Case Study - What Makes a Good Client Newsletter

In southwest Florida our beaches are made up of barrier islands and one of those islands, Anna Maria, is home to Island Real Estate. Every month broker Al Galletto publishes a newsletter that is head and shoulders above the communication pieces put out by most small businesses. Read it for yourself and you'll see how Al teaches us the following valuable lessons about client newsletters.

1. Homegrown is best. I get all types of newsletters from all types of professional businesses. Most are purchased content where the small business owner buys a pre-written newsletter from a company that sells that same content to hundreds or thousands of business owners. Al writes his own stuff and it shows. When you read Al's newsletter you're reading it for the content and you're reading it because Al wrote it. Self written newsletters are personal. They build relationships. Purchased content may give you insight, but it lacks the personal touch.


2. Substance matters. Al's newsletter has hard data in it that readers can use. Further, it demonstrates his competency. It's obvious that Al spends time compiling his facts and figures. But he doesn't stop there. Al offers commentary that shows he not only compiled the raw data, but he is also paying attention to it. If I send someone to Al after giving them a newsletter they understand that he knows his stuff. 


3. Stay on topic. You know what I love about Al's newsletter? It's about real estate. Not cookie recipes, or crafts for the kids or trivia. Al talks about things that are relevant to real estate. In his July newsletter he covers the gulf oil spill and provides links to related web sites. That's relavent to those of us who live here and it's relevant to potential buyers and sellers. It doesn't have to be all facts and figures, but it does need to be relevant. Nothing against cookie recipes, but I know where to find those when I want them.


4. Give your opinion. Al knows infinitely more about real estate than I do. His opinion matters to me, and I know that when I read his newsletter he is going to make some predictions about things like inventory levels and price trends. I appreciate that Al is willing to offer his professional opinion because if I hire him that is exactly what I am paying for. The fact that he will share it with me beforehand builds trust.


5. Reward your readers. I love that Al tells newsletter readers about featured properties BEFORE he has put them in the MLS. Chances are most readers won't call to inquire, but all of us feel like we are on the inside track. We feel special. We feel like Al is sharing stuff with us that the general public doesn't get. It's genius for building community and relationships.

If you publish your own newsletter see how well it stacks up against Al's. If you consume newsletters and you come across one as good as Al's do the author a favor and drop a note expressing your appreciation. 

Comments

[Accounting Tampa]

Hello Friend..!!!
Nice post..i really like to read your posts...its not only beneficial to me but also helps me to think on new ideas about my business & helping to promote it in a more significant way...
Thanks for sharing....

[Anna Maria Island Real Estate]

We look forward to Al's email newsletter. He provides facts not fluff which we like. Congrats Al on being one of the top realtors on Anna Maria