What is an E-Zine and Do I Need One

An e-zine, also known as an e-newsletter, is a sales tool that does not sell. It's a means to let your customers or prospects learn more about you, your product, or services. An e-zine is used to establish your brand; to develop trust and build relationships. A well-crafted newsletter provides value to the reader and engages them by providing useful information and educating them. It builds a bond, a trust that when your clients or prospects need what your company offers, they will know who to turn to. It establishes you as a leader in your field by sharing ideas and providing useful information. The answer would be — Yes, you need one.

In these times of unpredictability, business owners need to stay in touch with their customers more than before. Your customers need to know that you are there for them and ready to serve their needs. It does not matter if the entire staff is back in the office or working remotely, what’s important to you, and to them, is that you are open for business. And the best and cost-effective way to communicate that you are open for business is by email; an e-newsletter. Having a well-thought out and executed e-zine lets your customers know that you are conducting business as usual. It helps to strengthen the relationship with your customers.

Email marketing is a cost effective way to communicate with your customers. It has an open rate of 17.8% across all industries (Campaign Monitor) with a $40 ROI for every dollar spent (Smart Insights). It only makes sense that email marketing and in particular the e-newsletter form part of your marketing strategy for continuance and growth.

First Things First, You Need to be Compliant

Before we look at the mechanics of a good newsletter, you first need to determine what is the goal for the newsletter. Is the goal of your business reflected in the content of your newsletter? Are you looking to generate leads, drive traffic to your site, collect more email contacts, or to strengthen your connection with your customers.

Whatever the goal for your e-newsletter is, it needs to be legally compliant and must include in the newsletter template the following — CAN-SPAM requires that you have a footer in your email with your address and an easy way to unsubscribe from your emails if they don’t want to receive them anymore. And have GDPR a similar but more comprehensive privacy law that passed in Europe in 2018, requiring (among other things) that email marketers only send newsletters to those people who have manually opted to receive them. In other words, wherever on your website you collect email subscribers, you cannot automatically check the “opt-in” box for them if these recipients live in Europe. They must deliberately check this box themselves. (HubSpot)

The Makings of an E-newsletter

Your recipients opted-in to receive emails from you — great. They have expressed an interest in hearing from you — even better. The look and readability of your e-newsletter is very important. Remember, it is an extension of your brand and you will need to give a lot of thought to the design and content.

Eight Points to Keep in Mind

1. Decide on a layout that looks clean and is easy to read. The design needs to be mobile friendly too. It should be easy for your subscribers to read and click on links embedded in the text and graphics.

2. Provide content that’s informative. The goal for your newsletter and your line of business will determine the content. Keep the content short, informative, and engaging. Also provide links to encourage click-throughs to your website, blog, or to a call-to-action.

3. Include images to enhance your content. But don’t clutter the design.

4. Pay special attention to your subject line. It is the key that will open the door to your e-newsletter. It needs to relate to the content and entice the subscriber to open it.

5. Once the content has been written, you have a click-worthy subject line, and the images are in place, it’s time to proofread your newsletter. You will need to go through your content looking for misspellings, grammar and punctuation faux pas. Finding mistakes in your newsletter after it is sent can lead your subscribers to think you are careless; that your company is not reliable. It can raise doubts about how your company operates.

6. Personalize the newsletter every chance you can. By addressing your subscriber by name in the newsletter and by tailoring the information to their interests.

7. Keep in touch on a regular basis. They expect to hear from you and will want to read what you have to say. Each time that you send an e-newsletter, make sure you are adding value to their day.

8. If you are looking to grow your mailing list, you can market your e-zine as a stand-alone piece. By marketing it as an informative vehicle, you are positioning your brand as the expert in your field.

Email is Not Going Away

Email has been around since the internet began, it’s not going away any time soon. It is expected that by 2022 it will increase to over 347.3 billion daily emails (Statita). The potential to reach your target market, communicate with them and increase your profit margins are endless with a strong, well-executed email marketing campaign that includes an e-newsletter tailored to their interests. Business owners who know the importance of an informative e-zine and the potential it has to add to the bottom-line place email marketing at the core of their company’s marketing strategy.

Open the lines of communication with your customers and enter into a conversation with them through your e-newsletter.

If you would like to work with a professional copywriter, one whose background is in sales and marketing, contact me at info@miamiwritingservices.com for a complimentary consultation.

Let’s Not Forget the Nonprofits, They Need Our Support Too

In the past few months, the news outlets have been reporting the impact the pandemic is having on our economy. In our lives. Businesses, of all sizes, have had to restructure their business model to stay solvent; some have shifted to working remotely — when possible; others just closed. Restaurants have had to close their indoor dining and offer only takeout in an effort to stay in the black. Overnight, thousands of people found themselves unemployed because of the shutdown.

Since March, all of our lives have been upended and collectively we are looking for signs of normalcy. As of August 31, Miami-Dade moved to Phase 2 of the reopening plan. With restrictions, more establishments are opening and more people are returning to work. Restaurants can welcome patrons to dine indoors. If we all do our part, we can continue on the road to what will be our new normal.

But what have you heard about the charitable nonprofits; how are they surviving during these unprecedented times? The news media have not reported on how these organizations are weathering the pandemic. These essential organizations rely on the generosity of corporations and their supporters to provide the services and resources that define them. How are they holding up when so many corporations have had to scale back or halt their philanthropic programs? Where are they getting the much-needed funds to continue providing their services and render aid when large, in-person fundraising events are not possible for now?

Did you know that there are over 9,000, between private foundations and public, charities in Miami-Dade alone of varying sizes and name recognition? These charitable organizations give back to their communities by providing and filling a need with their services. They also contribute to the financial wellbeing of their communities by paying functional expenses and other resource programs necessary to advance the organization. It is the small charitable nonprofits that are being impacted the hardest.

To bring this 9,000 number to a relatable level, I’ll share with you an example of a small local foundation The Gloria M. Silverio Foundation, 501 (c)3, A Safe Haven for Newborns. As a volunteer for the past ten years, I see how Nick Silverio, the founder, works to make sure the Foundation is there for anyone who needs their services — 24/7; 365 days, reaching all 67 Florida counties.

Safe Haven was created 20-years ago in response to the Safe Haven Law that Florida had passed to fill the void. There was no program in place where these young, scared girls could turn to for help prior to giving birth. And, in a state of panic and believing they have no other recourse, would abandon their newborn in unsafe places; more often than not, culminating in the infant’s demise. Safe Haven’s mission is to assist pregnant girls and women in crisis and to save the newborn from the dangers of abandonment. They do this through education, prevention, and community involvement. More often than not, Safe Haven is the only lifeline these young girls have.

We don’t hear about the struggles these charitable organizations experience during this pandemic to fund the many programs they offer being mentioned in the press. But, just like any other business they need to meet their financial responsibilities. Safe Haven’s primary source of garnering funds comes from the three annual events they host. All three had to be postponed this year — the 5K walk/run, the golf tournament, and the gala. Among these three events, and the generosity of the sponsors and supporters, Safe Haven gathers the funds to provide the expectant mothers with the much needed support to make the decision that is right for her and her unborn child. Safe Haven has partnered with local agencies across the state to refer the expectant mother for services. Some of the resource partners include health related agencies, temporary shelters, counseling, parenting, adoption, and confidentially placing a newborn at a safe haven location.

To date, Safe Haven has welcomed 327 newborns who are now living in loving homes and reaching for their dreams. Five of those newborns were born between March and August — during the pandemic. You see, Nick didn’t close the office or stopped going, he continued working, even harder, to make sure that if Safe Haven’s services were needed they were there. A life depended on them being opened.

So why am I telling you all this? Simple. Yes, we need to support our local restaurants, shops, and businesses but let’s not forget our local charities. I spoke to you about the one that is close to my heart. I am sure that you have one; or two. Don’t forget them they need our help now more then before. There are many ways that we can help our favorite charity. The first that comes to mind is a monetary donation. But there are other ways, spread the word on your social media channels, give an in-kind donation, and the most valuable of all — your time. Find a charity that resonates with you and get involved. You’ll get more back then the time you give.

With Safe Haven, all monies donated are used to fund the various programs it offers. The Foundation has only one salaried employee the rest of us are all volunteers, including Nick.

If you would like to learn more about A Safe Haven for Newborns, please visit them at www.asafehavenfornewborns.com. Or, reach out to me at Info@MiamiWritingServices.com.

Are You Happy with Your Website

Are you getting more visitors to your website, but not converting them to paying customers? Are they bouncing off to your competitor’s site? Are the visitors to your Web page able to find the information easily? If not, maybe it is time you looked at your Web page through the eyes of your customer or first-time visitor and see what they see — or not see.

Did you know that, “Between 70-80% of people research a company online before visiting the small business or making a purchase.” (Blue Corona) When was the last time you updated your Web page? If the answer is “I don’t remember,” then it could be time you took a moment to see how it is performing. Your Web page is a living entity that needs to be kept current. It is your company’s image for the entire world to see; and yet, some people forget to update it and refresh its content regularly. Your website, more often than not, is the first point of contact people have with you and your business.

Picture your website as your 24/7 office or storefront ready to greet your visitors and convert them to clients. The moment your page loads, the visitor forms an opinion based on what they see and read. However, if your website is difficult to navigate, or the information is not current, the visitor will click out of your site and onto your competitor’s.

Your Web page needs to have a clear purpose, message; it needs to flow, be easy to navigate, and be aesthetically pleasing. It needs to position your company as the leader in your industry and build trust and confidence. Your website needs to reflect your company’s values and philosophy; a reflection of you. It needs to do its job — convert visitors to paying customers.

Having a website that conveys your message, supports your digital marketing, and complements your other marketing efforts takes a little work and planning, but the rewards are limitless. The content on your Web site needs to depict your product or service accurately and be easy to navigate. The message needs to motivate you to do business. It needs to be clear and flow smoothly; and equally important, it needs to be free from grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Having grammatical errors undermines your reputation and professionalism. It could also raise the question of what other inaccuracies there could be.

“In 2018, 52.2% of all worldwide online traffic was generated through mobile phones, up from 50.3% in the previous year.” (Statista, 2018) What does this mean, it means that your Web page needs to be optimized for mobile and tablet use. A recent study showed that, “57% of all U.S. online traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets.” (BrightEdge, 2018)

In conclusion, does your site meet your business objectives? Is it user friendly? If not, don’t you think it’s time it did?

To discuss how you can refresh your Web page and have it work for you, send me an email to info@miamiwritingservices.com. Include your Web address so I can visit your site before we meet. I will work with you to help you reach your goals.