There could be a hundred reasons why your company newsletter isn’t getting the results you expect. And almost all of those reasons have the same specific problem…

Your readers just don’t like it!

There… I said it. It’s the ugly truth no entrepreneur wants to hear.

However, don’t despair. It’s not your fault. No one has ever explained it to you.

So I’ve narrowed it down to five common mistakes found in nearly every company newsletter.

Mistake # 1: Your newsletter isn’t helpful

This is a big one. Bombarding your customers with whole bunch of promotional stuff isn’t going to work.

Of course, you probably realize that non-stop, shameless self-promotion isn’t going to endear you to your clients.

Yet… most entrepreneurs can’t seem to help themselves.

They really do want to send something useful; they mean to be helpful; but in the end, self-promotion wins out. Why? Because it’s just easier to do.

It’s easier to pitch your products or services than it is to write another article about your stuff.

Trust me. Send a company newsletter like that and your customers will see right through it.

Mistake #2: Your style isn’t especially compelling

When you speak to a friend over the phone, you sound animated and excited. Try to write it down on paper and your style suddenly becomes dry, brittle and boring.  It just doesn’t sound like you.

From voice to print, your style gets lost in the translation. That means your writing doesn’t really get across how you feel. Every artist, singer, and yes, writer has a signature style. This ‘voice’ needs to be real and authentic.

Try this: Get a friend to ask you questions about the topics you’ll be writing about in your newsletter – and record it. Just blab away; then transcribe what you’ve said.

Yep… it sounds tedious. But it works because it’s a great way to find your own unique writing ‘voice’.  Also, practice DOES make perfect. Write something every day. Try writing an email to your customers two or three times a week.

Style matters. And you have one – you just have to learn to get it on paper.

Mistake # 3: You’re not telling a story

Most people think their newsletter has to be a formal affair – perfect sentence structure that’s all prim and proper.

Literary perfection isn’t the way to create a great company newsletter. Stories are.

Its human nature: From infancy we learn to be spellbound by stories.

Tell stories about your clients. Write about you… and make it personal. People love to know about you. And the more you tell, the more they will love you. Nothing gets your readers involved like the color and drama of a good story.

And be sure to tell the moral of the story. Explain what you learned or what you should have learned or what someone else could learn from your experience.

Mistake # 4: You have a wimpy call to action

Let’s say you need to fill up your martial arts class. In your company newsletter, you’re going to create a killer special offer to get them to commit. You need your customers to respond. You can’t simply hope they will – you have to make an irresistible buying opportunity for them.

You have to be pretty darned clear what you want them to do, too. Just saying ‘please respond’ is wimpy and vague. Tell them to ‘call today’. Provide a deadline to take advantage of your great promotion.

Offer a fast action bonus if they are among the first 10 respondents.

Most biz owners just hope their customers will act on their offers. And most customers don’t – because they’re usually pretty busy people. So you have to stop them dead in their tracks – interrupt them and get their attention.

Of course, none of this will work if you’re a complete stranger to them…

Mistake# 5: You don’t mail your newsletter every month

At 6 p.m. turn on your TV. What do you see?

In just about every city in the U.S. you’ll see the evening news. Granted, it’s usually the same old news, but you know it’s consistent.

Most newsletters are NOT this dependable. If you write a company newsletter, you must have a consistent publishing schedule.

The best frequency? Monthly. Just like you get your favorite magazine or even your bank statement every month – people have learned to expect things of importance on a monthly basis.

If you have promised your customers your newsletter will go out every month – then you do whatever you have to do to keep that promise.

Your newsletters can’t go to Aruba on vacation. It cannot become ill and call in sick. That won’t wash with your readers. Can you imagine the TV station canceling the news because some newsanchor didn’t show up one evening?

Newsletters do all the grunt work of relationship marketing for you.

And you want to miss a month? Are you crazy?

Although listed last, this mistake is the unforgivable sin of newsletter marketing.

The biggest reason for newsletter failure is because your company newsletter is a stranger to your clients. Muck up the frequency and the other four points become irrelevant. If you send it quarterly or just whenever you feel like it, you’re wasting your time and money. The response to your newsletter is directly connected to mailing frequency.

The bottom line

Unbridled self-promotion doesn’t work here. It’s necessary to promote yourself – just make it useful.

Your tone of writing is critical. Record yourself if you have to; but make sure you connect with your own unique voice.

If you can’t get your head around a casual and informal writing structure, use customer stories instead.

And never forget: This is not a hobby. Your send a company newsletter to make money. Don’t be half-hearted about promotion – use a strong call to action.

Without consistent frequency – i.e. monthly – your customers will forget who you are even if you do everything else right. It’s not fair; but that’s the harsh reality.

Newsletters require a lot of work and effort. There’s no point in doing them unless you get the results you’re looking for. Avoiding these five big mistakes will perk up your response rate in a hurry.

Copyright 2010

This article and blog post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio

Cal decides to enthusiastically endorse said blender. Whaddaya think? Would that sell more or less of these blenders?

The answer is obvious. You betcha.

Association and Authority ALWAYS sells more stuff, whether it be products or services.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s Michael Jordan pitching soft, cottony underwear, or Oprah rendering her judgment on a noodle recipe.

If you take an ad and simply put their mugs next to ANYTHING… their association and authority will make selling that product or service much, much easier.

Here’s an example of a sneaky way to do it:

Ever notice how some websites prominently display the brands UPS and FED EX, along with Visa and MasterCard, etc. front and center on the home page of their store front?

This is really smart. It’s a great example of ‘borrowed authority.’ Doing this gives their site more credibility because of its ‘association’ with these big, well-known companies.

Sometimes, authority is created. Remember the ‘Maytag repairman?’  That poor lonely dude that single-handedly revolutionized washer and dryer sales. Mr. Whipple did the same thing for Charmin.

How can you do this with your biz?

It’s actually pretty simple. Go out and get yourself some ‘cachet client’s.

What is a cachet customer, you ask?

These are your high-status clients… customers who are very well-known and respected in the communities you serve. They are sorta like ‘local’ celebrities.

Here’s why you need as many of them as possible:

The fact that they selected YOU to be the vendor for your products and services is reassuring proof to others that you are the right choice – the only choice, really – as a great company to do business with.

When a cache customer uses your company, your competence and credentials and reliability are rarely questioned.

It’s all about relationship marketing. Never think for a minute success is achieved any other way.

-  David Gruttadaurio
The Relationship Marketing Expert

PS: Click here to read the September Exceptional Living company newsletter.
PPS: Ever wonder why your banker needs your help? Click here.

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About David Gruttadaurio

http://www.newslettersmadeforyou.com

David Gruttadaurio is widely recognized as the expert in print newsletter marketing and relationship-based marketing.

David now has clients from around the world who are successfully using his products.

He is the editor of Exceptional living newsletter and a published author in print and online magazines and blogs.

David and his family live in the small town of Princeton, Indiana.

They talk about their jobs, their kids, politics… just whatever’s on their minds (key point!)

Wouldn’t it be nice if YOU were in their conversations? Three things must happen for that to take place.

1. Your client has to NOTICE they’re in a conversation what you do.

2. Then, they have to THINK of you as it relates to the conversation.

3. Finally, they have to INTRODUCE you into their conversation.

This cycle is what makes relationship marketing magic happen. A company  newsletter is phenomenal at staying in contact with customers every month. And the BIG takeaway is to plant seeds that turn into more referrals and business.

Successful relationship marketing allows you to enter the conversation already going on by being in your client’s awareness path.  It’s called ‘top of conscientiousness.’

It really doesn’t matter what you call it – YOU just want to be there.

For example, 100 million Americans don’t get enough sleep. Think it’s possible one of your clients may be affected?

Probably. And almost certainly they talk about it to others.

Want to be remembered and mentioned by your clients and patients in August?

Check out the August issue of Exceptional Living company newsletter.
http://newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletters

Now imagine your client getting this in the mail (personalized with their first name, of course) and THEN mentioning the great article they read from YOUR company to their friends!

Check it out at http://newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletters

Be part of a lot of conversations next month. Send ‘em your company newsletter.

Taking action just feels right.

-David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

1. Do you want your customers talking about you?  Send them the August Exceptional Living company newsletter.
www.newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletter

2.  We’re gearing up for the Done For You Coaching Insider Program. So… what’s your single biggest question about marketing your biz?
www.newslettersmadeforyou.com/ask

Brett and I have each been around the block a few times. We can help make a difference in your biz… more profits, more referrals… just a better lifestyle.

It’s all about relationship marketing, folks. That is REAL ticket to success.

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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About David Gruttadaurio

David Gruttadaurio is widely recognized as the expert in print newsletter marketing and relationship-based marketing.

David now has clients from around the world who are successfully using his products.

He is the editor of Exceptional Living newsletter and a published author in print and online magazines and blogs.

David and his family live in the small town of Princeton, Indiana.

Copyright 2010

I wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one
Oh my me my
What I think, what I like, what I want, what I see…

That pretty much sums up what most company newsletters are about. Here’s the problem with this newsletter… IT’S BORING!

Most business owners think what they do is incredibly fascinating to their clients.

So, based upon this false assumption, their newsletters cheerfully discuss details and facts that no one (except them) cares about. Like their newest equipment purchase. Or the latest breaking industry development. Or the big change in their office and how Mary Sue has moved from Payroll to Customer Service.

While this is riveting stuff internally, I can assure you that your clients just do not care.

If you send them a newsletter ‘all about you’ and their response is going to be, ’so what?’ And the next newsletter you send them? It’s heading straight into the trash can.

Boring newsletters don’t get read. And they sure don’t generate interest in your company, much less make money.

The bottom line:

NEVER make your business or company the main focus of your client newsletter.

Surprisingly, this is a difficult concept for business owners to wrap their minds around.

This may help: Think about your own experience and reaction the last time you got the typical company newsletter from someone else. Did you actually read it?

I’m certain that at best, it received a brief cursory glance. The sooner you accept this fact, the faster your clients will be receiving a company newsletter from you they actually look forward to reading.

Now suppose you got a newsletter in the mail like this one:

http://newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletters

Would you open it? Would you read it? Does it look boring?

Yes… yes… and no.

That’s what our clients have discovered after sending Exceptional Living company newsletter to their customers. It’s relationship marketing… delivered!

Look it over: http://newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletters

It all about your customers. Tell them you understand that by sending them a newsletter made just for them.

We have newsletters ideas that make you money.

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert

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http://www.WebToPrintIQ.com

About David Gruttadaurio

David Gruttadaurio is widely recognized as the expert in print newsletter and relationship marketing.

David now has clients from around the world who are successfully using his products.

He is the editor of Exceptional Living newsletter and a published author in print and online magazines and blogs.

David and his family live in the small town of Princeton, Indiana.

Copyright 2010

This blog post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this mail is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio.

That’s one of the things we learned at my mastermind meeting at Disney World with Andrew Lock.

Disney really sweats the details… big time.

Here’s one example:

At Walt Disney World, you’ve probably never noticed the sidewalks are a distinct pinkish color. And the curbs and streets are a particular shade of gray.

It’s all by design.

Disney commissioned Kodak to do a color analysis. The idea was to determine the best colors to provide optimum color contrast when photos were taken in the park.

Why care about this?

Because when guests take pictures, the photos would look their best at Disney. They wanted to provide the best possible ‘experience’. Disney wanted the pictures from THEIR park to ‘look better’ than they would anywhere else.

For entrepreneurs, there’s no such thing as an unimportant detail. Small details add up fast to create the ‘big picture’ of your company.

Take your company newsletter. Most newsletters are ‘thrown together’. The usual objective is to stuff content in as fast as possible and get that sucker in the mail.

Now compare that mindset with the July issue of Exceptional Living company newsletter:
http://newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletters

The content is calculated to INVOLVE your customer… in eight different ways, to be exact.

We sweat the details so you don’t have to worry about it. That’s relationship marketing made easy!

Our newsletter ideas WILL make you money.

– David Gruttadaurio
The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: Have a SAFE and FUN holiday weekend!

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http://www.WebToPrintIQ.com

About David Gruttadaurio

David Gruttadaurio is widely recognized as the expert in print newsletter marketing and relationship-based marketing.

David now has clients from around the world who are successfully using his products.

He is the editor of Exceptional Living newsletter and a published author in print and online magazines and blogs.

David and his family live in the small town of Princeton, Indiana.

Copyright 2010

Here’s a tip:

They want to have things be easier, faster and effortless for them.

Figure out how to do that for them and you’ll have discovered a very important secret.

Brett and I made this discovery last month.

On lark, my partner decided to do something outlandish. He offered to do your newsletters for you. All you had to do was send him the info he needed and WHAM… you got a newsletter that was REALLY made for you.

It was a powerful lesson for us.

Most biz owners prefer doing it themselves. And that’s why we have WebToPrintIQ.com.

But… it seems some just don’t want to mess with it. They know they need to send a company newsletter. They just want someone else to do it for them.

Introducing Totally Done For You.

For a measly 22 bucks, we’ll do it all. We’ll take your content and set up your newsletter to create your monthly masterpiece for your clients.

It seems that’s what YOU really want.

And that’s what we’re going to give you; because it will make sending your customers a company newsletter easier, faster and effortless for you.

It will be Totally Done For You… for just $99 (including the subscription fee).

This is relationship marketing at its EASIEST!

Look for another email on Thursday with a special link.

In the mean time, take a gander at the July newsletter. Look it over and start planning how you want us to do YOUR newsletter next month.

http://newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletters

We have newsletters ideas that work spectacularly!

– David Gruttadaurio
The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: I gotta be honest with you. I don’t know how long we’ll be able to offer this amazing deal at this outrageous price. But I can tell you this: Whoever jumps on this in the next two weeks will grandfathered in at 99 bucks… FOREVER!

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http://www.WebToPrintIQ.com

About David Gruttadaurio

David Gruttadaurio is widely recognized as the expert in print newsletter marketing and relationship-based marketing.

David now has clients from around the world who are successfully using his products.

He is the editor of Exceptional Living newsletter and a published author in print and online magazines and blogs.

David and his family live in the small town of Princeton, Indiana.

Copyright 2010

Because the fact is, that’s often the only difference between mediocre results and dominating your competition.

When you have that slight edge, your competitors don’t stand a chance.

Case in point – Starbucks.

There’s no doubt that Starbuck’s is a MAJOR player when it comes to coffee.

Not long ago, they announced a customer rewards program. Every company needs one, right?

It completely bombed. Yep, it was a miserable failure.

Starbucks was mystified. Then a smart exec at Starbucks decided to ask for feedback from their customers.

This is what Starbucks discovered:

Their rewards program was confusing. And a confused mind is not a happy mind… and it always says NO to almost everything.

So… taking the feedback they received, a new program was reintroduced. And the second time around, it was a smash hit.

The slight edge really wasn’t the rewards program. It was Starbucks being smart enough to listen to their customers.

The fact is… listening to your customers isn’t a slight edge… it’s an enormous edge.

How many business owners assume THEY know what their customers want? A bunch!

And how many actually take the time to actually LISTEN to what their customers want? Almost zero.

They’re continually trying to sell, sell, sell…  instead of giving their customers what they
naturally want to buy.

If you want to be successful in business, you have to realize that people hate to feel like
they’re being ’sold’.

But… they love to buy.

A well-written company newsletter sells (and it’s crazy successful)… but it’s done by flying under your customers ‘I don’t want to be sold’ radar.

Exceptional Living actually has 8 ‘velvet hammer’ involvement triggers to increase your profits, referrals and income.

Review the July issue here at get started today.

http://newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletters

It’s the slight edge that wll stomp the competition.

- David Gruttadaurio
The Print Newsletter Expert”

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http://www.WebToPrintIQ.com

About David Gruttadaurio

David Gruttadaurio is widely recognized as the expert in print newsletter marketing and relationship-based marketing.

David now has clients from around the world who are successfully using his products.

He is the editor of Exceptional Living newsletter and a published author in print and online magazines and blogs.

David and his family live in the small town of Princeton, Indiana.

Copyright 2010

Three examples:

1. Apple iPhone

Introduced in 2007 when the mobile phone manufacturers were all duking it out for market share. Apple grabbed $637M in sales that year. And along the way it created the App Store.

By the end of 2010, this single product is projected to bring in $21B in revenue for Apple. Yep… that’s billion.

2. Allen Simon

He dropped out of school in the ninth grade. While working at a pet store in Brooklyn he came up with a million-dollar idea…a better way to housebreak a puppy.

He currently has sales of more than $30 million a year; it’s the number one selling doggy pad on the planet. BTW: One of his homes is NYC penthouse worth $28M.

3. Nintendo Wii

Before the Wii, Nintendo was a successful company. After the Wii it became mega super successful.

Consider: This past January it still sold 3 million of them – in just the US. In the space of 12 months (after the first Wii went on sale), it’s stock prices tripled. It all happened because of just one big idea.

Now… back to Apple: They’d been in business for decades. Maybe that also describes you. But one change – one big idea – and their biz was transformed forever.

That’s what a company newsletter sent regularly to your customers can do for your business.

Why? Because customer satisfaction is worthless without customer loyalty.

A company newsletter is the ONLY marketing tool designed to build a relationship with your clients.

Romance your customers. Exceptional Living is the ‘flowers and chocolates’ you send to your clients every month to build an unbreakable relationship with your customers.

Bill Glazer (Dan Kennedy’s business partner) wrote:  “There is NO BETTER WAY to develop a relationship with people than sending out a properly written [company] newsletter.”

Relationship marketing with Exceptional Living company newsletter…

… could this be YOUR big idea this year?

Check out how we do it for you:

http://newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletters

Taking action just feels right.

- David Gruttadaurio
The Print Newsletter Expert”

PS: Yes, I said three examples. The third example tripled this company’s stock price in 12 months with this BIG idea. It’s in the blog post. Click here.

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http://www.WebToPrintIQ.com

About David Gruttadaurio

David Gruttadaurio is widely recognized as the expert in print newsletter marketing and relationship-based marketing.

David now has clients from around the world who are successfully using his products.

He is the editor of Exceptional Living newsletter and a published author in print and online magazines and blogs.

David and his family live in the small town of Princeton, Indiana.

Copyright 2010

Most entrepreneurs have just one characteristic for a new customer: A heartbeat.

If they’re breathing then they’re a hot prospect.

This is a dangerous marketing path to follow.

Believe it or not, your marketing, advertising and other messages will determine exactly the kind of clients you get.

So… if you’re not happy with your customer base, you have no one to blame but yourself, right?

There’s never been a WORSE time for ‘I want everyone to be my client’ mentality.  I can’t tell you how many times I’m consulting with clients and I ask the simply question, ‘Who is your client?’ and they either say, “I don’t know…” or, “Everybody in Chicagoland” (Assuming they’re in Chicago.)

Quite frankly, it’s too costly to attract ‘everybody’ with one broad brushstroke.  It’s a huge mistake to have too big a targeted market with too few resources.

That’s the domain of the big, dumb corporations.

Here’s a concise definition of how you should target your ideal market:

A good market is identifiable. It can be affordably reached. It includes groups that have shared:

1. Interests
2. Needs
3. Fears
4. Desires

Stop and think really hard about this. Determine who is best matched to your product or service.

Here’s an example:

Many service companies want to work with only the affluent. One company I helped used radio ads in their small market.

Radio is challenging. You have 30 seconds to differentiate your company from the pack and appeal to those you want as customers.

Here’s what they did:

They used their ‘cachet clients’ to give testimonials on the radio. A cachet customer is a high-status client. They’re customers that are well-known and respected in your community.

But we took it a step further. With this cachet client speaking, they would say: “[Company] did work for me and my family [moms, brothers, and children].” This added to their status.

Then the coup de grace: “Sure, we could have spent less – but we wouldn’t have gotten the same great results!”

This short sentence sifted and sorted though the thousands of listeners. It appealed to those willing to spend more dollars to hire this company.

And it worked like magic.

To view some more marketing magic, check out the July issue of Exceptional Living company newsletter.

http://newslettersmadeforyou.com/company-newsletters

You can personalize 6 different places in the newsletter. All of the other content is Done For You.

And our cool Idea Generator will help you easily personalize those areas.

We have company newsletter ideas for relationship marketing that work.

- David Gruttadaurio
The Print Newsletter Expert”

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http://www.WebToPrintIQ.com

Copyright 2010