Emailed newsletters

I am a committed convert to the value of newsletters for reinforcing a brand, for establishing a 'club' feel among recipients, for passing on useful information, and even for promoting specific services.

The key, of course, is that the receiver has to want the newsletter: otherwise it's junk mail, and then it deserves all it gets (which these days can include blacklisting).

Generic opt-in lists are ok as a start, but really you need people who specifically request your newsletter rather than those who just say they wouldn't mind if they receive stuff broadly related to some interest they think they have. (Or more likely some interest they claimed when filling in a form that inter alia entered them into a competition to win money or shampoo or a trip to Disneyworld.)

My services here include ...

designing the newsletter (HTML or text, or both)
writing it
managing the subscription list
handling the distribution
hosting a website archive of back issues if necessary

Client: Turret-RAI. Owners of trade show Electronics World Expo. (This link takes you to the archive.)

Brief: A weekly promotional newsletter that brands and supports the show. A digest of the week's news plus a joke.

Comment: There's no shortage of electronics news on the web or in print, but the digest format seems to work. The joke leavens the mix.

Client: Mundy's Property Lawyers. Small but very active conveyancing specialist.

Brief: Establish relationships with actual and potential clients, developing the value of the brand and encouraging pass-on and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Comment: A mix of news (linked to original sources) with practical information and comment on property issues from the firm's principal. No overt selling, but lots of added value. Perhaps a bit long, but easy to scan.