Lately, I’ve been hearing from lots of people who have pre-existing newsletter templates. They already have an email design they like, but aren’t sure how to make the template email-compatible.

This is actually something we’ve always offered… I just don’t do a very good job of publicizing it. So, if you already have a template, but want to make sure it’s email-compatible, take a look at how we can help in today’s “How We Can Help Section.”

And, if you, too, get requests from people wondering if you “might” be able to help them with something that is actually *exactly* what you can help them with, keep reading to see how you might better publicize it, too!

Enjoy today’s issue,

Jessica

Use Your Newsletter to Show What You Do

Whether you provide copywriting services for astrophysicists, custom-built cabinets for home owners, printing services for big companies, or widgets for whatchamawhosies, you’re doing something dangerous.

You’re leaving it up to your clients to figure out how they can avail themselves of what you do.

For instance, if you build custom cabinets, all of your clients probably know they can hire you to build their kitchen cabinets. But, it may never dawn on them that you could build a custom desk and storage system for their home office. They may never realize you could build an entertainment unit that would make the most of their fireplace *and* disguise that awkward corner space they can’t quite get looking right.

In other words, your clients aren’t sitting around brainstorming ways to hire you.

Intellectually, you know this. But, I’m willing to bet some part of you still says, “If Client A needs custom cabinets for her office, of course she’ll call me. She loves the cabinets I built for her kitchen.”

And that part of you is wrong.

It’s not that your clients don’t want to work with you again, it’s that they don’t fully understand all of the wonderful things you can do for them. But, just because they don’t understand this yet doesn’t mean you can’t get the wheels turning for them–resulting in more business and more opportunities to work with the clients you already love.

How can you use your newsletter to invite your clients to consider how else you might help them? These are my three favorite approaches:

1. Tell them.

When you find yourself in a situation like I did–where you receive a lot of similar requests over the course of a week or two for a service you do offer, that people don’t realize you offer–mention it in your newsletter. Simply tell your readers that you’ve had many requests for this service and you wanted to let them know that you can indeed help them with that specific problem.

You can run an ad or mention it in your editor’s letter. (In this case, I did both because I wanted to give you both examples for your own newsletter.) You can also add it to your bio, if you run one, or your list of services.

2. Run a case study.

If you have customers already taking advantage of this product or service, interview one of them for a case study. Be clear about what the case study is about (“How We Helped Marge Get Her Office Organized with Custom Cabinets”), but keep the study focused specifically on the client. In other words, make it more of a human interest piece than a product review, if you can.

Case studies make great, time-saving newsletter content because you can run them in lieu of a regular article. That means you’re all but done after the 15 minute interview. Not only are they quick, but, done right, they’re popular with readers as well.

3. Write an FAQ.
Say you’ve decided you want to build up more business building cabinets for home offices, but, up until now, you’ve mostly built kitchen cabinets so you don’t really have any happy customers for case studies. Call up a few of your customers who love your kitchen cabinets and, after telling them you also offer office cabinets, ask them what questions they have about this service. You might find out, for instance, that people are really concerned about how long it takes to build cabinets for the office. Or, maybe they wonder about the ergonomics and how you can make sure their office space is comfortable.

Once you have a long list of questions (and, likely, a list of clients interested in your new service!), start answering those questions in your newsletter. Just like with the case study, make this into real newsletter content, not an ad. You’ll want to steer clear of the typical style for FAQs and make your answers meaty and reader-centric. Really dig in and provide answers that aren’t heavy on hype, but instead offer advice your readers will feel good about filing for future reference.
When you do the brainstorming for your clients, you’ll be delighted with the way new opportunities to work with current clients arise. And, since you’re already publishing a newsletter, this is a great place to advise clients about all of the ways you can support them.

What are your favorite ways to remind clients of services you offer? I’d love to hear them!