is for …

Dear Alun

Whether you sell services or products, one of the most cost effective ways of promoting them is through referrals and recommendations. One of your clients, delighted with the service you give, tells a friend or colleague about you. Someone you meet, who you haven’t even worked with, recommends you to a complete stranger and they become a customer.

Some people think referrals can’t be generated – that they just happen by luck. This isn't true and this issue of JAC Tips will share with you some secrets of how you can use your newsletter to really boost the number of recommendations you get. Put some of them into practice and let me know how you get on.

Best wishes,

Chantal

chantal@justaddcontent.co.uk

R is for Referrals

There's an art to asking for referrals. Asking outright can feel uncomfortable – for both you and the person you’re asking – but there are many other, more subtle ways of doing it.

How can you use your newsletter to generate referrals?

• Be specific about what you do. Don’t use your newsletter to tell your readers that you can do anything for anyone. I specialise in helping small business owners to keep in touch with their clients through email newsletters. Work out what it is that you specialise in and it’ll be easier for your readers to think of someone who needs your help.

• Give in order to get. The best way to get recommendations is to give them. As well as being a great vehicle for sharing your advice and expertise, a newsletter is an excellent way of giving referrals. You can include details of your favourite suppliers or clients and tell your readers who they are looking for. You can provide links to other great services.

• Offer an incentive. Everyone likes to be thanked for giving a referral, so tell your readers what they might get. Right now, if you recommend someone to JAC Tips, you get a free ebook. If you refer someone who decides to use our newsletter service, you might get a discount on your newsletter, a free lunch or vouchers to spend at Amazon!

Think about how you can ask for referrals in your newsletter and get your readers to do your marketing for you!

R is also for Resources

In the last issue of JAC Tips, I asked you to help spread the word about my newsletter. Many thanks to everyone who has helped grow my mailing list over the last two weeks. If you haven’t received your free ebook as a ‘thank you’ please let me know and I’ll send it today.

If you’d like to receive this free resource, just persuade someone you know to subscribe to JAC Tips – make sure they put your name in the ‘how did you hear about us’ field – and I’ll send you a copy of “Business for Free (or How You Can Promote Your Business Without Spending Any Money)”.

We're adding some resources to our website at www.justaddcontent.co.uk, including the full A-Z of Newsletters. What else would you find helpful? Click here to send your suggestions of the sort of resources that will help you write and publish a really good newsletter.

What other resources do you need? If you're looking for someone in particular, to help with any aspect of your business, let us know and we'll put you in touch with someone from our extensive network, who can help you.