Get More Clients by Creating an Effective E-Newsletter!
I have found that one of the most effective ways to stay in touch with clients, former clients, and potential clients, as well as nurture them, is my eNewsletter. I send it out twice a month, and it has been getting great open rates! If you don’t have an eNewsletter, I would strongly advise you to do so.
Why Have One?
People do business with people that they know, like, and trust. So the goal of the newsletter is to get them to do those three things. Your content doesn’t have to be consistently revolutionary; it just needs to move you from “lawyer” to “likable person” in your audience’s mind.
As to your content, you need to bear in mind the true purpose for doing this. You need to understand that none of your clients, former clients, or potential clients are opening your eNewsletter in order to find the Top Five Defenses to your DUI charge. The exception to this is if you have practice areas that involve ongoing representation, like business, tax or estate planning. Just get them to know you, like you, and trust you.
But how do you do it? How do you find the time to produce it, and what do you do for content? Well, I have a few ideas.
A Simple Three Step System
STEP ONE Writer’s block is one of the biggest hurdles to consistently producing an eNewsletter. Completely reinventing the wheel for each issue is time consuming and unnecessary. To avoid this, I put together a standardized content selection list. For my newsletter, I aim to put in content like:
- Clever life hacks
- The latest news in personal finance (I’m a bankruptcy attorney)
- Interesting drink recipes
- Interesting food recipes
- What’s being celebrated the day the issue comes out (from www.DaysoftheYear.com)
- Holiday decorating ideas
- Holiday cooking ideas
You could come up with your own list of things, like a local news story, a recommendations section of books, podcasts, movies, and places to visit, or a positive review of a local business. The possibilities are endless. Try brainstorming a list with your team.
STEP TWO Create a system. You know I’m all about creating systems and workflows that make everything you do simpler and more efficient. The same goes for your eNewsletter. Mine comes out twice a month on the first and third Friday. I block out a little bit of time each day to do the tasks necessary to get it out the door. In this way, it integrates smoothly into everything else I do.
There should be consistency in your eNewsletter, so create a template with a standardized layout. Many e-mail platforms like Constant Contact and MailChimp have templates you can create. This can also be used to prompt you for ideas if there are different sections for different types of content.
To keep busy weeks from derailing your consistency, you should have an articles bank where you can pull content when you need it. You should also enlist the help of your team when creating content. You will find that some of them will love creating for the newsletter. It gives them a creative outlet and makes them feel like they are a part of the business and its marketing. It has the added benefit of keeping the newsletter from being “all about you.”
But if you are going to have input from your team, you will need to create a process for securing article submissions, so there is consistency. This should include, among other things:
- Clearly delineated submission deadlines
- A follow up process to make sure they meet it
- A simple, one page document for team members that outlines expectations and formatting requirements
STEP THREE Once all of this is set up and running to your satisfaction, delegate. If you can, hand off the system and the ownership to someone else. You get it all started, then show someone else how it’s done. Then you hand it off and get out of their way!
Follow these three steps, and you should be well on your way to having an effective eNewsletter that goes out to clients, former clients, and potential clients, with consistency, and in a way that will get them to know, like, and trust you, and then, hopefully, retain you!
Want More?
Was this helpful? Intriguing? Thought provoking? Well, there’s more where that came from! You can get great business and professional practice tips in your inbox every week by subscribing to my newsletter! You’ll get actionable, bite-sized tips every Friday to help you make more money by spending less time and providing better legal services!
Want even more? You can avail yourself of the many resources I provide free of charge. Whether it be my newsletter, my posts on LinkedIn, my videos, or my web site, you will find useful, actionable information and tools for being more successful.
Want Help?
I have been putting out an eNewsletter for my practice for a decade! I have also read lots of newsletters from other firms and businesses. If you need help getting started, click here to schedule a call to talk about it. There’s no obligation.
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