| Developing a Newsletter for Your
Company - Critical First Steps
Let me guess: the thought of creating
an ezine from scratch is a bit overwhelming. I know
- I've been there myself. Allow me to clear things up
with a series of steps to get you started.
Step 1: Brand Your 'Zine
The person who creates your newsletter
template should take a look at your existing website
design and then try to match your newsletter's layout/design
to that.
(Assuming, of course, that you're
happy with the current look and feel of your website.
If you need a design referral, don't hesitate to email
me: dina@wordfeeder.com
and I can try to match you up with one of the many expert
designers with whom I work on a regular basis.)
If you haven't already, start thinking about a "name"
for the newsletter and a specific graphic (a.k.a. masthead)
that you can use for the top header (which would include
the name). For example, the name of my newsletter is
"Word
Food: The Copywriting and Marketing Ezine from Wordfeeder.com."
So, your preliminary steps would
be:
a. Select someone to design an email-ready
newsletter template (again - email me if you need
referrals)
b. Brainstorm a name for your publication
c. Begin thinking about the sections or features you
plan to include every month (just like a magazine
but on a less intimidating scale)
We offer hourly consulting to assist
with this - email dina@wordfeeder.com
Step 2. Select an email list manager.
Select an online mailing list manager
- this is a MUST for ezine publishing. You CANNOT send
bulk mail from your email inbox. This will get your
IP banned and blocked from reaching your readers' inboxes.
You should select from ONLY those who offer an opt-in
or double-opt-in sign-up process.
Some list management companies to
try:
http://constantcontact.com
http://1shoppingcart.com
http://ezezine.com
http://aweber.com
After you select your chosen list
manager, you'll need to spend considerable time setting
up subscriber forms on your website. You must also develop
content pages such as your "Thanks for subscribing,"
"Thanks for your purchase," "Here's the
link to your free download." Basically, I'm referring
to all those automatic pages that will pop up after
your visitors subscribe or place an order on your website.
(You should consult with your website
developer for help in this area.)
Once your email newsletter design
has been developed to your satisfaction, we will use
the actual HTML template page as the basis for all ezine
issues going forward.
Step 3: Choose your list of monthly
newsletter service selections.
The next step is deciding who does
what each month - meaning, me, you and/or your designer
or VA. The end price that we charge for the work we
do will be based on how much of our writing, editing
and production assistance is required.
Some of my copywriting clients prefer
to have a heavy hand in the creative process, while
others basically let Wordfeeder.com run the show. However
you prefer to operate is usually fine with us. For clients
who sign up for article
marketing in tandem with their ezine management,
we simply integrate the two - saving one article to
be used as the feature of your email newsletter.
Please consider which of the following
services you may need help on before applying for an
ezine management quote with Wordfeeder.com:
- article writing and/or editing
- writing and/or editing of your
newsletter greeting or "opener"
- coordinating your ezine content
with whatever promotions you're currently running
- assisting with advice column writing
or other features you may run each month
- HTML (yes - if you ask us to, we
can publish article pages, make all links clickable,
add photos, and upload to your web server, then send
to your list).
As our ongoing email newsletter client,
we will confer with you each month on email and/or phone
to decide what this particular issue's theme and features
will be. I'll then help you create and send your ezine,
providing all of the services you have committed to.
If you have any questions about the
above service, do not hesitate to contact us. Email
for a customized ezine management quote today: Dina@Wordfeeder.com
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