioned above and watch their training videos. If you consistently send out an email campaign you're going to see results. Keep at it, and keep building your list. It might take a little while, but good things happen to those who email their audience. Go ahead, try it! Send me an email of one of your campaigns. I'd love know how it goes for you.

To your success,

Christy