Is Sending a Newsletter a Waste of Your Time, Energy and Money?

Is sending out a regular newsletter (and email marketing in general,) a waste of your time? Even though social media and text messages have become a daily habit, the fact remains that email marketing – including a business newsletter – remains one of the most effective and cost-efficient marketing methods for entrepreneurs. "If I had to put a figure on the impact email marketing has had on our bottom line, it would be in the several millions of dollars." - Mark Harbottle, Co-Founder & CEO of SitePoint In a recent study by Exact Target, 77% of consumers said they want to get marketing messages via email and 66% purchase from promotional emails. When someone finds your website, perhaps through a google search, they are probably not going to buy anything or enroll in your program on their first visit. They might explore your site, check out your About Me page, perhaps look at client testimonials and then think about whether or not they want to know more about what you have to offer. They aren't usually ready to purchase anything right away. They want to know you are someone they can trust and who will provide them with what they're looking for. People buy once they know you, like you and trust you. Know, like and trust are created through a relationship and the best way to build that relationship is to stay in touch with them. And just how do you stay in touch? The best way to stay in touch, hands down, is with a newsletter. "81% of purchases happen after 5 or more contacts from the seller. Only 10% of businesses make 5 or more contacts to the potential customer or client and get the sale." - from Conquer the Chaos by Clate Mask and Scott Martineau (founders of Infusionsoft.) By sending out a regular newsletter, you are sharing your brilliance with your subscribers. As they read your newsletters, you become the expert on that subject. Then, when someone has a question about your topic or when they're ready to purchase, they won’t have to search online. Instead, you'll be the person they contact because your expertise will already be established. When you stay in regular contact with your audience through email marketing and your newsletter, you build a relationship. As you build (and maintain) that relationship, your readers know you can be trusted to provide relevant and useful information. This consistent communication keeps you in the mind of potential clients, showing you understand their struggles and can provide solutions to their challenges. As your collection of informative and relevant newsletter articles builds up, you can re-purpose that content into blog posts, articles, reports, and more! By combining a related series of articles, you can create ebooks and even physical books for clients to purchase. Articles can also be adapted into audios or videos and uploaded to sites such as SoundCloud or YouTube, expanding your reach and marketing with just a few extra steps. And then what happens? The more you share through email marketing and newsletters, the more your audience grows. When your audience grows you're increasing your potential client base. And when that happens, you're able to help many more of your ideal clients with your gifts and expertise. This is how you build your successful business. And after all, that's what we want most, isn't it? To serve more people with our expertise and our passion while building our brilliant business.