video - how to get your clients to respond to your newsletter

Unfortunately, many newsletters don't get response from clients. And a newsletter that doesn't get response over the long term isn't going to help you achieve your objectives.

Here's how to get response.

Transcript

Simon Payn: Hi. Simon here from Ready to Go Newsletters.

I wanted to talk to you about a mistake that many people make with their newsletters - and that even commercial newsletters make. And that is, turning the newsletter into a one-way communication rather than a two-way dialogue.

Think about this: When you do business, it's about building relationships with people. When you talk to them on the phone, it's a two-way conversation. When you meet them face-to-face, it's a two-way conversation. So your newsletter should be a two-way conversation, as well.

You're not broadcasting something. You're not a newspaper. You're not a TV station. You're about generating response, and you're about building that relationship, taking that relationship one step further.

So what you want to do in your newsletters, and what I do in the newsletters I make for people, is put in what I call “engagement devices” to start that conversation, to encourage people to get in touch with you and to encourage people to get on the phone or to write back to you.

One of the engagement devices I use in newsletters is, I'll say, "Hey, I've got this free information for you. Give me your email address and I'll send the information to you."

What that does is it starts a conversation. It allows people to identify themselves as people who are particularly interested, right now, in what you have to offer. It allows you to pick up the phone and say, "Hey, thanks for replying. I'm sending the information right away. What else can I help you with?"

Other engagement devices include simple things such as quizzes and competitions. For example, I offer to give answers to special questions every month. You'd be surprised to know that some people do respond] and ask, "Hey, this is the answer. Did I get it right?" And that's another way to start that conversation.

So, just don't make the newsletter a one-way, sterile broadcast. Give people opportunities to contact you. Give people opportunities to start a conversation. A newsletter is about furthering a relationship, not about pushing out information.