Newsletters

If you have to believe in something, I believe in Newsletters. Not the expensive ones that cost an arm and a leg to print and postage costs. No we produce incredibly inexpensive ones with no printing, no postage... posted online.

The Basics

All of our web sites, every one, have one thing in common: the e-mail collector. A simple form which allows the viewer to plug in their e-mail address and sign up for our newsletter. At its simplest level, this is permission based marketing. We didn't steal the address, we didn't sneakily abscond with it... they volunteered it, completely without pressure.

Why on earth would they do that? Well, there's my opinion, and then there are the studies. The studies claim people are looking for information and amusement. My personal opinion, based on a decade of writing for newsletters, is that people are looking for special promotions targeted specifically at them, the loyal reader/customer. And they like the newsletters because they "get to know" the business and the owners through these monthly missives.

A typical newsletter from a Vermont Inn will include a recipe from their kitchen, a beautiful seasonal picture, a calendar of events, a letter from the owner waxing eloquent about the new upgrades to the second story rooms... and a couple of room bargains. Some of these newsletters are quite beautiful. The Trapp Family Lodge comes to mind. Some are just tacky. All are expensive to produce, and not particularly flexible.

We aren't selling steak. We're selling sizzle, to paraphrase an old salesman. Our newsletters are designed to sell the sizzle. Sell the misty, wholesome, romantic vision the customer enjoys imagining. It works with inns, teddy bears, fine art, antiques... there isn't a service or product out there that isn't designed to make the buyer feel good... and newsletters are the perfect way to convey that feeling.

But they are also designed to build a community of loyal customers. After all, aren't happy customers your best advertising bet? So our newsletters invite customer participation. We publish the pictures they send in, hold essay contests, and allow readers to exchange advice.

It sounds like a lot of work but once we've established the general layout of your newsletter, it is remarkably easy to maintain. And every old newsletter becomes another piece of your website, expanding the content and the usability of your site on a monthly basis.

Your customers want to hear from you because you have expertise in something they are interested in. You wouldn't own a garden center, a country inn, a gallery... be a craftsman, or an artist, if you didn't know what you were doing. When you share your knowledge, you build credibility and loyalty. Who do you take your car to... the dealer, or the guy with rusty parts in his back yard?

We take it to the guy with the rusty parts because he is credible. He shares his knowledge with us, and backs up his work.

Talk is cheap. Take advantage of that fact. For information on newsletter content, or templates for newsletters, please contact us.

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