Creating excellent e-newsletters: it's so easy, you'll wonder why you didn't try it earlier.

• Author: Heineman, Linda L.
• Position: Push Technology - Brief Article

Leveraging a premier vehicle for online communication and advertising seems intimidating, but it's not. Creating an excellent e-newsletter couldn't be easier.

CONTENT RULES

Excellent e-newsletters grab your readers' attention as soon as the front page loads. If a reader isn't hooked immediately by provocative content, you can count on them pushing the delete button, which reduces the likelihood they will pay attention the next time you push your message their way.

Content can come from many sources. You can assign article writing to staff members. This allows them to obtain writing experience and it also gets their name in front of clients.

Ask other professionals, both in accounting and other fields to contribute to your e-newsletter. Or you can trade articles and do some cross-marketing.

Content is also available online. Much of it is free, just type "free content" into any search engine. And anytime you run across an article you like, ask the publisher if you may reprint it. In many cases, republishing an article may be as simple as gaining permission and crediting the publisher.

CaICPA Online offers great professional articles. You must receive written permission, but CaICPA encourages members to troll the site--try www.calcpa.org/consumers/ask. If you find a client-friendly article, e-mail editor@calcpa.org, specifying what you'd like to reprint.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Your e-newsletter's format should be easy to navigate, and consistent from issue to issue. Start with headlines or a short story synopsis and link. By linking to a full article on your Web site, you encourage readers to visit your Web site and learn more about what you offer.

TEXT VS. HTML

The great e-newsletter debate is text versus HTML. HTML newsletters are more attractive and allow greater tracking capabilities, but they take longer to load. Depending on your reader's computer speed, text-based newsletters may be more effective. However, if you can support an HTML format, offer both and ask your readers to choose their preferred delivery method.

THEMES

Some e-newsletters find success with continuing themes. They run a series of articles that pertain to the same topic in multiple issues. This prompts readers to read the next issue. A series works best if at the end of each article, you include a teaser promoting the next installment. Make sure each article repeats something about the previous topic so that new readers can be brought up to speed quickly.

KEEP IT SHORT

Too much...