I’m not sure how many of you with fan
pages on Facebook have noticed that your ‘reach’ has probably seen a slow
decline. For a while now, I’ve realized that only a few people are being
‘reached’ when I post to my pages.
If you read this
article about the changes to Facebook, you’ll understand why. I have gotten
over my annoyance that I have to pay to ‘boost’ a post to people who I believe
would like to hear from me now and then. That’s why they liked my page, right?
Well, the times are a-changing have
changed and a lot of the things posted to Facebook just languish on the page.
What this wake-up call urged me to do is
take a look at my mailing list. I do know that mailing lists are valuable to
writers—so much so that I have two of them. The thing is, I haven’t been very
good with sending out newsletters. I'm trying to do better though by shooting
for once per month.
I’ve added the sign-up links for my
newsletter to my websites and in the back matter of my books. I've also added links
on my Facebook page that can be accessed via a dropdown menu. I’m not sure how
much use Facebook fan pages will be in the short run if people are not willing
to pay to ‘boost’ whatever they post.
So, if you're a writer who hasn't yet
thought seriously about adding a newsletter to your repertoire, here are some
ideas to get you moving.
1. Provide
value to your readers by giving them useful information or some other item to
encourage new subscribers - maybe an ebook or an offer for swag.
2. Use
your newsletter as a way of rewarding your readers with exclusive material or
news about what you have coming next.
3. Run
contests and giveaways. Gift cards are always popular, so you can always find
innovative ways to give away a card or two to your subscribers.
4. Encourage
feedback from your readers by asking for their comments on a subject of your
choice or by including a poll.
5. In
today's fast-moving world, newsletters don't need to be dense with text, or
take up several pages. Keep things simple by including 3-4 articles
consistently.
If you haven't started yours yet, what
are you waiting for? It's simple to do and there are free email marketing service
providers like Active Campaign, Benchmark Email and Mailchimp.
Are there other good options not listed here that you can share? How are you
building your list?
