Should you create a newsletter?

One thing that it seems everyone wants to know at the moment is whether they should create a newsletter for their business, so here are my pros and cons:

Pros

• Newsletters are great if you prepare for them. What I mean by that is if you plan to send out one a month (so 12 a year), write enough content for 12 newsletters in advance so that you don't have to think about what to write each month.
• Newsletters are also great if you are clear about what you want from them. Don't expect newsletters to automatically get you new customers - that comes later. Newsletters are best if you want to keep in front of people and build your credibility.
• If you're not sure where to begin - get some help. We work with lots of small business owners setting them up a template and even writing articles for a year's worth of newsletters. We can even send it out too, so there are people around who can help you.

Cons

• Newsletters can take a lot of time to do. I see a lot of small businesses putting their heart and soul into creating one newsletter only to realise that it takes so much time that they haven't got the energy to do another one - preparing in advance (see above) can really help with this.
• Technology can really put people off creating a new newsletter - they think it's far harder than it is. To create your first one, it's best to create it in Word and then copy and paste the whole thing into Outlook (or whatever package you're using to send out your emails). Learn how to set up a distribution list (click on help in your email package) and then send it out. I'll be going through this in more detail shortly so watch this space.
• Newsletters require dedication - if you hate writing and have absolutely no time to dedicate to writing one, it's probably not for you.

If you decide to create a newsletter, great and good luck. But remember it's only with the dedication of writing and sending it out that you will see results from it, so make that commitment too.