As a Sage business partner, a newsletter is perhaps the most versatile tool in your marketing arsenal.  This one, powerful piece of communication has so many different uses.

Lead Nurturing – The sales cycle for business software can be very long.  A newsletter keeps your company “top of mind” with prospects, making it easy for them track you down when they’re ready to buy.

Customers – A newsletter can provide your customers with practical tips, support updates, and add-on modules that will help them make the most of their software investment and relationship with your firm.

Alliance Partners – A newsletter puts you front and center with alliance partners, builds the relationship, and makes it easy for them to refer business to you.

Below are a handful of tips that will have your customers, prospects, and alliance partners looking forward to each and every issue.

1. Content is King – Research, writing, and editing article content is the single most time-consuming task in developing a consistent newsletter.  But remember, content is king.  The look and design of your newsletter can draw your reader in, but it’s the substance of your articles that keeps them coming back for more.

Thorough research should help you determine what’s relevant and timely. The key is to be objective while focusing on how the technology you implement solves common business challenges (duplicate data entry, poor reporting, inefficiency, etc).  Avoid the pitfall of simply restating product literature or copying boring product features and functions from a brochure.  A poorly-disguised sales pitch is never a substitute for a good newsletter.

2. Quality Over Quantity – The length of your newsletter is an important consideration. Remember that your readers are likely a diverse group of Owners, Managers, IT Folks, accounting   personnel, and more … each of whom have different preferences    (C-level Executives like it short and sweet while IT folks tend to be more “data hungry”).  It’s important to strike a balance between an overly lengthy newsletter with too much detail and a format that’s too short (leaving your readers wanting more).

At Juice Marketing, we’ve developed a shorter format that is both practical and cost-effective.  Shorter newsletters deliver a “quick read” which is appreciated in this age of information overload.  Plus, a shorter newsletter forces you to focus your thoughts and make every word count which shows that you respect your readers’ time.

3. Scanability – With the volume of information that we all   process everyday, it’s unlikely that your customers and prospects are going to read the newsletter cover to cover.  Designing your newsletter so that it’s easily scanned is an important consideration.  Break the text up into bite-sized pieces, keep paragraphs short, call attention to important words or phrases with bold font, and use bullet points when it’s practical.

And remember, there’s value in White            space.  Don’t try and cram too much content onto the page.

“We subscribe to 3 Sage newsletters with Juice Marketing. The article content is well-researched, thought-provoking and explores business issues that are important to our customers and prospects.”

- Jane Cavanaugh, REDW – Sage Partner in New Mexico

4. Compelling Subject Line – Most companies will use email to deliver their newsletter.  And why not?  Email delivery saves time and money in printing, mailing, and postage costs.  When it comes to an email newsletter, the subject line is the No. 1 reason a message is opened … or not!

At Juice Marketing, we recommend including content from the newsletter in the subject line … something relevant that grabs your reader’s attention like “Drive Sales Through the Roof with Sage CRM.”  That’s probably more compelling than a boring statement like “Sage Accpac Newsletter – Q2.”

And remember to avoid using popular buzzwords or special characters (like ! or $) that are certain to draw attention from a SPAM filter and get your newsletter kicked to the Junk mailbox.

Conclusion

With the right content, a few best practices and consistent delivery, newsletters can be one of the most versatile and cost-effective ways to build a stronger relationship with your customers, stay top of mind with prospects, and generate referrals from alliance partners!

Need Help with Your Newsletter?

Okay, so maybe you recognize the value of a newsletter but just don’t have the time to put one together consistently.  That’s where the Sage Newsletter Program from Juice Marketing comes in.

Our cost-effective newsletters are available for Sage Accpac, MAS 90, MAS 500, Abra HRMS, Timberline Office, MIP Fund Accounting, and Sage SalesLogix CRM.

Since Juice Marketing is a Sage Preferred Vendor, our newsletters are pre-approved for 60% co-op reimbursement and we process your claim directly with Sage so there’s no paperwork to fill out!

Contact us by email or call for newsletter program details, pricing, or to see a few sample issues.

P.s. Mention this blog entry and get a hefty discount on your subscription.