Marketing professionals often refer to the "Rule of Seven." This rule states that on average, a prospect needs to see or hear your marketing message seven times before they take action. Now, the number may vary slightly depending on your industry, but the basic truth remains the same - it is unlikely a prospect will become a customer the first time they hear your name.

Why is this? The prospect may not need your service at this time, they may not be sure of what your service is, they may be worried about the price. But the most likely reason is they are unsure of you. They are asking themselves: are you reliable, knowledgeable, trustworthy? Does your product or service perform as advertised?

So how do you reach your prospects seven times and prove yourself without wasting time, money or ticking them off? A great way to achieve this is sending a newsletter. A regular newsletter that is heavy on relevant content and light on sales messages will grab your prospects' interest and allow them time to get to know you.

Newsletters that offer the latest information in your field or tips that help the readers increase your credibility. If the information provided is useful, the reader will spend more time reading your newsletter than they would a brochure or sales letter. The readers may begin looking forward to your newsletter.

At this point you are no longer an anonymous firm selling your product or service - you are a familiar name who has provided useful information for free. They know you, like your newsletter and hopefully have come to trust you. An added bonus: according the Chicago’s Sales and Marketing Executive Report each newsletter is passed on to an average of three more readers.

What’s the down side? A badly written newsletter can do more harm than good. The worst newsletters are nothing more than sales copy reformatted into a newsletter. While it is acceptable - even necessary - to include a sales pitch in the newsletter, it must not be the main focus of the newsletter. Without useful information as the basis of your newsletter, you will annoy reader, lose subscribers and miss an opportunity to gain their trust.

Coming up with good articles for your newsletter is one of the toughest parts of producing a newsletter. The following list should get you started and help identify topics that will grab the readers’ attention while promoting your company:

New research in your field

Readers will appreciate being kept abreast of new developments in your field, plus you will be seen as someone who is knowledgeable and current. 

Tips

Tips on product selection, installation, maintenance, how to hire a professional, reminders for seasonal repairs and maintenance.

How-to-articles

Similar to tips but more in depth. Ideally the how-to article should show a reader how to solve a problem your product or service can handle. 

Case studies

A look at a how your product or service helped solve a problem for one of your customers. Be sure to focus on the problem and the results.

Legislation that affects your customers

An accountant could write about changes to tax laws. A contractor could write about building code changes.

Community affairs

Does your company sponsor an event, make a donation or participate in the community. Let your readers know.

Industry experts

Going to a trade show or conference? Interview the speaker and write up the interview as a Q & A article.

Creating a regular newsletter is not for the faint of heart. It can be time consuming and challenging coming up with fresh ideas for each issue. But the payoff in new customers and customer loyalty can make it well worth the effort.