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Dear Alun

Questions are extremely useful in all aspects of marketing and newsletters. You can use them to generate responses from your readers, to encourage sales, to help build up relationships and to gather useful information.

Some questions work better than others in different situations, so this issue of JAC Tips looks at where you can use different questions to the best effect.

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Best wishes,

Chantal

O is for … Open ended Questions

Do you know the difference between an open ended question and a closed one? (Which one was that?) How can you use open ended questions in your newsletter? (How about that one?)

A closed ended question is one that can only be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’, which tends to end the conversation. An open ended question can be answered in many different ways is much more likely to open up a conversation with a prospective client that allows you to find out more about them and what help they need.

How can you use open ended questions?

• How do you … ? Newsletters are a great way of sharing your knowledge with your readers and demonstrating your expertise. People will always ask you “how do I …?” so you can use their questions to generate themes and ideas for your newsletter. ‘How to’ questions make great newsletter titles that encourage people to open your newsletter.

• Where can you find ...? Other people are always looking for help. If you can provide it, you can you use ‘where’ questions to tell them that your business is where they can come for help and the sort of ideas and support they can get from you.

• Which is the best …? Which is the best way to publish a newsletter? Which questions encourage more people to open your newsletter? Which supplier should I choose and why? Just a few examples for you! If you'd like the answers to any of these questions, get in touch.

A word of warning – be careful when you ask ‘why’ questions. Depending on how you ask them, they can be taken as accusational.

Try using some open ended questions in different places in your newsletter and see what happens!

What Else is O for?

One Step Further. If you’re looking for strategies for building a consultancy business, while still having a great life, check out Bev’s website and sign up to her newsletter – Quickstart.

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