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Excess Voice Newsletter
April 2007, Issue # 128
In this issue:
>> Intro: Thanks for the book suggestions
>> Review: MarketingSherpa Ecommerce Benchmark Guide 2007
>> Article: Where to find content for your e-newsletters, and how to use it.
>> Survey: Which industry segment do you know best?
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Greetings,
First, thank you to everyone who sent in their book recommendations in response to the last issue’s survey.
I now have a long list of recommended reading and hope, over the next week or so, to get the list published on the Excess Voice site. I’ll let you know when it’s uploaded.
In this issue we have a review of MarketingSherpa’s latest and humungous ecommerce benchmark guide, and an article on sourcing content for newsletters.
As always, please take a moment to respond to the survey question.
Until next time,
Nick
Nick Usborne
Newsletter: http://www.excessvoice.com
Copywriting and consulting: http://www.nickusborne.com
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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REVIEW: The MarketingSherpa Ecommerce Benchmark Guide 2007
While other companies and organizations also publish ecommerce metrics, I don’t think anyone does it with the breadth and scope achieved by MarketingSherpa.
This 2007 guide is truly a benchmark, and packed with charts, tables and heatmaps which all provide us with clues and insights on how to improve our own sites.
Highly recommended for any company seeking to optimize conversions and revenues from its web site.
Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/ecommerce2007.htm
Previous Reviews:
#1. The Freelance Copywriter Fee & Compensation Survey, Volume 2.
This is the second volume of this survey, fully up to date, and with a lot more information on what to charge for 40 different types of freelance copywriting work, how to find new assignments, and more.
Read my review...
http://www.excessvoice.com/copywriting-fees-survey.htm
#2. Michael Masterson's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting
This is the only copywriting course I wholeheartedly recommend to any copywriter who wants to write copy that drives results.
Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/michael-masterson.htm
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ARTICLE: Where to find content for your e-newsletters, and how to use it.
I’m working on putting together the slides for a webinar on this topic right now, and am amazed by the number of places you can find content for your newsletter.
Some of it takes the form of free articles.
Some of it you pay for, and can request any kind of content you like.
One way or another, whatever your industry and the focus of your e-newsletter, there are plenty of places to get good content for every issue you send.
>> Why would you look outside your company e-newsletter content?
That’s a reasonable question.
In fact, as you’ll find out later in this article, I think one can often find more than enough original content within your own company.
But the last time I did a webinar on the topic of e-newsletter, a lot of people attending said they simply didn’t have time to create newsletter content. The resources just weren’t being made available to them.
My first reaction to that is that someone up to ladder should make those resources available. Newsletters are too important to be created only “if we have time”.
But for many online marketing groups, the fact is they don’t have the internal resources to generate quality e-newsletter content on a regular basis.
For these people, the outcome of my research into content availability online is good news indeed.
As I mentioned, there are numerous sites where you can sign up and use free articles that relate to your business. And there are several services that will ask you what you want and then find freelance writers to write the content.
>> But before you outsource too much, think about the content you have in-house...
You might be surprised by how much content you generate in-house without even realizing it.
Here are some examples:
- How about your customer service email correspondence? Someone asks a great question and your company sends back a useful reply. Why not include that as a Q&A in your e-newsletter?
- How about the new product or service announcements you receive internally? Or drafts of press releases? With a little editing, isn’t there something there your readers would find interesting?
- Check out some of the content on your intranet. Maybe there is something there that could be edited for use in your e-newsletter.
- How about some of your market research? You use it internally...but some of it might also be very interesting to your subscribers.
In other words, write “Might our newsletter subscribers be interested in this?” on sticky notes and place them on the walls in front of your colleagues’ desks.
>> Wherever you find your content, be sure to have a great editor
Whether you get free content externally, edit internal materials or write your e-newsletter with completely original and new content...be sure you have a great editor.
A good e-newsletter editor will take a collection of raw content and bring it to life. It’s a matter of deciding what to include, how to present it, determining the best sequence...and ensuring that the voice flows evenly from beginning to end.
That last point is essential, particularly if you are using content from external sources.
The last thing you want in your e-newsletter is a collection of three blocks of content, all with different writing styles and voices.
It’s the editor’s job to edit...to make sure the whole newsletter has a consistent tone and feel from beginning to end.
So even if you do outsource content creation, just make sure someone has the role of editor. That person can be inside your company, or a supplier from outside.
Regardless of where your content comes from, the skills of your editor will be the most important factor in determining the quality of your e-newsletter.
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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SURVEY: Which industry segment do you know best?
[ ] B2C ecommerce
[ ] B2B ecommerce
[ ] B2C publishing
[ ] B2B publishing
[ ] Non profit
[ ] Other....(please explain)
Comments: ....
(NOTE: Any comments and your name may be published in the next issue, or on the Excess Voice web site.)
Cut and paste your replies to me at mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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NICK USBORNE'S SERVICES:
Yes, I do more than write articles and publish newsletters.
Ask me to write for your site, emails and newsletters.
http://www.nickusborne.com/copywriting.htm
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http://www.nickusborne.com/consulting.htm
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