Newsletter marketing has been a successful business practice for thirty years. Newsletters are one of the most effective, essential tools for any practice—or any business. They really do work. So if you’re thinking that you tried a newsletter and it just didn’t work for you, I’ve got good and bad news. The bad news is it’s your fault. The good news is it’s your fault. You probably blew it and that’s not unusual. And you probably blew it in one or more of these three common ways.
Mistake 1: Your Newsletter Was Boring
You have to remember that you want people to actually read your articles. No one wants to do that if what you wrote is boring. Most likely your newsletter was focused exclusively either on just you and your office, or on foot and ankle problems.
Keep in mind, you are writing to and for real people. And your target is the woman of a household, since she is responsible for her family’s health. Women have wide, varied interests. If your newsletter doesn’t reflect that, everything will get old fast. These women aren’t your colleagues, either. They don’t want to read medically-heavy, jargon-filled issues. They want articles that are light and fun.
You should have a lead article that does cover a foot or ankle problem that will interest your patients: heel pain, diabetic foot problems, fungal nails, and so on. You should also have one other foot-related column to offer different advice, tips, or information from the first. After that, move on. Cover other interests and topics. Great recipes, puzzles, staff highlights, social media contest results, community events, and other fun things keep your articles interesting, so people look forward to reading your newsletter.
Mistake 2: You thought creating it quarterly was frequent enough.
Wrong! You need to be producing this content every single month. This can be hard and is usually what stops people from producing monthly newsletters. The next month comes up quickly and it just keeps on coming. Since you don’t have a newsletter generation function (much less an excellent newsletter creation and production function) you stop after just a few attempts. The key is to build a backlog and fill a file with information and articles to use. Create many different potential lead articles and add regularly to your file. That way you always have something on hand when you create your next month’s issue. Have your staff share the load and contribute to the project as well. Ask each to bring in family recipes, keep an eye out for community events, and take turns writing.
Better yet, you can have your monthly newsletter created by a service, like the Top Practices podiatry newsletter production program. We pull together customizable newsletters every month that make it easier for you to produce this effective tool.
Mistake 3: You only sent it to your list electronically.
You should be doing an electronic newsletter every month, yes. But the fact of the matter is that most people have jammed-up inboxes where e-mails get lost. Many don’t enjoy consuming information electronically, anyway. Sending the newsletter through the post means people receive a physical copy that can sit around their house for a few weeks at a time, where many people can find and read it.
There is a way to do a practice newsletter that is interesting, engaging, and effective. So if your newsletter isn’t working for you, don’t blame the tool. It’s not broken. You’re just not using it right. If you want to learn more about producing quality newsletters, or are interested in the Top Practices newsletter program, contact us! You can reach us by e-mailing [email protected] or by calling (717) 725-2679.
