Services: Blogs & e-Newsletters

Blogs and e-newsletters are great ways to stay in touch with current customers and entice new people to contact you.

Why blog?

People who find your blog interesting will explore your website, and might also buy your services. Also, blogs are read by search engines as well as people. When your blog links to your website, that helps raise your placement in the search engine result pages.

Why send an e-newsletter?

e-Newsletters keep your name and company fresh in the minds of current customers — who often will buy more from you than a new customer. e-Newsletters also encourage prospects to become customers. When the content is useful or amusing, people forward them to their friends.

Creating a blog or e-newsletter

If you feel intimidated by the technology side of creating a blog or e-newsletter, you’re not alone. Several programs and websites offer templates, which make it easier to do this yourself. Several that we recommend are:

Blogs: Wordpress
Blogs: Blogger & Blogspot (Google)
e-News: Constant Contact
e-News: AWeber

We can also set up your blog or e-newsletter for you in a style that matches your website.

Cost: $85 per hour

Writing content for your blog or e-newsletter

Content is king! Coming up with content ideas every day or week or month can be a daunting challenge, even for people who love to write. Here are some cures for writer’s block:

Republish other people’s articles. The Web has directories of free articles. Choose pieces your customers would find useful. Make sure you have permission to reprint, and don’t violate an author’s copyright!
Link to other people’s articles. This is a great strategy for copyrighted pieces, and provides a good resource for your clients.
What kinds of free advice do people ask you for? Provide short answers and tips.
Call your favorite clients and ask what is driving them batty this month. Chances are, your thoughts on that issue could be useful for all your readers.
Reach out to colleagues for related content. A building contractor could feature electrical issues in January, plumbing challenges in February, and so on.
Hire a ghostwriter. See our copywriting and editing services.

Remember to keep it short! Everyone’s time is overcommitted. People are more likely to read short pieces than long ones. You can always expand on the topic on your website.