Effective Newsletter Communication from Cygnus Extra
March 2004  
 
A shift is taking place in the way that many companies communicate with their clients and staff, and the newsletter concept is evolving in the process.  
Page 2 of this newsletter is an article
on Better Business Writing
As ever, technology is leading the revolution, with the Internet providing the ideal environment for magazine and newsletter-type material. Sophisticated design and imposing photography are increasingly used to set the tone both on and off-line. But despite all the technological and design developments, the words continue to be critical building blocks in developing the right message.

e-Newsletters
In many sectors websites have become the key source of company information and visitors to a site can sign up to receive free monthly newsletters by e-mail.

Used effectively, these e-publications offer communication benefits and significant cost savings. Target audiences can be reached in a fraction of the time involved in a traditional magazine production schedule. Reader feedback is easier and more immediate too.


Newsletters can provide an ideal vehicle for keeping in touch with your clients, without any sense of the hard sell.
  • Keep your message in front of your clients
  • Provide information about new developments
  • Explain product details
  • Build the client relationship
  • Pass on useful background knowledge
  • Provide industry and company news
  • Profile staff
  • Give news of awards and accreditations
  • Display client lists, case studies
  • Interview clients and include testimonials

Printed Newsletters
Many people still prefer to read off-line and a printed newsletter or magazine can play a vital role in an organisation's communication strategy.

  • Printed newsletters and magazines can be read away from the desk.
  • Printed publications can be handed out at exhibitions and conferences.
  • Longer, more serious articles can be included.
  • In some sectors, not everyone will have e-mail or Internet access

Employees and Supporters
People are interested in people. Call it gossip if you like, but stories about colleagues and friends have a wide appeal and can help develop a sense of community and belonging in an organisation.

"I always turn to the staff spotlight first," commented one reader about the quarterly magazine. In an organisation where employees are geographically spread she enjoyed reading about colleagues who she rarely met but talked to all the time on the phone.

Photographs are important too, providing a sense of immediacy and drawing the reader into a story.

Internal newsletters should have carefully developed aims and a clearly defined audience. The content can then be tailored to ensure that the aims are achieved and the publication is successful. Often a newsletter can be an important element in a wider communication strategy.

Internal newsletters can work as printed or e-publications. Cost effective options are available for both of these routes.

Managing the Message

Widen horizons
Explore change
Build bridges
Facilitate growth

 
   
Based on the boundary between Edinburgh and West Lothian, Cygnus specialises in content-led publications and websites. We work closely with our clients to make sure that any publication is properly targeted and contains excellent content. Design, print, photography, web-development and electronic circulation can all be handled for you.

As well as newsletters, Cygnus offers content development for websites, annual reports, leaflets and brochures of all sorts. We also offer training in business writing.