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Recently, there was a lively thread in LinkedIn Group Social Media Ireland about the best software to use for sending your newsletter.

The number of responses shows how interested people are in communicating with their clients by newsletter. We’ve all had newsletters in our inbox that were little more than spam. But if you offer people useful content, laid out in a way that’s easy to absorb, they’ll happily click on.

Newsletters are a great way of keeping in touch with clients, of offering them useful information and reminding them what you can do for them. A fresh newsletter coming into an inbox every week will keep you to the forefront of your client’s mind. Particularly if you haven’t dealt with them in a while.

If you want to stop your newsletter from ending up in Spamalot, follow this simple advice. Less is More. You don’t need fancy graphics, or a bells and whistles special offer. Just solid information that shows how you can help people achieve their business and personal goals.

Subject Line

The subject line makes people open the email. Your newsletter’s subject line needs to be catchy and draw people in. A subject line like 5 Tips for Improving your Website,’ tells people exactly what they can expect and promises that they won’t be bombarded with useless information. Another tactic is to ask people a question that appeals to a need they might have, like, ‘Does your Website Need a Revamp?’ They’ll click on to find out if you can deliver the answer.

The Main Body

Once you’ve reeled them in, there are two approaches you can take.

• News-based approach. Useful for companies that sell products. Give information about your latest products and tips for how to get the most use out of them. Present them as snippets with catchy headlines, so people can zero in on the information they’re most interested in.

• Article-based approach. Good approach for service-based companies. Your newsletter takes the form of an article that gives advice on an aspect of business practise. For example, you could outline ways to enhance your website’s effectiveness. Segment the information in a way that’s easy to read.

Layout and Software

A lot of newsletters are hard to read, with text embedded into graphics. Make yours stand out from the bunch by laying out the information in a clean, clear format. If it’s easy on the eye, people will be more likely to browse through to the end. The software on the market will make that job easier.

The most common software mentioned on the LinkedIn thread are MailChimp, Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor and Cork-based Newsweaver. The software will tell you who’s opened your newsletter, so you’ll get a good idea of who’s interested in what you have to say.

Paying attention to what you present in your newsletter and how you present it will help you create a quality dialogue with your clients. You’ll be selling by giving, which is the most effective kind of selling of all.

(Pic: http://onlinereviewsph.blogspot.com)