[Mitch M]

I created a newsletter back in March and I send it out by email in pdf format. I am still trying to perfect it but it is doing at least what I was hoping it would do. And that is to keep my name in front of my clients. It helps to serve a s a reminder of different things or may even help them to decide to go ahead on a project that they may have been thinking about. I keep it down to two pages.

My question is what is the consensus of everyone if I create a subtopic with my different vendors? I call it Our Partners. I am planning on debuting it on the July issue. It basically introduces a vendor such as the electrician that I exclusively use. I then state what they do. In this case. Full electrical renovations and general service calls. I do not put any phone numbers or anything on there. It is my hope that they will call me first. however, if they do look them up in the phone book, hopefully the client will tell them why they are calling them.

I would only put the vendors on the newsletter that would refer business back to me.

 

[SLSTech]

Instead of stating what they do, have them right up a tips & tricks, or quick article on electrical safety, etc... Go ahead & put their logo & number there as they are a "Partner" (Get their buy in & who knows how they will reciprocate)

Just my .02

 

[Carport King]

Newsletter Mitch

Glad to see you use a newsletter! To profile another vendor I would have an agreement with them to offer your client a discount coupon $25.00 or more for the first visit or job.

I would put there name,address,phone,website in your newsletter and you should write a short testimonial on why you trust and use them.

Nothing wrong with working with trusted vendors but your vendors must and always treat your clients with the respect they deserve.

Keep up the good work!:clap:

 

[TxElectrician]

I call it Our Partners. I am planning on debuting it on the July issue. It basically introduces a vendor such as the electrician that I exclusively use. I then state what they do. In this case. Full electrical renovations and general service calls. I do not put any phone numbers or anything on there. It is my hope that they will call me first. however, if they do look them up in the phone book, hopefully the client will tell them why they are calling them.

I would only put the vendors on the newsletter that would refer business back to me.

I would have a hard time refering a general contractor. Several GCs use us exclusively so to recomend one over the other would not be good for business.

When I am refered to a HO by a builder I will let the HO know that I have done many jobs w/ the GC and that they do good work and hire great subs.:thumbsup:

 

[Mitch M]

In some of my previous newsletters I would quote something by one of my contractors in relation to the article that I was writing. For instance, one of the issues I was talking about trees and the need for them to be trimmed prior to a storm. I quoted the man with ABC co. I did not give his number or his contact info. First of all, I feel that I am quoting an expert. Second if they by chance they did call them, I am glad. The hope is that they will call me first but the ones who get this newsletter right now are my regular clients. I would much rather one of my vendors get a call than someone that I do not use.

My only reason for the "Partner" is to remind or introduce my clients to them. Some of them have had work done by these vendors and some have not. It is very short with their name, company and what they do. I do not really want to do anymore. The only other exposure they will have will be if they are quoted. My newsletters are more for education and a public service.It only takes me maybe about 2 hours a month to do them. I do not mail them even though I may mail some here and there in the future. I really do not have any expense involved.

 

[fez-head]

Chuck Miller from Handyman Service has some good thoughts on this and recommended that I get advertisers that are unrelated to my services. We print our FootBridge News Letter and would like to sell advertising to help defer the cost.

 

[mdshunk]

A word on email newsletters.... use something like Constant Contact or one of the other similar mass email delivery services or you'll get your domain blacklisted. It happened to me, and it's a royal pain to sort out. Yahoo is the quickest, followed by AOL and Verizon. You'll send these things out and nobody will get them. What's worse, is when you get your domain blacklisted, normal correspondence with clients who use an email provider who has blacklisted you will not go through.

Summary... DO NOT SEND OUT MASS EMAILS FROM YOUR OWN DOMAIN.

 

[Handymanservice]

Thanks Jesse,

How is that working out for you? I just sent a current newsletter to my "partners" to see how I can get them involved, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[pcplumber]

Put another vendor only if they pay for their portion.

If you can get the other contractors to pay for their portion of the ad then you would have contractors (friends) worthy of referring. Suppose, you ask your vendors to pay for a portion of your newsletter and they won't. Then, why would you advertise for them when you could use your advertising space for some special offers that benefit only you.

I don't think advertising your vendors is as interesting as offering some special offers and discounts the customer would like to read about. Write a story about jobs you did and how they changed your customer's lifestyle, or how you improved your customer's family life. Maybe a room addition brought a family closer together with family functions, or someone used one of your rooms to start a band and became famous, or used it to build a space ship. Investigate and find out how your work changes people's lives. Get people to dream about the benefits or your work.

I remember the car commercials where they kept opening and closing the car's doors. The music was very loud inside the car and when the door's were closed there was silence. Maybe, a window company could write their ad copy and tell about how quiet their windows are and how the customers can now hear things inside their home they could never hear before.

Try:

Special Discount Offer

20% off on all whater you can discount

For some reason, a 20% discount is more important to a customer than a discount with a dollar amount even when the amount is $500, or $1,000. You don't have to discount the entire job by 20%. Many of my ads say:

20% DISCOUNT ON ALL FIXTURES

This pulls in a lot of customers and I never gave a 20% discount off any fixtures because customers never buy fixtures from me. They usually buy their own, but the idea that they could get a 20% discount is attractive.

I am not a big fan for newsletters because I think the stories need a lot of value and must be interesting. I don't believe people have enough time to read more than 5% of their mail, and they will only scan the headlines. Therefore, I think brochures with the least number of word are the most effective ads.

 

[fez-head]

Thanks Jesse,

How is that working out for you? I just sent a current newsletter to my "partners" to see how I can get them involved, I'll let you know how it goes.

Chuck.

To be honest I have been putting the allotted news letter money into full page magazine ads. Giving NO DISCOUNTS only a full page "check-list" of the our Most Requested Services.

The discounts were not bringing in any more actual work.....just more price shoppers - so the $35 gift cards are our only discount given these days and those are few and far between. My targeted clientele demands quality and service and does not wait for a coupon.

 

[Mitch M]

A word on email newsletters.... use something like Constant Contact or one of the other similar mass email delivery services or you'll get your domain blacklisted. It happened to me, and it's a royal pain to sort out. Yahoo is the quickest, followed by AOL and Verizon. You'll send these things out and nobody will get them. What's worse, is when you get your domain blacklisted, normal correspondence with clients who use an email provider who has blacklisted you will not go through.

Summary... DO NOT SEND OUT MASS EMAILS FROM YOUR OWN DOMAIN.

thanks for the advise. I used mail list last month. Apparently it sends them one at a time. Based on what you said I may try and send them out from one of my other email addresses.

 

[Mitch M]

thanks guys. I really don't want to get into any kind of discounts, etc with my subs or suppliers. I am just doing a basic introduction and that is it.

However, everyone has raised some good points. Maybe I will do a separate newsletter later. I think with the advertisements though it would have to be a lot longer.