Since 2000, I have published a weekly newsletter. (To learn why newsletters are important, read this post). I've made changes to the layout through the years, but the ones I'm making now are the most extensive I've made in a long time. Part of the reason it's been so long is because social media and blogging have advanced so rapidly. I've even considered retiring my newsletter to accommodate other forms of media.
From time to time, I've gone several weeks without publishing a newsletter so I could ponder the best ways to integrate it with this blog, my social networking site and other media outlets. But as good as blogging and other new media tools are, they can't accomplish the things a newsletter can accomplish, as I summarized in this post. Here are some of the new newsletter features I am most excited about. Maybe it will give you some ideas for your newsletter.
- Banner with photo. I like connecting on a more intimate level in my newsletter, so I decided to include a recent photograph of me in the banner. I will change it periodically, probably with the seasons.
- Twitter integration. As usual, in the left sidebar, I include a link to my blog and to a new DIY cosmetics recipe at the popular Make Your Cosmetics website. The added Twitter integration allows readers to share the newsletter with their Twitter followers with one click.
- Social icons. Also on the left sidebar, I include graphics linking to my social outposts: Twitter, FaceBook and others. I'm especially excited to include a link to iTunes where you can download the Indie Business Podcast which, since 2005, has connected you with small business experts and thought leaders who can help you succeed
- Events and media features. The left sidebar now also lists upcoming events and teleseminars where we can connect online or in person. It also includes links to podcasts, blog posts and other media outlets where I am featured.
- My motto and newsletter departments. My motto is “Enjoy Your Life! Build Your Business! Have Your Way!” My new newsletter departments now mirror this slogan. Enjoy Your Life! features things I find that will help you make your life and your personal surroundings more beautiful and enjoyable. Build Your Business! features links to popular blog posts (mine and other people's) that can help you be successful in your business. Have Your Way! highlights the unique diversity of the Indie community, and features Indies who are making their unique mark their way, and ideas to help you do the same!
As always, my newsletter will continue to be archived at the Indie Beauty Network flagship website at this link. As a newsletter publisher for ten years, I've seen a lot of changes in technology. I've also seen a lot of people stop publishing their newsletters in favor of blogging and micro-blogging. I'm always saddened when that happens because I have found that a newsletter is one of the best ways to spread the word about what a business leader is doing and thinking.
The first issue with the new design will be published tomorrow, July 5. You can subscribe to my newsletter at this link, so you can see all of the new features for yourself, and maybe get some ideas for your publication. You can unsubscribe at any time.
And just so you know, I value your privacy. In the decade I have been publishing, I have maintained a strict policy against compromising your personal information. I do not give or sell my newsletter subscriber list under any circumstances. Signing up for my newsletter is separate from subscribing to this blog, joining the IIndie Beauty Network or joining the Indie social networking site. If your email has a spam filter, please add “donnamaria @ indiebeauty dot com” as an approved sender in your email address book, otherwise, the newsletter may be ensnared by your spam filter or sent back to me.
Question: If you publish a newsletter, what are your favorite departments, and the ones your readers enjoy most?
