You are probably thinking you really don't need to start a newsletter.
After all, the Internet is swamped with people offering them. There are
thousands perhaps millions of newsletters out there.

Why should you offer an electronic newsletter at your web site?

It is the easiest way to get free advertising and promotional
information to a "targeted" base of consumers. Whenever we send out our
newsletter, we always receive numerous hits and repeat traffic within 30
minutes of the newsletter being sent out. If you sell tangible products,
you can expect 5 - 10 product orders within that same time frame, if you
have a promotional offer that creates urgency.

No other advertising method allows you to reach such a wide base
of people throughout the world, so affordably and so quickly. If you
don't have a web site yet, prepare to start a newsletter when you put
your web site up. If you have a web site already and you don't have a
newsletter, START ONE TODAY!

How are you going to get someone to subscribe to your newsletter and
what do you put in it? Here are a few pointers about successful
newsletters.

1. Newsletters should be content driven. We believe a good newsletter
should excite, educate and entertain. Some of our peers might disagree,
they say that a newsletter should only promote. We think promotion is an
essential part of a newsletter but should not be the sole component. You
can write about things relevant to your business or you can feature
articles from professionals in your field. You can also do a combination
of both.

2. A newsletter should be Opt-In or (permission based). Don't get over
excited about launching your web site by sending out a bunch of e-mail's
promoting your site and newsletter to news groups or user lists. This is
not only bad Internet manners but it is bad business.

3. Locate the "subscribe button" to your newsletter in a prominent part
of your home page, that is virtually impossible to miss. If you need an
example of this, go to our home page at http://www.emarketingman.com

4. In your subscription confirmation e-mail, tell the new subscriber
how they can unsubscribe and how frequently you will be e-mailing them.
Don't get offended if someone unsubscribes. It isn't personal, drop them
from your list and move on.

5. Automate your subscribe and unsubscribe process. There are a number
of organizations that will host your newsletter for free. These
companies have systems that allow you to quickly and easily set up your
own automated newsletter subscriber system. Two companies we recommend
are http://www.topica.com and http://www.egroups.com. Setting up with
either company takes about twenty minutes. Automating your subscriber
process will make your site more professional and will also save you
time from having to manually add and remove subscribers.

6. Make money by selling advertising or promoting products that you have
affiliate links with in your newsletter. Now you are not only sending
out free advertising at no cost to you, you are making money selling
space in your newsletter or promoting products in your newsletter.

A great example of a successful newsletter is "What's The Word? How to
separate Internet Fact from Fiction!" This is our EMarketingMan.com
newsletter. You can read past newsletters at
http://www.topica.com/lists/emarketingman/read

In summary, a newsletter is the easiest way to promote your products or
your web site. The time involved in writing a newsletter is worth the
return, since sending the newsletter out if free! If you don't have a
electronic newsletter, you are missing out on the most cost effective
strategy available for promoting your web site.

Daryl Clark is President and CEO of EMarketingMan.com. His goal is to
provide you with high quality information, management and internet
consulting services. You can read his other articles at
http://www.emarketingman.com/articlespolicy.htm. E-mail
to: emarketingman-subscribe@topica.com