• Announcements: Tell your customers about new upcoming events, a new employee, a new service, a product enhancement or anything else you can think of.

• Discounts/Coupons: Sending customers unique offers they can't get anywhere else is a great incentive to keep readers interested and tell their friends to sign up.

• Reminders: Email is an effective way to tell people about expiration dates, deadlines, or upcoming events.

• Useful Information: Provide your customers with useful insights about topics related to your business.

• Q & A: Interactive newsletters are often even more effective. Let your customers ask you questions or provide related advice and then selectively add them to your next issue.

QUESTIONS

How often should I send a newsletter?

Often enough to keep interest, but not so often that your readers are annoyed. This is different from one business to the next. Typically no more than once a week and no less than every other month.

Why choose email versus direct mail to send my newsletters?

Both can be effective, but email newsletters are a lot less expensive. The costs can vary a based on purpose, frequency, and number of readers for email newsletters just as direct mail does. But, email does not have the costs of printing, labeling, folding, cutting, stuffing and postage. You can see the difference in dollars quickly.

Can I do it myself?

It is possible to manage your own newsletter, but I would not recommend it without assistance. Trying to send an email to a large number of addresses yourself can be disastrous. There are legal issues and email rules that you need to think about when sending emails to a large list. Sending a newsletter incorrectly can easily result in fines or even your host taking your web site and/or email offline.

Do you have questions or comments for Professor Clix?

Please send any questions or comments about this article to news@professorclix.com.