Next to your website, your ezine and mailing list are the most important tools you’ll have for reaching your audience.

There was a time when a blog was the way to go. You would build your site, start writing a blog and people would come and leave their thoughts in the comment section. Now a majority of the discussion happens on Facebook or Twitter, and people are gravitating toward signing up for an ezine that delivers so much more than a blog could.

Instead of the masses coming to you, you’re going to the masses in a much more personal manner. An ezine allows you to consistently stay in touch with your people and keeps you right at the forefront of their minds.

It’s not unusual to hear a new client say they’ve been on your mailing list for years, that they’ve read each one, and only until this very moment realized they needed your services. And why? Because you were right there, each week with a gentle reminder of what you could do for them.

More Than An Email

Ezines, also  known as “newsletters”, have come a long way in the last couple of years. A good ezine isn’t one you create in Gmail and send off to everyone on your contact list. Not only is it intrusive, it’s also very amateur.

Rather, an ezine is carefully constructed from key components much like you would your website. Included are such things as a colorful header with your business name, a small table of contents, a personal greeting from you to your readers, testimonials, helpful tips and an article or two, just to name a few.

But above all this an ezine adds value to your subscribers’ lives. Although parts of the ezine will tell your subscribers what’s going on in your life from a personal standpoint, in the end, the ezine is all about the readers. Promotion is good, but only if it adds some value. Articles and tips all have to be things that will help your readers get through their busy days.

Before You Start

Ready to get started on that ezine? Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? It sure is. The first issue is always the most labor intensive…and possibly the next two or three as well. That’s not a bad thing. With each early issue you’ll be figuring out what works best for you in terms of layout and content. So don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time.

Here are a few things to consider before you start:

• Frequency: How often are you going to send out your ezine? Every week? A couple times a month? The main thing to remember about frequency is no matter what you decide on, stick to it.
• Choose a Day: Pick what day you’ll send your ezine.
• Plain Text vs. HTML: What’s the difference? Plain text is exactly that, no fancy pictures, no embellishments, just a straight text email. Boring…perhaps, but not every email client allows HTML emails.  What is HTML? This is a very basic code for creating websites. People used this before CSS came along and allowed for much more flexibility with design. An HTML ezine will allow you to use images and other embellishments within the ezine and customize it in a way that reflects your business. Most mailer clients will allow you to mail out both options and also give your subscribers a choice how they want to receive them.
• Pick a Mailer Client: AWeber, Constant Contact,  and Mail Chimp are the most popular ones.
• Design Your Ezine: This includes the images in the template and how you want your content arranged. Sometimes this is best done with paper and pencil first, by either drawing a simple table or making an outline listing the various elements in order.

Elements? What Elements?

Every successful ezine follows a specific pattern. Like a website, there are certain components arranged in a certain order people are used to seeing. The moment you deviate from that pattern too much, the reading experience becomes unsettling.

What are those elements and where do they go? Here’s a quick list in order from the top of the page to the bottom:

• A simple header (banner)
• Index area: Contains a personalized greeting (Use your mail client’s code for inserting an individual’s first name, don’t just let it say “Hello [NAME]“), a listing of the contents for that issue and a link for new subscribers in case the ezine is forwarded to a friend.
• The Personal Note: This is a little note from you to your readers with a few thoughts from you personally, along with any upcoming news.
• Pictures!: Sprinkle a few nice images throughout each of your sections to help illustrate your notes and articles.
• Testimonials/Success Stories: Include testimonials from clients and have them talk about their success stories. This is a good way to give a little back to your clients as well by offering some free advertising.
• Featured Article: An article written by you that adds more value for your readers. It could be inspirational or informative.
• Attribution Box: A little bit of information for those readers who may want to include your article in their blog or ezine.
• About Section: Brief description of you and your company.
• Contact Info: How people can get in touch with you, follow you on social networks, or find your website.
• Copyright info
• Unsubscribe Link

Creating your ezine is a lot of fun once you get rolling. Mailer clients make it very easy for you to get started with something simple and expandable as you grow and as you become more proficient with creating ezines, you’ll be able to add your own personal touches to your template. But if you want some professional help? You can always call us.

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