How to market your product with an e-newsletter

Publishing your own e-newsletter is important for two reasons. First, it helps you keep in touch with your current customers and prospects - at virtually zero cost. A customer forgotten is a customer lost.Second, publishing an e-newsletter will help you capture e-mail addresses for your future marketing efforts. Anyone who takes the time to subscribe to your newsletter has more than a passing curiosity in what you're offering. Before you hit the send button, you need to answer a few basic questions.Question #1: What is your ultimate goal?Is your e-newsletter strictly a marketing vehicle for your product? Believe it or not, many people use an e-newsletter to provide information about a topic that is close to their hearts. How will you measure your goal? More sales? Higher opt-in rate? More media coverage? Whichever direction you choose, make sure you stay consistent. You wouldn't want to heavily promote your products one month and then write a personal story the next. At best you'll annoy your subscribers.Question #2: To whom will you be delivering?Not only do you need to set a goal for your publication, you also must decide who will read your news and why. As you research your newsletter topics, imagine your ideal reader. What are they interested in and why? What will a typical reader gain from this information? What is it about your products that appeals to your target audience? Defining your audience helps you define your content.It also helps you not to become overwhelmed by too much information. By focusing your topics to a specific audience, your research and writing efforts will be much more streamlined.Question #3: How will you reach your audience?You need to fully understand that your readers will expect something from you on a consistent basis. It's useless to set a publication goal only to let your subscriber base stagnate. Once you set your goal, you need to take the steps necessary to meet it. The next section outlines the steps you can take to start your e-newsletter off on the right foot.Question #4: Do you want extra income with your newsletter?Eventually, writing your newsletter and maintaining your e-mail lists will cut into your 'income' time. So, it's natural to think that you can charge for your e-newsletter. If you think moving to paying subscribers is the right choice, consider these options to get started.1. Charge a nominal, yearly fee - say in the $8 - $12 range. Throughout the subscription period, send free, unexpected bonus material. You're trying to create value in your subscribers' minds.2. Charge a high fee - $29 or more per year. This will cut your subscriber base but those who hang on will be more valuable in the long run. The benefit of this option is that you will have less e-mail maintenance headaches. The draw back is that you could lose your entire subscriber base.