Ezines can either come across as a brilliant means of human connection or as a thinly veiled form of advertising.
Many business ezines are built around the premise that they need to constantly pitch products in the hope that something grabs the attention of the reader.
The truth is most readers will hit the delete button and report you for spamming if you place your ezine in a high-pressure sales environment.
Your customers or potential customers may either be sizing your business up as a potential partner or they may be interested in how much you know about the products and services you represent.
There are numerous bits of advice on what you should include in an ezine. However, if I can be so bold as to present my top five, I would say the following would be appropriate components to add to your ezine.
* At least one knowledge-based article that has commonality with a product or service you provide.
* Testimonial or feedback from an actual customer.
* Home-remedy or practical use for a product you carry.
* Contact information (including email address).
* Preview of the next issue.
In business we often get caught up in devising a new strategy for convincing people they should buy from us. What if the best approach is simply to provide honest, practical help and information that will actually benefit your customer – even if they never purchase from you?
Business has always expected customers to ‘give to get’ a product. In an online environment it is the business that often needs to ‘give to get’ consumer’s trust.
If you really stop to think about it the consumer has no reason to conduct business with a site they are unfamiliar with. Most are used to visiting stores where they know someone. In an online environment you need to work to genuinely care for and meet the needs of your visitors so they have the best chance at discovering the trust they need to make a purchase. The good news is a knowledge-based ezine can assist you in this goal.
More businesses than ever are adopting this new motivational approach to online offerings. While this trend advances it is interesting to see brick and mortar stores discovering that caring for the customer really works. Knowledge based newsletters are being sent or emailed while in-store demonstrations or how-to seminars are conducted free of charge.
The mentality of business is changing because people are demanding information and guidance. If you can’t (or won’t) provide it someone else will.
How can your ezine change to meet the genuine needs of your customers?
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