A well-designed, easy to read and interesting and helpful electronic newsletter can build a customer or organizational member base and keep families in touch around the world now that our earth is becoming a global society.

There are many sources of inexpensive or free software that can be used to develop a newsletter. In addition, it is now very easy to take, download and edit personal pictures or find free graphics, fonts and artwork to enhance the newsletter on the Internet.

Why Should You Have a Newsletter?

It is an inexpensive way to communicate with members, friends and families. And, you can include address information, sales and product information or announce new products and even new babies? If your newsletter is interesting, includes fun facts or useful information for people to find a missing piece of china, or a long-lost relative, or a new product that will enhance efficiency for the small business owner, your “customers” will look forward to hearing from you weekly, or monthly. You may want to start out one or twice a year until your clients help you build your base, your stories or information and provide other services such as proof reading, or adding artistic interest to the newsletter.

What Software Can I Use?

You can start out with a very easy newsletter using a word-processing software or a specialized newsletter software or template (e.g. Word, Publisher) and limit your pictures and graphics to begin with. Here are some sites and templates to look at for ideas. In Word, go to Help on the Index bar and look for templates. If you have Microsoft Office, look at Publisher, which provides templates for newsletters. You can also go on the Internet and Google “Free Newsletter Templates.”

Think About Marketing and Internal Communications

I know that this is business jargon, but it applies to developing new businesses, friends, members, clients, or relatives through genealogy. If you are building a client base, it is important to include an electronic newsletter as part of your marketing strategy. Do you have a new product? Include some customer testimonials about how helpful the product has been. Put a 10% coupon in your newsletter for a first time purchase. Are you building an Alumni Association or a membership group (e.g. Siamese Cat Lovers)? Include helpful articles about Alumni who have a good story to tell or who have accomplished a major fundraising effort. Or, include advice on how you trained your Siamese cat how to stay off of the dining room table. Interesting and helpful articles attract readers.

They will begin to look forward to getting the newsletter on a timely basis. At the same time, you build an email client mail list. Mail the newsletter for free! Include a section that allows new people to sign up for the newsletter to broaden you mailing list and client base.

But, your client base can also be all the relatives in the Curtis R. Smith family. Use a newsletter to help you uncover family genealogy and new relatives by starting with your first ring of relatives, who pass on the newsletter to even more family. It will be surprising to find out how many new “distant” relatives you have.

Be Professional

This is important and where editing and good writing comes in as an important aspect of newsletter production. Your newsletters needs to be written well, interesting, and the punctuation, spelling and grammar must be error free, especially if this is a business product. Use a second or third set of eyes, and professional editors to read the materials and improve the writing so that it is clear, interesting, succinct, and fun! Make it a point to ensure that each of your readers will learn at least one new, exotic fact or find a new product to try after reading each of your newsletters.

Grab the Reader’s Attention Immediately

Your electronic newsletter has to have a subject heading that stands out so that the reader knows to open it when it comes. Our electronic “noise” has increased significantly and it is hard for individuals to sort through emails and other information. So, in the subject, write a clear title and keep it the same each time you send out your newsletter. Example: February 2009 Newsletter – Siamese Cat Lovers, or Fabulous Fonts – February 2008 Newsletter or the George Elliot Literature Group – Newsletter, Spring 2009. As you build your electronic newsletter, add color and graphics to grab the attention of the reader. Have a comment column, a writer’s circle or ask members to write columns or articles for the newsletter.

Build a Volunteer or Paid Support Base

If you have devoted members, many will work for low cost rates or volunteer depending on the type of newsletter you have. Create a base of editors, writers, proofreaders, artists and photographers. But, remember to use a professional editor for every newsletter, especially those that are in the business of marketing products. Nothing turns off a client more than poor vocabulary, spelling or errors in prices or product descriptions.

Move from Email to a Web Page

You may start with a newsletter sent through email as an attachment as you build your newsletter. But it can become a Web site with product descriptions and a “grocery or shopping cart” for purchasing. Or, you may need to charge a subscription fee or newsletter fee to build your organization.

The bottom line in marketing your organization through a newsletter is to start slowly, provide interesting information in every newsletter, involve many individuals in developing your newsletter to build capacity and ensure that it is professionally (well) written. Of course, it is always best to consider using an outside professional editor who has the training to check for clarity, compelling use of the English language and to ensure that the writing is error free. They can also provide advice on how the newsletter appears to the reader and if it is interesting and attractive.

Associations and membership groups should involve a team in putting together a product that your reader looks forward to receiving and reading every month or quarter. Your best evidence of success will be a growing email address base.

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Tags: Newsletters, Professional Editing, professional editor

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 2:38 pm and is filed under Newsletters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.