Ten sessions focus on simplifying the process of enewsletter production for businesses

NORTHAMPTON—Dee Dice, the owner of the marketing and consulting business Constant Growth, will offer a workshop series on enewsletter production, Wednesdays from Feb. 14 through April 24, from noon to 1:30 p.m., via Zoom.

“From Concept to Inbox” is for business owners who have dabbled with distributing enewsletters and want better results in less time. Participants will learn to enhance the readability, effectiveness, production time and engagement of their communications. Checklists and templates will be provided. 

Each week will focus on a specific topic, technical aspects, hands-on activities, demonstrations, and Q&A sessions to ensure participants can apply the new concepts and technology to their email newsletter.

Dee is an experienced small business consultant who excels at entrepreneurship, strategic and vision planning, budget development and community relations and is a Certified Solutions Provider for Constant Contact, the email marketing platform.

She is a consultant with the Hilltown Community Development Corporation and formerly was the small business director for Valley Community Development. She also has worked as a business advisor for the Center for Women and Enterprise and Small Business Strong, and she serves these organizations that provide free business consulting: Hilltown Community Development Center, Center for Women and Enterprise, Small Business Strong and Sphere Northampton.

To register or learn more, email Dice at dd@constant-growth.com.

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There are many ways to raise the visibility of your business or nonprofit. One solid idea is to launch and regularly distribute an eblast—like this one—to engage with your prospects and position yourself as a thought leader.

You can send eblasts whenever you have news—and time—whether that’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Offer tips and resources from your industry, promote the work you do for clients, link to blogs and other content on your website, and generally make clear what sets you apart. 

Here are some suggestions for creating eblast content that will get noticed:

Choose topics that interest your audience. If you’re a dentist, offer the latest on hygiene and tooth health; maybe there’s a cool new electric toothbrush out there you could feature. If you’re a cabinet maker, showcase that gorgeous kitchen you just renovated, offering a brief narrative on the scope of the project illustrated with photos from the job site; pair that piece with a story on how home renovation increases property value. Think about the kinds of questions your clients ask you and answer them with stories in your eblast. Clients and prospects alike will thank you for the education and information, and it may inspire them to reach out for an appointment or an estimate. 

Write snappy subject lines that are informational—not just showy. Stay away from subject lines like “Best deal of the day” or “You have to open this email.” Instead, focus on what your clients and prospects want to know or information that might intrigue them. A massage therapist might dream up a subject line that says, “Massage helps promote good sleep patterns,” for instance. Again, think about the problems you help clients solve and offer information that will get your prospects thinking about how you might be able to help them, too. 

Simplicity is key in keeping readers’ attention. It can be tempting to go on and on about topics you know a lot about, using everything from detailed quotes to bibliographies. You are sure to lose readers that way. Keep your enewsletter items within a 100 to 150 word count. If there are longer messages you want to share, link to that content on your website; doing so will help drive traffic to your site. 

Divide your content into distinct sections. Offer three or four separate items in your newsletter, such as a main story, a sidebar offering a tip of the week or month, maybe a bulleted list on “Top five things you need to know about …” and a client story. Keep each piece short and sweet, and you will raise awareness, education, and interest. 

Before you hit the Send button, give your content a careful read. This is a critical step. Your newsletter is a representation of you and your professionalism, so it should be polished and well-executed. Once your enewsletter seems complete, set it aside for 24 hours and look at it the next day with what we call “fresh eyes.” You are likely to then see mistakes you may have glossed over.

Make good use of an eblast to keep the conversation of your programs, services, and successes going!

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