Newsletter Nuggets: May 17, 2007
…tips and tricks for writing great ezines and blogs

1. A Note from Patsi: What Are Your Ezine Goals?
2. Blogging & Beyond Mentor Program: Help for Your Marketing Blues
3. June 07 Featured Article: The Leadership Void – The Problem That Isn’t Going Away
4. What’s New on the Blogs?

A note from Patsi –

What is the goal of your ezine? Is it to inform, educate, establish credibility and trust? Or maybe entertain? Obviously you want it to bring clients your way, but how do you do that?

What is the marketing goal? "Relationships," says Chris Baggott, author of Email Marketing by the Numbers. "The goal of all organizations is a better relationship with their constituents."

Baggott is a founder of Exact Target, a large provider of email marketing services, and his book was recently published by John Wiley. I had the privilege of contributing two articles to this book.

Chris Baggott is an expert in email marketing, so I was pleased to participate. He makes a big point that writing email marketing messages should be all about building relationships with readers. Unfortunately, most email marketing and ezines don’t do a good job of that.

In chapter two Baggott asks the question, Is Email the Perfect Marketing Tool? I contributed an article titled "Email is Dead, Long Live Email." I discuss the evolution of email newsletters and ‘new rules’ for successful ezines.

Related blog posts:

Email is Dead, Long Live Email!
http://www.coachezines.com/2007/01/email_is_dead_l.html

10 New Rules for Successful Ezines:
http://www.coachezines.com/2007/01/10_new_rules_fo.html

In chapter seven, Finding and Creating Relevant Content, I contributed an article titled "Growing Your Content Antennae: 17 Sources for Inspiration."

17 Sources for Content:
http://www.coachezines.com/2006/10/17_sources_for_.html

Recipe for an Ezine:
http://www.coachezines.com/2007/02/recipe_for_an_e_5.html

Finding and Creating Content:
http://www.coachezines.com/2006/12/finding_and_cre.html

To me, email and business blogs represent two great opportunities to connect with readers in a real way. If your business wants to thrive online, you’d be wise to invest in this book and learn how to master the art of connecting with readers and customers through well-crafted email messages.

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Blogging and Beyond Mentor Program:

[music]
Doctor, doctor, gimme the news
I’ve got a bad case of marketing blues…

If you need help with your online marketing (who doesn’t?) now would be the time to join The Blog Squad’s mentoring program, Blogging and Beyond. You get access to a private membership site where we answer all your marketing questions.

Plus there are monthly teleseminars, audio and video files, and detailed how-to instructions on how to do a blog, an ezine, a shopping cart, and automate your online sales.

For example, on May 9 we presented a teleseminar on how to start your own Internet radio show. We interviewed Alan Levy, founder of BlogTalkRadio. Only mentees can attend these classes as part of their membership.

For info, go here: http://www.theblogsquad.net/mentor

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Featured Article for June 07:
The Leadership Void:
The Problem That Isn’t Going Away

Categories: Leadership, Retention, Succession Planning, Coaching

Most executives and HR specialists know a large percentage of baby boomers will retire over the next five to 10 years — and with them, 50% of the CEOs of major companies. But as with Hurricane Katrina, we see it coming and aren’t doing enough: We remain woefully unprepared.

Some 75 million U.S. workers will retire soon. The talent to replace them will be chosen from the next generation of only 45 million available workers. Globally, with economies growing rapidly, the demand for leaders is outstripping the supply.

A huge leadership void is looming, and major companies are unprepared to meet this challenge. This problem isn’t going away. With a shrinking pool of talent to choose from, the stakes and costs will be daunting.

A few organizations have invested heavily in leadership development, and they’re already seeing a handsome return on investment. In fact, the top 20 companies for leadership development show significant bottom-line advantages.

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This is a brief synopsis of a 2000 word article suitable for consultants’ newsletters for executives and leaders in organizations. It is available for purchase with full reprint rights, which means you may put your name on it and use it in your newsletters, blogs or other marketing materials. You may also modify it and add your personal experiences.

There are two versions of this article: 2000 words and 1000 words (approximate word counts). The full article covers the following sub-topics:

Top 20 Companies for Leaders
Shrinking Pools Everywhere
Why Good Leaders Matter
Homegrown Versus External Imports
Leadership Incubation: Time Is Running Out
7 Best Practices
A Motivating Work Climate
Growth Factors versus Derailers
Job Rotations
How People Grow

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If you are a Customized Newsletters client and your account is current, no need to order. Send me an email to confirm that you wish to use this article for your next newsletter.

All others please use the order links below.

a. Text, 2000 word article with full reprint rights, $79, click here: http://snipurl.com/CNJun07a

b. Text, 1000 word article with full reprint rights, $57, click here: http://snipurl.com/CNJun07b

All word lengths are approximate.