One of the most cost-effective marketing tools available today is online newsletters. Your cost is your time. And after the first one is set up, the rest follow the same format which takes less time.

If you prefer, you can begin with offline newsletters which are just as effective. However, you do have a cost for putting a tangible product in your customers’ hands plus the cost of mailing.

Either way, newsletters can generate more business, increase brand recognition, maintain repeat business or simply offer your experience to the readers which can entice them to visit your dealership.

The first step to managing your newsletter is to assemble your list of current or potential customers. Hopefully, you have been compiling these names from trade shows, catalog requests, inquiries from your web site, phone inquiries, direct mail response cards or press release inquires.

If not, and if your budget can handle it, you can purchase names from a list rental company. These lists can be drilled down to give you only your most targeted potentials.

If you’re going the online route, make sure that you include a content management system that will make editing copy simple. A newsletter template can be designed by using your company's existing graphics or you can create your own look and feel.

There is a small technical learning curve but we guarantee it will be fun to learn. You can ask just about any college student to guide you! Or you can hire someone at dirt cheap prices from www.guru.com.

Include a feature that allows for tracking bounce back emails so you can determine which names to delete from your list. Keeping your list up-to-date is crucial to the success of your newsletter campaign.

Since the goal is to increase sales, you have to make it easy for people with busy schedules and you have to show off your products to their best effect. Here are 7 online tips for making more money from your email newsletter marketing efforts.

1. Have pictures of your products throughout the newsletter.

2. Use images that fill their space to show the details rather than being lost in the middle of a blur of background or are too small.

3. Make sure the pictures are well lit and look enticing and exciting.

4. Link the product pictures directly to the page they are available on your website so people can order immediately or learn even more about the product.

5. Have the text link associated with the product picture linking directly to the product page online so it is easy for them.

6. Let people order directly from the newsletter with Shopping Cart buttons.

7. Announce new product arrivals and special offers with direct links to them in the website so people are easily taken there and do not have to fuss with searching or navigating.

Do you still have concerns about starting an online newsletter? Are you thinking “How much of my time is this going to take up? What if I no longer have anything relevant to say? Can I keep up the quality of my newsletter over a certain length of time? How am I going to do links?” (you will be amazed at how easy this step is!)

Stop finding excuses – and just do it!

The first thing that you must remember is to always offer some interesting and useful information. Next, you will want your newsletter to remain fairly short. These days, people are inundated with emails, so they will appreciate it if you send them something that they can quickly scan and then put to good use.

Put some thought into the best possible format for your emails following our suggestions above. You will want a model that can be easily reproduced week after week. To make your job easier, you can choose any one of the following newsletter writing tips as your standard format or you can combine them, whichever. The final choice is yours.

1. Tip of the Month
Come up with tips on your main products. You could brainstorm a specific product and get enough content for at least 3 months of newsletters. When you focus on your area of expertise this should not be a problem. You will find it best to do this by (a) explaining the problem and then (b) offering a tip that will solve the problem.

2. Top Ten
This format is easy to create and it works. For example, if you are an expert in motorcycles, write an article about “The Top Ten Reasons for Owning a Motorcycle”. Be sure not to go overboard with the word length, just a few sentences for each tip will be fine.

3. Three Ways to…
Finding ten ways to do things can sometimes be a little challenging. A quick newsletter tip is to provide only three tips instead; it is much simpler and can be alternated with the “Top Ten” format.

4. Before and After
Just like the “Tip of the Month” format, this introduces a problem and then immediately provides a solution. The “before and after” format does however work better with case studies which is a great way of interacting directly with your customers. You can ask them to send in details of something in their possession that requires a makeover; such as a motorcycle with a dirty exhaust, and then you can present them with your solutions.
Or you can ask for “before and after” examples from your customers who have been able to do this themselves, and with their permission show them to your other subscribers. (If you are using text only format for your newsletter, then you can include a link to your website page which has the photos on it).

5. Checklists
Do you want your readers to learn something new? There is nothing quite like the checklist format to make sure that you do not leave out any steps along the way. Checklists can really save loads of time and your readers will appreciate getting one.

All you will need to do is write a short introductory paragraph, make your list and then close with some final tips. You can base the whole of your newsletter on the checklist format, or you can just present one on occasion as a change from the regular newsletter format.

International author Kathy Andrews has been writing about personal and professional development for over 20 years. Visit her fun site about “Shortcuts to Creating Miracles and Money in your Life” at www.miraclemarvels.com.
You can also join her membership club at www.zoneofsuccessclub.com. It is a mini FREE library of books, ecourses, self help checklists, articles on personal and professional development.

Author's Bio: 

International author Kathy Andrews has been writing about personal and professional development for over 20 years.

In the corporate world, she worked for a $3 billion public company travelling around the world helping manufacturers improve their businesses. Part of her job was to give monthly seminars at corporate and in the field. She has great skillsets and a love for this kind of work!

As an entrepreneur, she helps others live the life of their dreams. She is a certified Miracles Coach under Joe Vitale from "The Secret".

After studying with many of today's gurus, she has discovered a system called "Secret Shortcuts to Creating Miracles and Money in Your Life."