Effective Newsletter Writing For Business

Writing Effective Newsletters For Your Business

Maintaining a communicative relationship with customers, clients and employees plays a vital part in the running of any company. Your customers, existing and prospective, need to know that the organisation which they’re doing business with is active, and looking for ways to improve their product or service. Similarly, employees always like to be kept in the loop regarding what might be taking shape behind the scenes – a knowledgeable employee is a motivated one.

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Sending out bulletins or newsletters, whether printed or electronic, is an effective way of keeping customers and clients up to speed on what you’re up to. If you don’t have one in place in your business already, or even if you do but are looking to make improvements, here are some tips to point you in the right direction:

Have a message

Make sure you have something newsworthy to say beforehand. Sending out a newsletter with non-information could turn people off reading future issues, and might even send out the message that business is slow. If you are going through a quiet period, then you might think about either skipping an edition, or putting together a spotlight feature on one specific area of your business which readers might be unfamiliar with.

Get your readers involved

Customers and employees always like to know that their opinions are appreciated, and they also like to be involved in the way a business operates. So, be sure to include a link to a survey or a poll relating to your specific market – you could ask them for their feedback on your products or services, or even open up your newsletter to written contributions from your readers.

Be professional in your presentation

Take time over the design, the colour scheme and tone of your newsletter. Make sure that you utilise a theme which relates to and accentuates your business. If you have access to a desktop publishing program such as Quark or InDesign, then these are ideal for designing visually appealing printed materials. Alternatively, sites such as Wordpress and Blogger are free and offer a great range of capabilities if you would rather host your newsletter online.

Put effective distribution channels in place

Whether you’re sending out a printed newsletter or delivering it electronically, ensure that your mailing list is inclusive and relevant. You might even consider putting together separate bulletins: one for your customers, containing news of products and special offers; and one for industry insiders, updating readers on the progress your business is making. Be sure to include an opt-out or unsubscribe option if you’re sending materials out to the public.

Adam Gilmour resides in the UK and writes for TonerGiant Ltd. who are one of UK's leading supplier of HP toner cartridges. Adam enjoys a visit to France occasionally!

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Quinta do Vesuvio

Quinta do Vesuvio has rocketed to fame during just a few years of ownership by the Symington family, who are well known to anyone who has more than a passing interest in what comes out of the Douro. Nevertheless, the estate has considerable history, starting with the Ferreira family who established the vineyard in the early 19th century. Of these the most notable is Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, referred to locally as the Ferreirinha; she shaped, terraced and planted the vineyards, a task which reputedly took thirteen years to complete. And with the death of her husband, she continued to build on her success, establishing a domaine which was described by James Suckling, writing well over a century later in Vintage Port, as "The showpiece of the Douro". The quinta she built (is there no end to this woman's talents?) is an impressive building on the south bank of the Douro, midway between Numao and Lavandeira. It contained eight massive granite lagares, each holding twenty-five pipes of wine; not quite big enough for a game of five-a-side, but you could certainly have a good kickabout with a couple of mates.
The wines produced here in the 19th century were very well received. Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira developed her domaine, and her empire; she owned thirty separate quintas, and oversaw an expansion in her estate to over 400 ha, of which 100 ha was planted to vines, before her death in 1896. Her descendants managed the estate for the next century, but the property entered a period of slow decline, compounded by a number of disasters along the way. Phylloxera resulted in a loss of many of the vines, and these were replaced by thousands of olive trees which proved to be a bad business decision; they were quite unprofitable. The vineyard area declined, in part because some sites lying along the banks of the Douro were lost when the river was dammed in 1973. By the late 20th century this left the estate ripe for an injection of new capital and new enthusiasm. This 'showpiece' was purchased by the Symingtons in 1989.
The Symington family, the clan responsible for some of Port's greatest names - Graham's, Dow's, and Warre's to name just three - have maintained Quinta do Vesuvio as a separate entity within their portfolio, and have sensitively blended some of the new winemaking techniques available with the traditional practices already in place. Temperature-controlled fermentation equipment has been installed, but the granite lagares, where the grapes are still trodden by human foot, remain. Of the 400 ha, about 100 ha remain planted, mostly with Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Touriga Francesca and Tinta Barroca. With such a large area of vineyard it is only natural that soils and microclimates vary, but the entire vineyard is classified as grade A. The ancient olive trees are also put to good use; there is Quinta do Vesuvio olive oil, as well as honey, almonds and oranges! The wine is bottled exclusively as a single quinta vintage Port, with quality maintained by strict selection; typically only 20-25% of Vesuvio's output goes into the wine each year. Although the total annual production of the estate is 575 pipes, the quantity of Quinta do Vesuvio released each year stands at a maximum of 50 pipes (it may be less depending on the vintage), the equivalent of 3000 cases. (13/4/05)