This weekend a fellow blogger indicated an interest in seeing a post or Guide on Newsletters.  This is a huge subject, but I will make an attempt to hit the high points for you in this Blog and the companion Guide on eBay.  The bottom line is this:  If you are in a business of any kind, you should have a newsletter or online magazine (often referred to as an “E-zine.”) to maintain contact with your customers.  On eBay these would be customers who have taken the time to subscribe and have, therefore, indicated a desire that you do so by signing up for your Newsletter.  Truly, any business, from sales to service provider, can benefit from using a newsletter or E-zine.
Name Your Newsletter:

Less really IS more with it comes to Newsletter titles…a good newsletter name is generally 2-4 words. If shorter, the title is ineffective in explaining what the newsletter is about.  A longer title is too hard to remember and you want your Newsletter title to be memorable.
When choosing a name for your newsletter, make sure its abbreviation won’t be in conflict with well known and established “branding.”  For instance, USA is the United States of America or the US Army and is very well known, NBC is National Broadcasting Corporation, equally well known.  Using either of those acronyms would make your newsletter title confusing at best. 

A good newsletter title describes what your newsletter is about.  For example "Inside Victoria’s Closet” is a good name for a ladies online clothing store, while “Victoria’s Corner” is not because it does not indicate anything about the business the Newsletter supports.  “Victoria’s Clothing Corner,” or “Victoria’s Corner Ladies Clothing” would be far better.

Consider your newsletter purpose, topic and audience before deciding on a serious or playful approach to your Newsletter or E-Zine title.  Examples are the best way to learn what works and what doesn’t.  Browse Newsletter or E-zine directories to see how various authors have found great newsletter names for different topics.  Sometimes, just checking out what others have done gets your own creative juices flowing and your imagination working overtime.  Those already in the business of publishing newsletters or E-zines have dedicated a significant amount of time and thought into finding the right title -- you can save time and effort by learning directly from them.

Now Lets Talk About Content:

At a minimum you should consider using your Newsletter or E-zine to do the following:

Toot Your Own Horn:   Focus on providing your readers with useful information that enriches their lives and or eBay business!  If the information you provide is valuable, people will use it and be back for more!  That goal is never inconsistent with using the opportunity to also look out for your own interests too: 

So, be sure to take at least 25 percent of your newsletter or E-zine space and make it all about YOU, your sales, your eBay store and your activities.  Use the space to provide promotions for your services, products, books, and workshops, etc.  Be sure to add positive testimonials from clients and customers who LOVE you.  Weave your business success stories into your Newsletter.  Share tips and tricks too.

Humor is always most welcome – but be careful not to offend.  Share something funny about your weekend, your business or other things in your life.  It draws readers closer to knowing you “personally.”

Like the Godfather (only nicer)…Make Them an Offer They Can't Refuse:  Take a look at your Newsletter from the perspective of your subscribers.  It may be necessary, even if they KNOW you provide wonderful products and/or services, to convince them to “take another look” this month because of a “can’t resist” promotion or sale.  To get them to take that look, you will need a “come-on” or enticement.  So, use the newsletter to offer your subscribers only a special, limited-time offer.  Some examples are:  10%, 20% or even 30% discount, free shipping, free gift included with subscriber order, free gift wrapping, or other “bonuses” that are available for your subscribers only.  Put your imagination to work to be creative and fun.  Have a time limit on your offer.  If your customer will be prompted to act at all, putting a time limit on it will be the perfect inducement to do so NOW.  You can see how promotions come in very handy for lean sales months.  Promotions are a powerful tactic, with little investment on your part.  Imaginative promotions can result in some very profitable sales cycles too.  Try one and see!

Package Your Product or Service and Offer A Lower Price Point.  This is a super strategy for clearance efforts to move aging merchandise or to build customer base in businesses such as consulting.  As a regular customer and your subscriber, I know you sell GREAT stuff and at very reasonable prices.  I also know you have super combined shipping too.  From past experience with you, I know that to get exactly what I want, and it is best to buy it from you as and when I see it.  However, right now I am a little strapped for the cash and looking down the barrel at the holiday season.  So, I am more interested in getting more for my money through any bargains or lower-priced options you may offer.  The promotions fill this bill as would grouping goods or services and selling them as a group or lot.  When you know your customers, you can begin to offer them product groupings that are specifically geared toward them.  The more you sell, the more you profit – so it pays to know and sell in as many ways as possible to your specific customer base.

Promote Products and Services That Complement Your Own.  Do your blog readers or others on eBay ask you about a certain topics or a service that s related but not exactly what you offer?  If so, recommend a source!  Be advised that in recommending someone, especially a service or a product you have not actually tried, is dangerous to your own credibility and reputation.  A good seller will be certain of those sites he or she recommends.  If a recommended provider fails, you'll blow the trust you've worked so hard to build up in your community and as a seller with those who get burned.  So, be careful.

Sell Ad Space:  Newsletters ads probably won't make you rich, but they can be a resource for some extra money.  Most Newsletters or E-zines offer sponsor ad (located prominently) and "classified" ads as space allows at the bottom.  Sponsor type ads typically cost three to five times more than a classified ad.  Start selling ad space by offering ad specials to your readers.  Then also list your Newsletter or E-zine to advertising directories on the Web. These services help match advertisers with appropriate publishers.

Be careful when considering the advertising you accept.  It is your newsletter and you retain the right to be selective about the type of ads you accept.  While your readers know these ads don't represent YOUR business, the quality of the advertiser’s ads will indirectly influence your customer’s perception of you.

Tangible but Unseen Benefits of Your Newsletter.  Even if you aren't getting direct business from your newsletter or E-zine in the early stages, you are still receiving many less obvious but important benefits.  That is, your newsletter helps to establish you as an expert in your field and providing increasing online exposure over time. The newsletter helps you to gain further credibility with current clients and customers while causing you to focus and package your knowledge, products and services into concise articles on a regular basis.  These articles can also be used for many other marketing uses over time.

Now Lets Talk About the Content (Guts) of Your Newsletter: A Newsletter or E-zine is the ideal opportunity to showcase your business.  By sharing your knowledge and expertise, you build credibility as an expert, while using the opportunity to spread the word about your services and products.  If you are at all familiar with my blogging and/or Guides on eBay, you now understand the reasons for the approach I take and the work I do in those areas on eBay.

As a writer, I find that there are times when I have dozens of content ideas, and other times when I struggle for content that meets my criteria for being both useful to my readership and promotional for my business.  So, here is a list of items I use to get my thoughts back on track when I am in a pinch for content for the next quarter’s newsletter. 

1.  Problem solving:  Let your readership know of a problem presented to you that you have helped to solve and give real-life examples.  A great example is that this Blog and Guide resulted directly through a post in my blog this past weekend.  I mention newsletters often but failed to provide “how to.”  Describe a problem you’ve solved for a reader, client or customer, and use that example as a springboard for offering offer more general advice to the larger audience.  Show your readership how you held customers address challenges.  The article first positions you as the expert to your readers, and offers useful information.  This, in turn establishes more readership and interaction between you and your customers and potential customers.  It is far less direct than “I know this and I know that…” and far more effective in establishing credibility because the reader can actually use the information now and in future.

2.  Position Yourself as a Reader’s Resource:  Access to you is important for small business owners.  Think of three areas in which you’d like your customers or clients to think of you as a resource and develop them by way of the Newsletter or E-zine.  Focus and develop your content for those areas in which you plan to be a resource.  As an example, I have a great deal of experience in establishing a business and selling on eBay.  I really enjoy the challenge and sharing what I have learned with others on eBay.  So, to encourage patronage of my auctions and store online, I share what I have learned in Blogs and Guides and offer myself as an online resource to others.  In my publishing online and interactions with other eBayers, I am also combing the market for new customers.

3.  Read eBay and Other Auction Site Community Boards and Blogs for Publication Ideas. Are there any hot issues out there that people are hungry to know about or that you know will benefit other eBayers (financially or in terms of timed saved)?  Interestingly, the more controversial the subject to be written about, the better – your readership will be more quickly and completely engaged.  DO be sure to offer your own opinion — your readers want to know what you think and why.  After all, YOU are the expert! ; )

4.  Make and Refer to the Question and Answer File:  When your bloggers, customers, clients or others ask a question, write it down and keep it in a file.  When you have time, go back and research and answer the questions.  The more often a question is asked the more popular will be the article that answers it!   Answer each question in a short article.  As you develop these questions and answers you are developing relevant content every day.  In no time you will have lots of content already written and just waiting for publication.  Want to get a push start on you Q&A File send all your current customers and contacts a quick e-mail, asking them what topics they’re most interested in learning more about.  Another good place to get content ideas is to write a blog asking what fellow bloggers would like to know more about.

5.  Consider Using Your Most Recent Learning Experiences:  If you are like me, you are constantly seeking information on how to be more productive with less effort on eBay.  This research is essential because I have a home, a family and a full time job too.  I find my research provides me with a great source of material that I can use personally, but also a resource for sharing in Blogs and Guides too.  If you have attended classes, conferences, workshops, seminars, or have found and read an insightful article, passing on the information will be both appreciated and will help you with content for your upcoming Newsletter  issue.  Having too constantly reinvent information in the age of the World Wide Web is an unnecessary struggle.  Take the collected wisdom you have and gather daily and weekly and simply pass it on.  If you quote an article or website directly, be sure to give full attribution to the author(s).  If you prefer, provide a link or web reference to the article and give your opinion of the article or how you used the information to benefit yourself — your readers will appreciate the reference and your information.

6.  David Letterman need not be the Only Person with Popular Top Ten Lists:  A great way to learn and grow is with lists of related snippets of relevant information.  Use your newsletter to offer a list of your top 5 or 10 tips on various subjects.  It really is quite easier to put together a list of tips than to put together a full article.   The tips can come from articles you have already written, or a new list of tips can grow into a full article later too.  In journalism, we are taught to list your most important information first.  And so, your most important tip should be first and flow in order of descending importance.  (If you “save the best for last”, you risk losing your audience before they get to the most essential information.)

7.  No One Corners the Market on Good Ideas!  Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger out there all alone looking for good information.  Interview contacts and associates whose expertise would interest your readers.  Are your best sources far away?  E-mail interviews are so easy to do just type up a list of questions and hit “Send.”.  Send 3 to 5 questions, edit their answers for conciseness and space, and ask your source to approve the final version.  Be sure to give your contributor attribution and their business a shout out as a thank you. (i.e., A one-sentence description of their business, phone number, their Web site URL, and e-mail address should be fine.)

8.  Have Some Great Resources? Share Them!  Take the opportunity to recommend good books and resources that you use in your business, possibly even offering full reviews.  These reviews will also have a great shelf life and can be used as features on a web site, in a blog on on eBay reviews also. 

9.  Source Questions from Your Customers and Contacts.  Invite your readers to write you with their burning questions, and answer one in each issue of your Newsletter or E-zine.  Attribution is also correct when soliciting questions from your readership.  Right after their question, publish the person’s name, business, e-mail, and Web site address (with their permission of course). They will really enjoy the attention and free publicity!

10.  Features Your Readers:  Invite readers to send in profiles.  Ask them to tell you about themselves — their names, businesses, locations, and how they use the information gained from your newsletter or your E-zine.  Feature one profile in each issue or one every few issues, they too will really enjoy the attention and free publicity!

11.  Use Free Resources.  When all else fails, there is free content you can borrow! There are dozens of Web sites offering hundreds of articles that you can use in your Newsletter or E-zine.  The articles are free and available for you to use.  The only catch is that you’re required to leave the entire article intact, including the author’s promotional information.  They, like you, write these articles to build their own business.

12.  Keep Your Newsletter Your Own.  If your Newsletter’s main objective is to get you more customers, you should be careful to balance the content in your own favor.  That is – do not feature other writers' articles more than once in awhile. Showcasing other professionals on a regular basis undermines the idea of establishing YOU as the expert to your readers.
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Spam Filter Words - Avoid getting caught in the spam filters.

A Note About Distributing Your Newsletter

Spam is more than a can of processed meat – it is the bane of our existence here on the WWW.  Spam is, of course, a nightmare for those of us who receive a bunch of it everyday – but it is equally a nightmare for those who send any kind of email, including Newsletters.

This deluge of irritating junk mail (SPAM) interferes with legitimate Newsletter publishers, because we routinely get caught in the crossfire of the anti-spam war.  If you publish any type of electronic publication, including marketing e-mail publications, there's a better than average chance that that your Newsletter will get caught up in a SPAM Filter and will NOT reach your readers.

SPAM Filters are software programs that search for words and phrases that are typically found in SPAM email.  The scanning software looks for key words and phrases and assigns each an incoming e-mail "score."  If your Newsletter, E-zine or e-mail has too many of these words and phrases, you get a high scanning score, and your newsletter will be blocked.

So, it is critical to understand what the “high scoring” words are, and to avoid using them in your publications.  While there are other words that will cost you more "points" than those listed below, (e.g. sexual phrases), here are the most common "trigger" words and phrases that you may be using in your Newsletter unwittingly:

1.   amazing
2.   cancel at any time
3.   check or money order
4.   click here
5.   congratulations
6.   dear friend
7.   e-mail marketing
8.   for only ($)
9.   for free
10. great offer
11. guarantee
12. increase sales
13. order now
14. promise you
15. risk free
16. special promotion
17. this is not spam
18. to be removed
19. unsubscribe
20. winner

You have only two choices when you want to beat SPAM filters; avoid using these words and phrases altogether or; disguise these words and phrases in clever ways by inserting keyboard symbols within them and/or replacing a letter in the word or words with a symbol (i.e. sp*cial promo*tion)

When promoting your business, avoiding the use of these words and phrases, is very hard to do.  As an example, if an article discusses how your Newsletter can increase your eBay business, the simple word "increase" costs 1.4 points in “SpamAssassin,” (one of the most popular SPAM filter programs on the Web).

Disguising words and phrases in clever ways by inserting keyboard symbols within them and/or replacing a letter in the words with a symbol is a good way to often fool the filter.  It is key, however, to assure that the letter exchanges do not make the word or phrase too cryptic.  After all. It is necessary for your readers to understand what you're saying. 

While some spam filters pick up on this “trick” and penalize you for it by adding some points to your score, the points that you receive for using this approach are far fewer than your would receive if you used the words as written.  So, while not a perfect solution to the SPAM filter problem, but it is a way around -- (for now anyway).

One of the most important steps to take before publishing your Newsletter is to test how it stacks up in SPAM Filter before you send it out.  You really don’t want to loose the connection with your customer when you can get around a SPAM filter.  So, test your Newsletter before sending and the testing is free. 

Lyris' Content Checker tells you how your Newsletter or E-zine ranks in Spam Assassin.  Simply copy your newsletter text (CNTRL + C) and paste it (CNTRL + V) into the box on the site.  The web-based software will run a free report and e-mail a copy to you, usually within minutes.

The report will tell you exactly which words in your Newsletter are costing you points.  You should be concerned if your score is 5 points or more.  If your score is 5 or above, you can delete the offending words or disguise them, as I mentioned earlier in this Guide.  Test each issue in the Content Checker before publishing it to assure your Newsletter reaches your maximum target audience.  With a little practice, it will become second nature to produce copy that scores low on the Test. 

Hope this helps!  If you have time please stop by my sales (Pepper120851) where good old fashioned eBay bargains about.  Take a trip through my store "The Write Place Ladies Clothing, where YOU name the priceyou pay every day!

Thanks for dropping by, Pepper