All successful businesses have mechanisms in place to stay in touch with their market and remind customers of their presence. It is especially important for firms whose products or services are only purchased on a reactive, ad hoc basis i.e. when the need arises.

For those that do not have the budget to retain a field or tele sales force or the services of a PR company, the circulation of a regular newsletter can an effective and efficient alternative to building relationships, credibility and educating your existing customers, prospects, suppliers and other stakeholders about the work that you do.

Newsletters can be printed and distributed by mail or via email (or both). The benefits of converting a printed newsletter to email are well documented:

* A professional/engaging/colour interface stimulates the recipient to 'read-on'

* No production/print costs

* Flexibility to distribute as/when you wish

* Click-through tracking enables you to measure performance

* Hyperlinks help drive traffic to your website

A recent example of an e-newsletter we manage for a client generated Handmade Marketing can manage the entire process from researching and collating the content, preparing the copy, images, designing an attractive, easy-to-digest layout and any production/fulfilment involved.

We can also mange the subscriber database. Initially this is typically populated with the client's contacts but can be supplemented with proprietary mailing lists, ad hoc contacts and website enquiries.