In praise of new content

Posted on August 4th by admin

I think one of the hardest of things about being a part time blogger is coming up with new content all the time.  And not only new content but relevant as well. I’ve been browsing a few of my favourite blogs this morning and I stand in awe at the new ’stuff’ they keep coming up with. How do they do it?

One of my favourites is www.girlwithasatchel.com. She posts reviews and insights into the glossy world of magazines and generally keeps her finger on the pulse of covers, stories and what celebrities are appearing where.

Another blog I like to check out occaisionally for a bit of common sense about living, is www.down—to—earth.blogspot.com.  This is a fabulous blog about simple living with homestyle recipes, hints for saving and generally getting things done for yourself.  A little bit inspiring!  Makes me want to bake bread everyday (until I hear the alarm go off too early and hit snooze).

So in pondering the secrets of these two succesful bloggers, I’ve come to a conclusion. There needs to be a real theme about your blog, otherwise coming up with new content is a struggle and simply ends up being a string of random throughts. Erica (girlwithasatchel) has a constant stream of new word fodder – the global glossies coming out every other day of the week. Rhonda at down–to–earth is living her ethos of simplicity and every day is a source of something new to write about.

So as a part time blogger – this is where the rubber hits the road.  Time to breakaway from the random musings and to pick up a more concrete theme.

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I’ll let you know when I come up with one!

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May QualDATA newsletter out

Posted on May 20th by admin

The QualDATA May newsletter is out. Have a read. There is an interesting response to the sudden closure of Land & Water Australia at the end of June this year.

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Trying Twitter

Posted on April 9th by admin

Ok – so there has been a lot of press lately on Twitter and it seems that its use is growing at a phenomenal rate. I’m actually more of a Facebook user, however, I have decided that it’s time to give Twitter a whirl.  So many global happenings are being broadcast on Twitter that it seems that if you’re not plugged in – you’re going to miss out. It almost makes other news internet sites eg news.com.au look like old news.  And where does that leave the newspapers!? In my opinion it’s like reality TV on steroids.

Why is it so important to know what’s going on the instant it happens?  How is this changing the face of PR? Even evaluation in general? I know that there are many words being written on this and I’m keen to find out more.

I’ve been resisting the lure to ‘tweet’ but I’m going to take the plunge and see what I can learn.  I’ll let you know how I go.

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Email newsletters – friend or foe

Posted on February 17th by admin

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Each month I put together an e-newsletter for QualDATA.  It was started last August (2008) which means that in February 2009 we are now up to issue number 9.

I know that there is a mentality amongst some that e-newsletters are SPAM. I’m certainly no advocate of email spam – I get enough of it myself – BUT I’d like to think that e-newsletters can be the source of valuable information.  I know that I have actually subscribed to e-newsletters (to my own surprise) – as a way of keeping information coming in from credible sources without spending hours looking it up on the net.

The comforting thought is that you can easily unsubscribe from credible newsletters when you find them of no further value.  It’s the unsolicited emails that are the cause my greatest inbox grief.  I have this one recurring e-newsletter that just won’t stop even though I’ve unsubscribed at least 10 times! This company certainly doesn’t have my goodwill.

This month I’m on a real hunt to work out what makes an e-newsletter work and what is needed to keep it looking and reading fresh. My goal is to make the e-newsletters I put together as useful and as interesting to the end-user as possible. Basically to make the e-newsletter a friend not a foe.

I thought I would put together a top five list of pieces of advice that I’ve found most useful.

  1. Offer high value and fresh content – This means thinking outside the box of the mechanics of your profession and writing about current issues and events with your slant on things i.e show your expertise and passion. Also writing personal anecdotes about experiences you’ve had in the day to day running of your business wouldn’t go astray.  I know that I like to read the ‘light’ stories.  What about interviews with leaders in your field?  What do your readers want to know about?  Think of it as a magazine.
  2. Send to the right people – Sounds basic, but is very true.  If your email lists aren’t targeted, then your information is getting lost and you are more likely than not annoying people.  It’s also worth thinking about segmenting your email list.  Those who are interested in one aspect of your business may not be interested in another.  Maybe two versions is the way to go?
  3. Be consistent and keep to a schedule – almost every article I read underlines the importance of being consistent with e-newsletters and continuing to send them out to a schedule – be it weekly, monthly, quarterly etc.  Be committed!  I tell my clients that e-newsletters are about being top of mind and establishing them as experts in their field. Keep sending out the gems of information and you will start to see results. As e-newsletter expert Michael Katz says on the Constant Contact website – Think of publishing a newsletter like exercising. It only works if you keep doing it.
  4. Keep the layout simple – If it’s too complex, people won’t bother reading.  If it takes more than 3 seconds to take the overall content in, then it’s too complex.  I know that if I have to think too hard, I don’t bother with emails. Headings need to be short and easy to read, links need to be clear and correctly linked (obvious but annoying if they don’t work!) and the layout needs to be clean not cluttered.
  5. Be polite - By this I mean let your recipients know why they are receiving your newsletter and always give them the opportunity to opt out (unsubscribe) if they wish.  You can do this in a caveat down the bottom of the email, it should be easy to find and no more than a point and click function. The last thing you want to do is to create any negative feelings about your business amongst your contacts through unsolicited contact.

Of course there are many more aspects to e-newsletters to think about – this is just a small selection of advice that I’ve found useful.  Below are some links to sites that have some great information.  Any more tips are always welcome! Feel free to leave a comment.

The Wealthy Freelancer: 5 Tips for Developing an e-newsletter that makes the phone ring

Constant contact: E-newsletter advice from an expert

Newsweaver: Email Marketing knowledge bank

Urban Route: Tips and Tricks for how to develop your own email newsletter

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