March 2005   Volume 10  
   

 

Introduction
We are often asked why we recommend newsletters be sent out in HTML format rather than as PDFs - in this newsletter we answer this question and provide some tips to make your enewsletter effective. Also we are pleased to announce a free trial offer for the month of March.


Free offer for the month of March

Businesses using our e-newsletter system have been thrilled by the results they have achieved. In fact, one business gained a new client worth tens of thousands of dollars in response to their very first edition.
If you have been reading our newsletter to this point, you will have seen many ways in which you can use the power of e-newsletters to keep in contact with your current customers, as well as have an effective marketing tool to reach your prospective customers.
So to help you get started with your own "Using the Net" e-newsletter, we would like to offer you a free trial if you register in the month of March - this represents a saving to you of $319.
As part of your registration, you will be able to choose from 3 pre-designed e-newsletter templates (customised templates can be provided as well), a monthly subscription to Using the Net which will allow you to send out your own e- newsletter, as well as providing you with tracking information so that you can see who is reading your newsletter!
This offer is only available to the first 50 people who respond, and only to the end of March … so you'll need to be quick. Just click here and we will have you up and running within 48 hours. Thanks I'd like to take up this free offer


HTML vs PDF

by Derek Brown

Many companies send out their newsletters as a PDF attachment. Our system uses HTML - here's why.

• PDF's are very slow to open
• HTML opens immediately as an email not as an attachment
• PDFs are hard to navigate
• PDF's don't offer the graphic quality of HTML
• With HTML you can track who reads your newsletter



Tips for making your newsletter effective

Tip 1

Put your sales and marketing hat aside and think about things from the perspective of your customer. What do they want to know about? The rest will fall into place.


Tip 2: Build respect and demonstrate leadership

Provide accurate and helpful information that meets the needs and interests of your readers. Think about the problems and issues your customer deals with every day. Through your content, become the expert that your readers will respect.


Tip 3 : Make it personal

Once you have started to build a loyal readership, you can start getting personal. A personal communication is more than just filling in a name; it's about delivering the content a reader is most interested in.
For example, if you represent a financial services firm, you might send information about estate and succession planning to a family business owner, and venture financing advice to emerging companies. A newsletter that delivers targeted content will improve customer relationships and make your e-newsletter personally rewarding for your customers.


Tip 4: Do it regularly

Once the first edition of your e-newsletter has been delivered, it is imperative that you keep producing it on a timely and regular basis. Customers are creatures of habit. By keeping your publication in front of your readers regularly, your newsletter becomes a part of their work life and their expectations. But don't overdo it. It's a fine line you have to follow.


Tip 5: Make it accessible

Once you have developed your e-newsletter as a reliable source of information, prospects and customers will start to seek you out. Make it easy for your newsletter to be passed on and give it a presence that extends beyond just e-mail.
Keep an archive of past issues on the Web and always make the current edition easily accessible through a Web address that is easy to remember. This provides multiple ways for your readers to access your information - and more opportunities for you to track click-throughs in response to specific articles.


About us

Using the Net is a business which focuses on the amazing ways the net can help business to market and communicate with their clients and prospects. Our range of services include web design, web hosting, enewsletter delivery, writing enewsletters, and network provisions for larger companies. Our goal is to make the net work for your business.

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