Newsletters A VINTAGE Fashioned But Effective Marketing Tool

None folks are mistaken concerning the importance of having robust communication channels between yourself and your target audience. But the very definition of a robust communication channel is rapidly evolving.

I have talked extensively about Facebook, and how that modern behemoth can be of use. This week, we take it slightly old school with the Newsletter!

Newsletters might not have the sexy connotation of a blog, Twitter,or an Feed. But you shouldn't be fooled, Newsletters are still an excellent (and resurgent in my opinion) connective resource, and have proven to be an excellent customer retention tool. They provide the opportunity to keep an audience engaged and informed (in a non-intrusive manner actually), and a platform to shift the focus from your own content, to content that's valuable to your community audience. Remember: your goal is not to direct the conversation, but to aid it.

Because newsletters can be sent electronically, the price of introducing your organization or service to your clients through a newsletter can be minimal. Be sure you are adhering to the CAN SPAM Act when emailing people; you need to develop some type of opt-in page on your own website which allows interested consumers to join up for the free newsletter, which should contain useful information.

When choosing something for the Newsletter, remember FREE isn't always F-R-E-E. While Free services are usually convenient to use and efficient, they'll also usually still contain (mostly unrelated) advertisements of the host service. (Not to mention are going to without analytic capabilities).

Have a look at these FREE services:

Topica

Zinester

Coollist

Yahoo!Groups.

And these PAID services:

Sparklist

Lyris

List Host

Topica

Zinester

Whatever your decision, remember the K.I.S.S.

Keep - It - Simple - Stupid

Aaron Parkinson is a professional marketer surviving in Victoria, BC, Canada. He went from nightclub bouncer to self-made millionaire in less than 2 years thanks to Direct Sales. Aaron is really a proud husband and father of 2 who enjoys martial arts, high stakes poker, and exotic travel.