Small Business Branding: News You Can Use

Newspaper GraphicLast month, a boy helped save his 20-month old nephew from a coyote. What in the world does this have to do with email marketing?

Actually, quite a bit potentially if you want a great way to get your messages read and improve your brand image.

Read on to find out how.

Two Very Different Articles

While reading through my morning news (online, of course) I found this article on a 10 year old who kicked the coyote while screaming for help after it pounced on his young nephew. The heroism of such a young guy was pretty inspiring.

But back to this later. I’d like to illustrate a point, so let’s move on to another thing I read that morning.

Over at The Isolated Entrepreneur, Ricki Steigerwald gave readers a quick reminder about the increase in the cost of stamps on the day they went up nationwide in the U.S.

Just a quick reminder. So simple! But it accomplishes two things that all small business writers should strive for:.

If it saves a hassle for some of the blog readers, then it promotes a very positive brand image and reinforces any work Ricki’s done to get established as a helpful resource.

What It Means for Email Marketing

Remember that branding is not just about what logo you use and tagline you put on your email. These are good for recognition, but what impression or feeling people feel in seeing them is a far more important aspect.

By using news in your email campaigns you can reinforce your brand.

People like analogy and imagery, and news that is shocking, inspiring, or something that provokes any kind of strong emotion (like the coyote story) can really draw a reader in and give them something exciting to remember you by.

Meanwhile, news that is helpful or industry related can demonstrate that you have your readers interests in mind and show that you have an awareness of what’s going on in your field. By giving reader’s the take-away from your perspective, you establish yourself as a leader in that field.

Use the News in Your Email

Experiencing writer’s block? We’ve published an article to help you with this before. Now, here’s another tip.

Consider sitting down routinely to review the past few days of news on websites, read a few blogs regularly, and find articles you can tie into your campaign. Write up messages that make your email stand out from all the competing messages in your reader’s inbox.

Finding News

Stuck looking for something to write about? Well, unfortunately, I can’t give resources that apply to all the different fields of our readers other than the news sites you already know of (Yahoo! News, CNN.com, etc.)

Instead, here’s a fun site to check out: Gimundo.com focuses solely on what’s positive and refreshing in the news. It’s where I got the coyote story, and I think you could find something there to inspire your readers.

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By: Marc Kline

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11 Comments

  1. Jesse

    Yes I have seen a few top marketers using this technique.

    Especially the people who send very frequent emails.

    Sometimes I delete them but I usually stay on their list.

    6/5/2007 11:02 am
  2. Issiaka OUEDRAOGO

    But how will I create a bond between my newsletter and the news?

    6/5/2007 1:32 pm
  3. Marc Kline

    Issiaka,

    The bond you create between your newsletter and the news will vary based on whether you’re:

    * Using a story directly related to your campaign
    * Using a story to introduce a topic by analogy

    If it’s directly related to your campaign (e.g. interest rates drop for a realtor’s campaign), then you should need to just give your take on the news and how it affects your readers.

    If you’re using a story like the one about the coyote I wrote about above, you’ll need to be a little more creative about how you bond it.

    You’ll need to select something you think will hit home with your subscribers. Maybe you’re a life coach, and you see a story on a site like Gimundo that’s inspirational to your readers. You could give a summary of the story and explain how it relates to your clients and their own achievements.

    Ultimately, you’ll just need to find relevant news for your campaign that you think your subscribers will relate with, and take it from there.

    Hope that helps.

    6/5/2007 2:20 pm
  4. lawton chiles

    Rip your stories from the National Enquirer, Variety, Cosmo, and
    Vanity Fair. This is what people read. Tie your product, or service into it.

    Recently I saw the DUI charges on lots of celebrities, and I sent out
    a promo email saying, Does Your Website Need Rehab?

    I then went on to explain how the celebs didn’t take care of themselves
    and your site is hurting like they are, take action now, etc.

    6/7/2007 9:15 am
  5. Pete

    How about getting the readers on your list? Do an article about ‘Beware the stress of the summer holidays’ and mention in the article that there is a special free report on ‘How to have a stress-free summer holiday’ and readers can get their copy by sending a blank email to YOURLIST@aweber.com Would that work?

    6/12/2007 7:29 am
  6. Justin Premick

    Pete,

    We see a lot of people using articles and blog posts to drive opt-ins, yes.

    Depending on which of those methods you’re working with, your exact tactic will vary (for example, people can opt-in for email updates on any page of our blog). If you’re submitting articles, check with the site/directory owner to see what advice they may have on how you can best drive opt-ins from your articles.

    6/12/2007 8:59 am | Follow me on Twitter
  7. Florence

    Being that we sell special needs clothing for elderly or disabled people, I send email updates on health related topics.

    I need an idea how I can get additional opt-ins.

    6/12/2007 3:21 pm
  8. Firstworld Marketing

    Florence

    I was about to ask if you sell any health related information on your site — but then I visited your site! You have nearly everything there! I did not look at anything except one idea that caught my eye.

    Your company offers to sponsor nursing home "Clothing Shows" as I’ve copied here: "We would be happy to accommodate the needs of your residents by having a Clothing Show at your healthcare facility. If your facility is located within a 100 mile radius of our warehouse (which is in Rockland County, NY) we would set up a clothing show for your residents’ convenience on a day specified and scheduled in advance by you…"

    My first suggestion is to use some type of video. It’s really easy to use video on the internet now and while it’s still free. Google and You Tube are the easy ones that I know of and have used. You do not need a live video for either. You can take photos and show those in a slide show using Picasa. I like Picasa because you can use it to download your photos and send photos by email; you can show those photos as slides; and you can "make a movie" of your photos with Picasa.

    Doing online videos will save you much time, gasoline, and money! This can be your company’s contribution to helping to GO GREEN – the environment as well as your pocketbook when those sales start coming in.

    Oh, yes. Try placing your sales of clothing and much more on your own company blog. Put your videos there too! I hope this helps! Please let me know. By the way, I will be one of your customers.

    6/16/2007 8:59 pm
  9. Roy Ware

    Lawton,

    I think it is important that the news you elect to tie in with your
    marketing message adds credibility to your over all message.

    My members may read the National Enquirer but I doubt they would admit to it.

    Using newsy material in our marketing message is just a matter of changing our habits to see good copy opportunity right in front of us.
    We should be asking ourselves- "This is good- how can I use it?"

    I agree that adding a story with some passion to it, along with our
    marketing message gives our copy impact, and relivance.

    6/23/2007 9:35 pm
  10. Clinton Walker III

    I will try to incorporate my fitness newsletter in my next message.

    8/31/2007 1:01 am

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