Grab a pen and a piece of paper. Draw the following: Two large circles side by side, connected with a straight line. Now, draw another circle around the entire thing. These four elements – two circles, a straight line, and an all-encompassing circle – should be top of mind whenever you sit down to write your newsletter.

Here’s what I mean:
The right hand circle represents your target audience. These are the people with whom you wish to communicate. Presumably, since the purpose of publishing your newsletter is to attract more clients and more business, the target audience is people who "look like" your ideal client. Notice that I said ideal client – not vague demographic group or mishmashed compilation of anyone who could theoretically hire you. This is the person who, if the phone were to ring at this very moment and you could decide, would be on the other end of the line. Write for his/her benefit.

The left hand circle represents the things you know that are valuable to your target audience. Your knowledge from their perspective. Nobody wants more e-mail, and the only way your target audience is going to read your newsletter month after month, is if they view what you’ve got to say as essential; something that helps them do their jobs better or live their lives easier. If you’re a recruiter, it might be insights into finding and hiring great people. If you’re a plumber, it might be tips and perspective on maintaining the plumbing in a home. You get the idea: Information in your area of expertise that your target audience needs.

The line between the two circles represents the content of your E-Newsletter. Each time you publish, a little piece of what you know travels from your circle, down the line, to the target audience. Not too much at a time… just enough to help them today and keep them coming back for more. The all-encompassing circle represents your voice and personal perspective. This is the piece that is usually missing. And while it’s certainly essential to provide valuable information to the right audience, if that’s all you do, you’ll have trouble ever positioning yourself as an expert with a discernable style.

Certainly, as a professional in your field you need to know the basics. But that’s not what gets you hired, and it’s definitely not what makes people go out of their way to track you down. It’s your authentic voice and "let the chips fall where they may, this is what I think" point of view, wrapped around the useful, on target information, that will have them lining up outside your door.

With the increasing problem of communication overload it is important for email marketing to be relevant, timely and targeted - part of the solution, not part of the problem. Here are some issues to consider each time you send out emails.

Clearly identify yourself - The ”from” and the ”subject line” should be written to achieve instant recognition and branding.

Respect the relationship – If the relationship you have with your readership is business focused stay within these parameters. Social networking has blurred the line between friend, acquaintance and colleague. Don’t make the mistake of overstepping your relationship with your subscribers.

Provide value – Make your mails worthwhile and focused on the reader. Content mix should aim for 20% marketing material and 80% information.

Get to the point – Peoples' time is valuable so make sure you quickly put forward your information. Make sure it is easy to digest and these days it is also important to consider the variety of ways it can be read and make sure your design accommodates these various formats.

Watch the frequency – If you bombard your contact list with emails they are likely to consider this to be spam - even if they opted to be on your list. Only contact them when you said you would and when you have something valuable to say.

Personalise the content – Some people believe placing a 'Dear John' at the top of their newsletter will make the reader more receptive. This is not personalisation and in fact may to some readers be seen as overstepping the relationship. Personalisation means presenting relevant content. Think about what your readers want to know and use your email to help them find this information.

Make it easy to respond - If you follow the 80/20 rule we talked about earlier then it is important that your 20% marketing focus is well targeted. Each marketing item should have a clear Call to Action. When your readers are interested in responding it should be easy, quick and clear what they are to do.