| Greetings,
Hip, hip, hooray! for Constant Contact. They reached the impressive milestone of 100,000 customers this month. At the same time, Shawenon Communications celebrates the completion of our first year as a business partner. Want to join the crowd? Contact us.
This issue of Web Words is all about time. First, we consider time to be creative--which comes in the oddest places. Then we review how frequently to send out regular e-mail marketing communications.
We have three free introductions to e-mail marketing scheduled in the next month. March 28 in the Boston area, April 5 in Alford and April 10 in Pittsfield. See the copy under my photo for details. Love to have you join us. The sessions are fun and educational.
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| Taking Time |
Ever wonder why you get your most creative ideas when you're in the shower or washing dishes or walking the dog? I call these times "the spaces in between." It's when your mind is looking out of its peripheral vision--sensing things rather than focusing on them directly. For some reason, when we're really not looking directly at an idea, the creative right brain can just pop thoughts in our minds.
But easy come, easy go. Frequently those great thoughts dart away. Usually they come back, but sometimes they are gone forever. So here are a few tips on how to capture ideas before they slip away.
Writing in the Shower
At one of my favorite morning networking events recently this topic came up. "I get my best ideas in the shower," said Lindsey Weber, co-owner with her husband of Minuteman Press of Enfield. "So," she went on, "my husband Michael bought me an underwater writing slate." Though designed for scuba diving, the device works perfectly for capturing great ideas in the shower. You can get one for less than $10 online or at your local scuba accessory store.
A bit more expensive, but worth the investment is a digital tape recorder. These tiny devices fit in a pocket and can go with you in the car or on your daily walk. They are good for capturing longer reflections, but you still have to listen to your words of wisdom. Often a small pad of paper and a pen will do the job. I usually need only a few words to remember a concept or to capture the perfect title for an article.
I still swear by my spiral notebook. Even in this digital age, I carry a notebook with me in my briefcase. I keep notes chronologically and have special pages for projects--my next speaking engagement or a big client job. Of course, there are always several pages reserved for Web Words. When I change notebooks, I pull the related pages and file them in a physical folder.
Collecting Content
Obviously, this article is about the content of your newsletter. Those ideas that gratuitously pop into your mind while you're doing something else are your richest source of interesting content for your publication. If you capture just the tip of an idea, you can flesh it out later.
Remember that wherever you are and whomever you're talking with, you are constantly trolling for content. When I was talking with my fellow net workers, I wasn't thinking about Web Words at all. I enjoyed the conversation and was fascinated by the idea of the writing tablet. It didn't take me long to realize that you might find this information useful, too. Presto, an article.
Yes, it really is that simple. Content for your newsletters will flow to you naturally because you're writing about what you do, what you love and what you think about all the time. Even in the shower.
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| When to send? |
How frequently should you send your newsletter? Monthly and semi-monthly are the most popular. While two of the newsletter publishers I most admire e-mail every other week, 26 issues a year is just too much for me. Michael Katz, who inspired me to go into this business in the first place, also offers his comments on audio. He encourages his listeners to multi-task while he's talking.
I'm comfortable with 12 issues a year. It means I touch my audience frequently enough, without straining too hard to create valuable copy. Six issues a year is also popular. Quarterly is another option, but if you only communicate with your readers four times a year, it's hard to be sure you're on their mind when they are ready to buy.
A new client has decided to publish every six weeks--or 9 times a year. That's a comfortable number of issues, but what do you call it? There's weekly, semimonthly, monthly, bimonthly, quarterly and ????? Any suggestions? Please send them along.
Day of the Week
Industry studies indicate that the day of the week you mail makes a difference. Conventional wisdom says to send mid-week--Tuesday or Wednesday. But I get both of my favorite newsletters on Friday. And they do it on purpose. I've sent most of mine out on Friday, too, partly because I haven't been able to finish earlier in the week.
I call the Friday philosophy the dessert strategy--save the best for last. Friday is a wrap-up day and people like to take a break and read their favorite newsletter. I'm not convinced, so I strive for Thursday. None of the research seems to like Thursday, but I figure it's better than Friday, especially in the summer.
Monday is an option if your newsletter is event-related. People planning their week may come to rely on you to point out where to see and be seen. Everyone says you should avoid weekends, but with a volunteer newsletter, sometimes you just do the best you can.
Time of Day
I remember when I was building our home. Each time that I thought I had made a decision--"We'll take that granite"--there was another decision lurking underneath. Would the corners be rounded or square? Would it be a quarter inch or a half? So, too, with your newsletter. OK, so you've determined frequency and day of the week.
Now what time of day? Conventional wisdom goes with mid-morning on the assumption that you don't want your e-mail to be in the mailbox when people first open it. There's too much competition. The theory is that if you land mid-morning (I aim for 10 AM), you'll get people's attention. I missed that window in February, and I took a hit in "opens." My open rate has been consistent for the past many months and it took a 3.3 point dive. That means 24 fewer people opened the issue. Was it because I mailed at 3 PM? Or because it landed just before a holiday weekend? Was the content less interesting? Who knows?
Actually, you do. What time of day and day of the week would you prefer to receive Web Words? Or doesn't it matter. Do let me know.
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| Web Tips |
We love permission-based e-mail marketing, and we all live by business and personal e-mail, but like all modern wonders, e-mail has a dark side. SPAM-unsolicited e-mail or junk mail. Getting your legitimate, permission-based e-mail past spam filters is a subject for another time. Here we're talking about the spam that comes to your computer every day.
If you use Outlook or Outlook Express and you're not using Cloudmark, stop everything and check it out. This inventive software uses the concept of community to rid your personal computer of unwanted e-mails. The over 1 million Cloudmark subscribers are constantly identifying spam. When a subscriber gets an e-mail, it's checked against known spam. If it's legit, it goes to your inbox. If it's on the "bad guy" list, it goes to your spam folder.
In the several years I've used this system, I've rarely found a wanted e-mail in the spam folder. I get a few spams a week and I block them, thus being a good Cloudmark community member and keeping spam away from others. It costs a mere $39.95 for an individual copy, and it's worth every penny of it.
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And Finally . . .
Shawenon Communications collaborates with small businesses, solopreneurs, professionals and not-for-profits to get their message across in the written word.
We specialize in electronic communications including e-zines and other forms of e-mail marketing and Web site content. We also ghostwrite articles and other business communications. As a business partner, we offer Constant Contact's e-mail marketing service.
Thanks for reading. If you liked this issue, please click on the Forward email button below to share this newsletter with others.
You're also welcome to reprint material in this newsletter as long as it is unaltered and credited to the author. If being reproduced electronically, the following link must also be included:
www.shawenon.com
Sincerely,
Susanna Opper
Shawenon Communications
413-528-6494
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| Seminar Schedule |
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We have a trio of free, custom introductory e-zine startup sessions scheduled. The first is in the Boston area on March 28 from 3 to 5 PM. Location to be determined. On April 5, we'll be hosting an event at our home office in Alford. It's tentatively scheduled for 10 AM, but the time is flexible, depending on participant needs. On April 10 at 6:30 PM, we'll be at the Lichtenstein Center in Pittsfield.
Reservations are essential. All sessions are subject to change.
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