Website Marketing Tip 4 – Become a published expert (within an hour)

Nothing builds credibility and trust like being a published expert in your field. It is a feature that will set you apart from your competition.

Now, I’m guessing that you don’t have the time or motivation to write a traditional 400 page book – but there is a powerful publishing tool that should be well within your time and budget constraints.

That tool is an e-newsletter.

An e-newsletter (or ezine) is an email based publication that is sent on a regular basis to a list of subscribers that have agreed in advance to receive it.

Here are just a few benefits of publishing an e-newsletter:

• It will enhance the visibility of your business, products and services.
• It will build a reputation for you as an expert in your field.
• It will capture visitors to your website that may have otherwise been lost.
• Researching topics for an e-newsletter will help you to keep on top of your game.
• It will help you to develop a long term relationship with your readers – turning prospects into customers and customers into raving fans.

And it will do all this for little cost and minimal resources. Convinced? Great!

So, what can you do today to get started as an e-newsletter publisher?

The first step is to talk to your web developer about placing an e-newsletter subscription form on your website. This is how your visitors express their desire to receive your content – and how you build your subscriber list.

Once that is done you can set to work writing your first newsletter. Start by picking a topic in your sector that will be of interest to your readers.

For example, an accountant you might choose to write about a new ATO ruling that will affect her reader’s tax returns. Once you have selected a topic, write your article in an interesting and informative style. Aim for about a page in length and make sure it is well written and free of spelling errors.

You might jazz up the e-newsletter by also adding in a couple of quick tips or industry news items.

And when you’re happy with your content your e-newsletter can be published at the click of a mouse button.

Aim to write a couple of e-newsletters per month and you should see your readership – and your reputation as an expert – grow steadily over time.

This post is part of a series of website marketing tips for small business.