Dear Mr. Internet: I'd like to start sending my clients and prospects an e-mail newsletter periodically, but don't know where to start.  Help! Dan Eastes, Broker Dan Eastes Real Estate Kerrville, TX  85210

Dear Dan:

You have already started on the right foot by recognizing that e-mail newsletters are a very powerful and inexpensive way to stay in the forefront of your clients and prospects awareness. An e-mail newsletter offer many advantages over the traditional paper kind, for example:

To be consistently successful in executing an effective e-mail campaign, there are several key steps to consider...

Create An Attention Getting Format:

The first thing you need to do is decide whether you want your e-newsletter to be strictly text based or in the form of a Web page (or site).  You might want to consider going strictly text based first since it is easier to create and the most forgiving of mistakes.   However, an HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language, i.e. Web) newsletter, while more work, has potentially greater impact on the recipient.  Here are some design guidelines either way you go...

Text Only

• Keep it narrow - word wrap to no more than 72 characters because some e-mail software will otherwise cause line breaks in places you didn't intend making it look "choppy".
• Keep it concise - no one has time to read long e-mails these days. Keep articles short and "punchy".
• Include table of contents - use "grabber" lead-ins so readers can see the essence of the content with just a quick glance.
• Visually arrange content - use special characters (asterisks *, arrows, etc.) to break up the content in an attractive way.
• Use full hyperlinks - if you refer to Web pages, be sure to put the "http://" in front of any Web address.
• Include your e-mail signature - at the bottom of the e-mail.
• Text Example - click here for an example of a well designed text based e-mail newsletter.

HTML (i.e. Web)

• Have a pro design it - hire a professional Web designer to create a "template" that you can use for each edition.
• Keep it concise - no one has time to read long Web articles either (this one notwithstanding!) Keep it short and to the point.
• Make it easy to send to others - have your designer put a "Send to a friend!" field and button at the bottom where they only have to put in the e-mail address and click the button.
• Provide full contact info - each page should have complete contact and broker affiliation information --both for marketing and regulatory purposes.
• Send it so they can read it - Keep in mind that if you do send an HTML newsletter, not all e-mail software can display it. It is safest to send the link to the page rather than embedding the HTML code within the e-mail message.
• Web Example - go to http://homeownernews.com/c/sampleplus for an example of an HTML newsletter.

IMPORTANT - make sure that you always include instructions on how to "unsubscribe" from your newsletter whether text based or in Web form.

Create "Wow!" Content:

If you are going to invest in a e-mail newsletter, make sure your content reflects the needs and wants of your "target market". For example, if most of your clients and prospects are first time buyers, include information they would find useful (i.e. how to qualify for financing, Q&A on the purchase process, schools in your area, etc.). It takes a little work, but it is not that hard to find interesting content that your target market would find valuable. Keep in mind, the more general the content (i.e. non-targeted) the less the impact will be.

If you choose to create your own content, use the newsletter as an opportunity share something personal about you with your recipients in each issue. In this age of high-tech, people crave genuine human connection --which means from the heart, not the head! Lastly, employ the services of a good editor to check for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. They can also help you "tighten up" your writing so it is more concise and easy to read.

Of course, you could always use a ready-made newsletter, and there are some good ones out there. An excellent example is the one that Realty Times offers for free. Very professionally designed and written, it is a great way to get your feet wet. However, its content is not as personal or geared toward any particular target market.

IMPORTANT - always obtain written permission to use third-party content in your newsletter.

Send It Out --On A Consistent Schedule:

Probably the biggest failure of Sales Associate newsletters is that they don't discipline themselves to stick to a schedule. Whether you intend to send it out weekly (lots of work!), monthly, or quarterly, pick a schedule and stick with it like clockwork. Your recipients will come to depend upon its regular delivery.

You can greatly enhance the impact and likelihood of your newsletter being read if you personalize the e-mail that announces your newsletter's delivery. The easiest way to do this is to use e-mail merge software that puts the recipient's name right in the message or newsletter itself. WorldMerge is a good example of e-mail merge software that is very easy to use and quite inexpensive.

A well written and designed e-mail newsletter is a powerful and affordable way to maintain close contact with you clients / prospects for very little expense.  The best part is you don't have to be a media mogul, all it takes is a little planning and a touch of the SEND key!

Article Resources:

Realty Times - this is where you go to sign up for your free online newsletter that is branded with your information and updated monthly.  Well written and designed, it could be a good first step prior to creating your own highly targeted version.	WorldMerge - very affordable and easy to use e-mail merge software.  Now you can even save 25% by saying you heard about it from "Mr. Internet!"**
i-Syndicate - a great resource for newsletter content.  This service provides headline links to current articles within topic areas you choose --and it's FREE!.   May be limited to HTML (i.e. Web) based e-mail newsletters only.  Confirm use limitations with service provider before using.	Websuite.com - while technically a Web site building service (a darn good one, by the way!), it also comes with a quarterly newsletter you can use for your marketing.  Or, if you don't want to use the one they provide, they have a template that you can fill in the blanks to create your own.

** Mr. Internet, RUSSER Communications or any of its staff receive no compensation of any kind from 3rd party vendors for mentioning their products or services.  Any incentives that would have been earned are given back to you, the real estate professional.

I often hear the frustrations of agents wanting to obtain great domain names, only to complain that there are no more good ".COM" names left. This is hardly the case, but if you find yourself in a creative block trying to think of an available domain name that is short, easy to remember, and indicates what you do (the three hallmarks of a great domain name), then I have good news for you!

Easy Host is a free service that lets you put in up to four key words that it will mix and match to form various domain name possibilities. Then it checks the master domain name database to see which ones are used and which are currently available. The results can be surprising! For example, at the time of this writing I used the three key words "dallas", "realestate", and "sale" in my domain name search. Here are the results:

Names Already Taken dallas.com realestate.com sale.com dallasrealestate.com realestatedallas.com realestate-dallas.com realestatesale.com

Available domain Names dallas-realestate.com dallassale.com dallas-sale.com realestate-sale.com saledallas.com sale-dallas.com salerealestate.com sale-realestate.com

The best part of this service is that you can use them to register the domain name for no additional charge (other than Network Solutions $70 fee).  They will also host it free for you while you search for an ISP that you can move it to for your Web site and/or e-mail! (it just doesn't get any better than this!!)

So remember, if your creative juices temporarily slow to a trickle, you can use the Net to bust the logjam and get moving again!  Good luck and have great Net Success!

Related Articles:

How To Personalize Your Online Business With E-mail Merge

How To Co-Brand Your Way To Web Success!

Published: June 2, 1999

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

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Michael J. Russer (a.k.a. Mr. Internet®) is an internationally acclaimed speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry and small business. He is also the exclusive Internet columnist for REALTOR® Magazine, the architect of the revolutionary e-ProductivityTM system and leading voice for the use of Virtual Assistants in small business. You can subscribe to his free monthly leading-edge newsletter ePOWER NEWS by going to ePowerNews.com.

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