In July I switched my newsletter from a monthly issue to a weekly issue. I did this for a variety of reasons at the time, but now I am really happy with the decision, because while my total opens per newsletter have dropped, my overall readership is up on a monthly basis. The other reason I'm happy about this is because I just have too much to talk about. (Big surprise, I know.) ;-)
In the last two months I've added in video email, online training classes, a bunch of live events, a free teleseminar for anyone who forwards my newsletters to a friend, promoted my Moving Sale (which ends on Friday), and I've started doing a periodic book review. In the coming few weeks I'll be rolling out a couple of new products as well as an affiliate marketing program. If I had to promote all of these things in a monthly newsletter, it would take me almost a YEAR to get it all out there.
How has the change of timing affected my other metrics? Well, I've had a bunch of people unsubscribe. It seems that it's OK to delete a newsletter you don't read once a month, but every week is too much. And I say - GREAT!!! Thanks for helping me cull my list. I only want to talk to people who want to hear from me. So as my total number of people being sent the list is declining, my percentage of opens is on the rise and this is a very good thing.
I was visiting with Ruben Austria the other day and he had a great idea. He's got agents in all of his marketplaces (he's mortgage officer) doing a quick video market update on a weekly basis for him. They post it on their website (which is a great differentiator for them) and he links to it from his newsletters, website, and blog. It's a great win-win and an easy way to create something interesting to say to your clients and prospects. Don't know how to get video to work? No problem. The video email system that I recently added to our services can help you create a great video using only your webcam.
I know that putting out your newsletter is a pain even at once a month. But think about expanding that time to once a week. It took me ages to do it. I didn't want the extra work. But I feel like my readers are getting a better sense of who I am and are remembering me better in the long run. Yours probably will too.
Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry. Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love. For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.
Dear Loreena,
Yes, when you do a weekly newsletter, you really need to expand your topics of discussion. Simply reporting on market conditions is great every couple of months (or even every month would work). But if you want to keep your readers' attention, then you should consider including tips about home ownership, mold, home maintenance, tax laws associated with being a home owner (get your CPA to write this one and charge him/her for the great advertising it will give them), financial planning, etc.