Over two years ago, a girlfriend told me that she did not want to receive postal mail from me. She said she loved my recipes and such, but she preferred contact by e-mail. So, I started an electronic newsletter using Constant Contact.
My thinking is that consumers move every five years, so at some point, my subscribers will be interested in my real estate information. But, in order to keep subscribers, I decided to develop a community newsletter. It includes a calendar of events of what’s going on in our community (plays, concerts, festivals, etc.), plus I highlight my favorite fundraisers and post information about things we can do to help our environment. It has snowballed from a short newsletter with three articles to one that is 26 pages printed (I don’t suggest that you print it).
My newsletter has become so overwhelmingly popular that friends regularly e-mail me information to include in a future issue. I make a folder and collect information, so when it’s time to put the newsletter together, I never have to look for material. One girlfriend keeps me up-to-date on the progress we are making with our city’s transit system; another friend keeps me updated on recycling issues. I always include a few recipes, and of course a few real estate updates.
You wouldn’t believe the compliments I get. Through Constant Contact, I can track who opens the e-mail, what links they’ve followed and how many times it is opened. People forward the e-mail, write me notes about it, mention it when they see me . . . and yes, I do get business out of it.
If you’d like to see what I send out, go to my web site to sign up: www.LoriCain.com. Should you decide to begin using Constant Contact for your own newsletter, please let them know I referred you – I get a referral fee.
When you see the newsletter, you’ll think I spend days on it, but really, I spend about six hours each month – I work on it when I can’t sleep at 3:00 am. [smile]
