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As the aim of my website is to discuss the practicalities of running a home based business, and I have, above, just invited you to subscribe to my newsletter this webpage may be an appropriate place to discuss newsletters.
Should you, yourself, offer your customers a newsletter? I would say a definite YES.
If you have a hyped up website offering people the opportunity to make thousands of pounds every night while they sleep (so long as they pay you a couple of hundred pounds for your “secret” first!) then you will probably have to follow the herd and offer a couple of dozen free gifts to tempt people to sign up. Your website visitors will expect to be able to receive a newsletter and will expect each one to be overflowing with hype recommending every new product that comes on the market...
But what if your home based business is selling just a few items a week on eBay? Would I still recommend offering your customers a newsletter? I would still say a definite yes. If you want to build up a loyal base of happy customers then communication is the key. Giving your customers the opportunity to receive a regular newsletter from you helps you build a relationship with your customers and people are more likely to buy from you if they know you and can trust your advice.
My main advice would be to be yourself. Write as if you are speaking to your customer face-to-face.
Don’t be afraid to suggest products and services you have found useful; but don’t hype them either. For example, I use Aweber for my newsletter admin. I have just mentioned this fact and have included their banner advert at the top of this webpage. If you go to the Aweber website via my links you can read about their service yourself and will notice they offer a 30 day risk-free trial of their services. But if I was discussing Aweber in my newsletter I would like to keep things balanced and would point out that Aweber is a service you have to pay for. Once your own newsletter grows in popularity you will find a professional service like Aweber invaluable in saving you time dealing with mailing list management admin... but if you have hosted your website with a company such as 1&1 then you may find a simple mailing list service is already included in your hosting package free of charge. Also, especially if you are just starting offering your newsletter, and so only have a handful of subscribers, you may find it simpler to use your own favorite email program to send out your newsletters manually. I am not however afraid to mention Aweber in my newsletters as it is a service you may find useful yourself in the future as your own subscriber list grows in size. Similarly if you bake cakes, or make dresses, as your home based business you should not be afraid to mention the Cash & Carry Wholesalers from whom you purchase your own supplies. Your newsletter readers may currently only be making one or two cakes, or dresses, themselves so may find it more convenient to purchase their supplies from local shops at the moment, but by sharing links to your favorite suppliers with them you give your readers the opportunity to visit their websites themselves and choose for themselves whether or not to purchase from them. Give your readers the links and let them make their own choice.
Good communication is the key to keeping loyal customers and an interesting and informative newsletter can help you achieve this. Just be yourself, relax, and share tips and advice as if speaking to a friend face-to-face.
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