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Ask the Master Newsletter Archives
Welcome to the previous editions of the Ask the Master newsletter.
On your left you will find links to tips and the how to’s of
running a Virtual Assistant practice. We hope you enjoy your stay
and if you have a question you’d like answered send it to submission@vatp.ca.
Ask
The Master
April 2003 Volume 2/Issue 5 |
Creating a Newletter
One of the great ways to stay in front of potential clients is
to offer them something of value on a regular basis for free. The
may take some creative thinking on your part. What do you see?
The chances of you meeting someone at the very moment they are looking
to hire a Virtual Assistant, and them deciding you are the right VA
for them, are very slim. Since being a VA is about developing relationships
you need to find a way to not only plant seeds but also to nurture
and develop relationships with potential clients. A newsletter is
the perfect way to do that.
A newsletter gets your creativity flowing while allowing you to
offer value to those in your network. All of us have something of
value, what are you willing to offer? In this edition of the Ask
the Master newsletter we'll explore newsletter as a networking and
marketing tool.
Special thanks to VATP graduate and Ask the Master subscriber Heather
Quick for wanting to find out more about the subject!
Warmly,
Mary-Lou Ashton
Master Virtual Assistant
Questions In This Edition
(Click on the links to go to that question.)
What do I include in the
newsletter?
This can sometimes be the toughest decision to make. What you decide
to put in your newsletter may have an effect on how often you send
out your newsletter and visa versa. A daily broadcast would likely
be much smaller than a monthly one.
Take a look at what you know the most about and what would be of
value to your audience. Keep in mind that you will want to sustain
the content for quite some time. You can provide a variety of information
in your newsletter such as tips, quotes, letters from the editor
and guest writers as well. Let your creativity flow.
WHow do I get a
newsletter started?
As Nike would say, just do it! J Once you have decided how frequently
you want the send it out start by signing up people you know who
would benefit or be interested in it. Any current clients, potential
clients, your coach, family members etc.
You may start out with only 5 or 6 subscribers but this can grow
quickly if you make it easy to sign up. Ask subscribers to pass
it along and include subscribe and unsubscribe instructions in the
newsletter. You can also look at purchasing mailing lists.
How do I manage the
list of subscribers?? Initially you will probably be able
to use a distribution list on your email program. Outlook provides
you the ability to create such a list however when you get to around
150-200 subscribers you will probably encounter difficulties sending
the broadcast due to the number of email addresses. You can get
around this by splitting the distribution list and sending it in
smaller chunks or you can also look at getting a list service.
Most list services provide additional features such as the ability
to schedule broadcasts to go out on certain dates so you can schedule
ahead. They also offer subscribers the ability to subscribe or unsubscribe
on their own by using specific email addresses. In addition they
offer a subscription verification service along with welcome letters
and unsubscribe letters of thanks. WebValence offers a good service
at a very reasonable price (www.webvalence.com).
How do I set up
and format the newsletter?
You can set up the newsletter either in plain text or HTML. Obviously
plain text does not allow for formatting so it will be a much plainer
newsletter. If you are using HTML you can be much more creative
and the end result will be more aesthetically pleasing. You can
also support the branding of the colours, fonts and/or logos you
use for your business.
To create this newsletter I simply use a table in Word and merge
the top and bottom cells together in the table. I then format the
background, borders and text colours and copy and paste it into
the email I am sending. Very simple.
What do I need to
know about sending out a newsletter?
If you are sending out an HTML newsletter make sure you have your
email program set to send HTML. If it is set for plain text your
subscribers will see something very different from what you intended
to send. You may want to have the option of both a plain text or
HTML version of your newsletters. Also consider making archives
of previous editions available as well.
Be sure you do not spam people and take care of any unsubscribe
requests immediately. Always include both subscribe and unsubscribe
instructions in your newsletter. Be aware of how often you are sending
your newsletter out and the number of unsubscribes that are coming
in. You want to make sure you are adding value at all times.
Brought to you by
Virtual Strategies
and the Virtual Assistant Training Program
Making dreams reality!
www.vatp.ca
info@vatp.ca
1-604-483-3740 |
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