Other than your mom, spouse and kids (before they become teenagers), do people really know what makes you special? Do your clients actually understand what you bring to the table? Can they see beyond the obvious to the essential value of what you provide? If not, you may have a problem.

In fact, it is the core of this value that should serve as the foundation for the content of your email newsletters.

When you are deciding what kinds of stories to put in your newsletter, it is easy to get caught up in the bells and whistles of your product or service, or focus on stories that simply convey useful information related to your company. That’s fine as long as your real message does not get lost in the shuffle.

What is it that you really sell? For davemail, it is not email newsletters or dependable delivery or even detailed tracking reports. We help clients develop more meaningful, loyal and profitable relationships with their customers through professionally written, edited and designed newsletters.

If you own a tree service, do you really sell tree trimming or is it safety, increased property value and peace of mind? When you strip away whatever it is you use to deliver your product or service, what is it that instills confidence and trust in you and your company? What unique combination of skills and experiences do you possess that encourages customers to choose you over the competition?

Whatever that is needs to be communicated in every newsletter you create. The message of who you are as a company and what you really provide can never be told enough.

For lots and lots of people, creating relevant, compelling content for their email newsletters can be a grind — bordering on downright unpleasant. No matter how enthusiastic one is about their business, it often is hard to come up with three or four good topics — much less actually write about them.

While there are ways to find decent content for your email newsletter from a variety of places that include news sites, Google alerts, blogs and a number of online sources that offer free or low-cost articles on a wide variety of subjects, the best stuff is always going to come directly from you.

The question is how to get it out of you and on to paper (well, if we still used paper).

At davemail, we are all about custom newsletter content, so this is a big issue around here. I am finding more clients like to just get on the phone and talk through the stories. They use our online content planner to get things started, and then we set up a time and they just talk. I do my best to keep them on track and make sure we get the vital information, but mainly, I just listen.

So if you need to get content from a client (or colleague or boss) and they are holding things up, you may suggest a meeting or phone call and let them just talk through their ideas. It is working really well for us and helping to keep newsletters on schedule.

It is no secret to anyone who has every attempted to send an HTML email newsletter that coding can be a tricky thing. Designing a nice newsletter with background images, lots of color and text perfectly wrapped around your images is not that hard. Getting it to show up that way in your recipients’ mailbox, however, is a different kettle of fish (as they say across the pond).

The problem is really not the coding —  real HTML is pretty straight forward — it is the WYSIWYG online editors that can cause issues. These editors are popular for non-Web developers because you can use them like a word processor or simple image editing software. Highlight the copy, click on the style and let it happen. The problem is that they often drop in random code, and editing one section can lead to unexpected style changes to adjoining copy or bumped photos.

Newsletters cannot be designed with style sheets (CSS) like Web sites, unless it is done inline, which means using old-school tables with code dropped in every time instead of styles for headlines, sidebars etc. being controlled in the header.

Then there is the issue of the many available email clients interpreting or tolerating code in different ways. What looks perfect in Outlook 2003 may be a jumbled mess in Gmail. The fact that Outlook 2007 and 2010 render email in Word should be a clue to how simple good emails should really be.

So what is the answer? It is always a good idea to test your newsletter in as many email clients as possible, remembering that simple is always better. Fancy stuff often gets stripped out — leaving weird design holes. When that is done and it is as clean and reliable as possible, it is time to use the email newsletter “get out of jail free” card.

At davemail, we offer the option to read the newsletter in a browser at the top of every newsletter we send. This option gives recipients the opportunity to read it in its designed state, without the quirks developed through email delivery. If it looks right in your browser (particularly Firefox, which can be a little finicky), then it will always look good in their browser.

By adding the browser option, you can be sure that your email will always look right and be fully functional. And that is a good thing.

The davemail team wants to give away a year’s worth of email newsletters, including all the extras, but we need your help. We are looking to the small-business community to nominate non-profit organizations that are making a big impact with limited resources. We realize that describes most non-profits, but we are looking for a group that could not normally afford to outsource their communications.

The chosen organization will receive free content planning, writing assistance, copy editing, custom design and online email tracking services for four email newsletters over the next 12 months. In addition, we will send the newsletters to up to 2,500 recipients each quarter at no charge. We plan to make the same offer in July and again in October.

The rules are simple. The organization must be nominated by a business or individual (not employed by the organization) and will be chosen based on financial need and its impact on the community as judged by the davemail team. The deadline for nominations is April 9.

If you want to be a hero for an organization close to your heart, here’s your chance!

For a nomination form, please click HERE. For more information about davemail, click anywhere on this site.

P.S. We are using social media only to get the word out, so please post, share, link and tweet the news however you feel appropriate.

Thanks for your help.

The issue of using lists of email addresses generated by someone other than you continues to be a hot topic. I received an email this week asking for my opinion about using a list provided by the organizers of a trade show.   

Here was the question:

I have a large list of names/emails from a trade show that we attended. The list was given to all the vendors who partnered for the show. So it’s valid. There are many organizations on the list that registered multiple individuals under a single email address (probably an HR person). Does it violate CAN-SPAM to extrapolate the valid email addresses for the registrants on the list via the email pattern of the given email (i.e. first initial last name @org.com)? 

Here was my answer:

Unless the show attendees specifically gave organizers permission to be contacted by vendors, you do not have permission to send them anything through email. It is a common misunderstanding that addresses acquired through trade shows are fair game. Just because the show organizers share their list with you, it does not mean the participants said they could. And it certainly would be spam to then try and figure out other attendee names by following the pattern of the names you do have and send them email.

The bottom line remains simple — only the individual can give you permission, not a third party. Show organizers often want to dangle that list in front of vendors as an incentive to participate, but they rarely have the right to do so. Beware of such an offer, and ask yourself if it is worth it.

Follow-up

For the record, the person who sent me the question is a stand-up guy looking for ways to build business within the rules. He was checking back with the organizers to establish what level of permission they were given. A way around this situation would be to send individual emails to show attendees asking if they would like to receive email communications from you. If they say yes, it is all good. If they don’t respond, then you have your answer there as well.

In searching for keywords that people use when seeking information about email newsletters, I made a rather disturbing discovery. The No. 1 term searched for was “email lists.” Apparently, last month more people searched for information on purchasing a list of email addresses than newsletter design, writing, deliverability or email marketing combined. And the news only gets worse. Nine of the top 20 search terms related to email newsletters had the word “list” in them. It became quite obvious to me (I’m quick that way) that some marketers are more interested in getting their message to as many people as possible than crafting whatever the message actually is.

Not to be a negative Nellie, but this is not a good indicator of sound judgment – much less knowledge of spam laws. Sending an email newsletter about your company to clients, (qualified) prospects and other legitimate contacts should be about building relationships with those who have given you permission to communicate with them.

It is about delivering content created specifically for that audience. It is about building loyalty. Sending email newsletters to a list gathered by a third party based on demographics is an absolute waste of time and money. Even if it gets past the spam filters, few recipients welcome unexpected email from someone they don’t know.

That is no way to begin a business relationship. Be patient and gather your email addresses the old-fashioned way. Ask for them. Then you will have a list of recipients who should actually be anxious to hear from you. And that is a good thing.

In my business, every day is different, which is a big reason why I like it so much. Over the last two days, I have been writing about the falling price of recreational land in southwest Georgia, the governor’s visit to a local manufacturing company, and the virtues of a new wellness center.

Tomorrow, it will be law enforcement and eye care.

My job allows me to learn a little bit about a lot of things, which can be very dangerous during times when my inner Cliff Claven emerges with one too many “little known facts.” Whether at a business networking event, or facing the temptation of Twitter and Facebook begging me to post an interesting tidbit, I do my best to show restraint. After all, it is in my best interest not to get into a deep conversation about something I really know very little about.

The fact is I don’t need to know a lot about the subjects on which I write, because it is my job to find the people who do, ask them the right questions and then make it understandable and even compelling to the reader. That is what writers do. That is what we get paid (a little bit) for.

Whether it is an in-house marketing manager or an outsourced writer or editor, using experienced communications professionals really does make a difference. Especially when times are tough, small-business owners and managers should stick to what they do best and find the right people to help where needed.

It allows them to stay focused on their business. And it helps people like me look smarter at parties.

Dave Fiore is the founder of davemail.

I need to be honest about something. After a few weeks of monitoring online conversations through TweetDeck and Google Alerts on the subject of email newsletters, I had become a bit disheartened. There apparently are a lot of people out there complaining about getting newsletters they didn’t ask for, can’t unsubscribe from, or simply add to the chaos of their bulging inboxes.

Does that mean that email newsletters are no longer viable, and we will be communicating in 140-character chunks for the rest of our online lives? Hardly. In fact, after momentarily doubting my life calling and expenditure of all available (and future) funds, I was struck by a bolt of truth that reminded me why I remain so excited about this powerful tool.

People simply don’t care about things they don’t care about, so when you try to send them something they didn’t ask for, the reaction is rarely positive. The davemail business model is based on providing a way for our clients to reach the people with which they have permission to communicate – their customers, clients, members or supporters. In other words, they are talking to people who will gladly listen.

To keep them listening, they need to provide useful, informative content delivered creatively and consistently – which is where we come in. Just as with dating, getting someone to go out with you once hardly means you are headed for years of marital bliss. You have to work for it, not take them for granted and throw in a surprise once in a while.

So it’s OK that people complain about the newsletters they shouldn’t be getting in the first place. They have a right to be mad. Just as they have the right to let a business know they don’t appreciate getting coupons three times a week by clicking “bye-bye” at the bottom of the mailing.

As the recipient, you are in control. And as the sender, it is our job to keep it real so you stay with us. And that is a challenge that makes me smile.

I spend a lot of time talking about why davemail is a great alternative to online, do-it-yourself email marketing services. Lost in my enthusiasm, however, is the simple truth that there may be one or two of you out there who are not yet sold on the value of an email newsletter in the first place.

So I am putting away the sales hat and speaking from the heart. Whether you do it yourself, assign it to a competent staff member or outsource it to a highly trained, experienced, creative, dependable writing and design team (let’s call them davemail for purposes of illustration), email newsletters are worth a look.

Here are my top nine reasons why:

9. Let’s start strong. Email newsletters can save you tons of money over traditional printing and mailing. Tons.

8. Speaking on tonnage, sending 100,000 emails instead of printing traditional newsletters saves more than 2 tons of paper (and a lot gas and postage-stamp glue).

7. It is more important than ever to strengthen relationships with existing clients, customers or members, and regular communication is the key to building those bonds.

6. Legitimate email newsletters are a form of permission-based marketing, which means you send only to people who want to receive them. Spam is always a no-no.

5. Email newsletters are timely and interactive, allowing instant feedback and action.

4. Well-written email newsletters provide a good balance of useful, reader-centric content (80%) and appropriate sales-based information (20%).

3. Professionally designed email newsletters provide seamless branding and cohesive elements that drive readers to action.

2. Senders can track results, with access to detailed reports on cool stuff such as open rates and click-throughs.

1. With davemail, you don’t have to worry about any of it. We can do it all for you. Seriously.