Consulting Tip #1: Invite People to Your Newsletter

Consulting Tip #1: Invite People to Your Newsletter Skip to content

One of the themes that runs through the Successful Independent Consulting: Relationships That Focus on Mutual Benefit is: “Invite people to your newsletter.” Why? Because those people gave you permission to market to them.

Your subscribers don't have to like everything you write—as long as they like most of what you write. Or that you intrigue their interest with your writing.

Will those people buy your services? Maybe. Will they buy your books? Maybe. You can't know in advance if they are buyers.

But unless people give you permission to write to them, you can't reach them. You can only reach people who gave you permission to do so.

But what about blogging and social media? Good questions. Blogging and social media are about discoverability—not permission-based marketing.

How Blogging Helps People Discover Your Work

The more you write and speak, the more people might find you through search. Or the more someone else might highlight your work. Sometimes, people will tweet a talk you give. But more often, people will find your writing because writing lives “longest” online. (That's why you should take my writing workshop.)

Blogging does work. And if you enable the RSS feed on your blog, people might subscribe to it.

Even if you write pithy comments on social media, media is mostly for discoverability.

Social Media Might Help with Discoverability

Several of my consulting colleagues spend enough time on social media that they get great engagement. Many of those people tell me that kind of engagement leads to clients. That's terrific. And that means their clients are on social media.

My clients tend to avoid social media, with the exception of LinkedIn.

That's why I think of social media interaction as throwing a pebble in any pond—but not necessarily the “right” pond—where your clients are.

Worse, social media companies change their algorithms and don't explain what they're doing. One day, you've got substantial followers and engagement, and the next day, crickets.

Instead, you can communicate with “your people” when you write your newsletter and invite people to subscribe. That's permission-based marketing.

How I Invite People to My Newsletter

I have several “systems” for how I invite people to my newsletter:

For people who see my posts through search or referral, I have a signup box on every page of my site. If you read a blog post or a newsletter, there's a subscribe box on the page. (Right now, that box is on the upper right of every page. That might change in the future.)

When I taught in-person public classes on behalf of other people or organizations, I:

• Brought paper signup sheets for my newsletter. “I write a newsletter. If you’d like to subscribe, please fill out a sheet and return it to me.”
• And because people didn't always have the clearest handwriting, I also asked for business cards. I said, “Here are my business cards.” Then I'd point to the pile at the corner of the table. “Feel free to take one. I live to give them away. And if you want me to stay in touch with you, please give me yours.”

Now, since I mostly speak remotely, I add a request to link with me on LinkedIn. Then, if people do ask me to connect, I can explain about the newsletter.

I have a Pragmatic Manager page so people can see back issues. On my other site, I have a Create an Adaptable Life newsletter page, too. I arrange both pages by year. That's because I don't know when people will find me. I want them to see my content, regardless of when.

People Like Invitations

Always invite people to your newsletter. Never add them without their permission. Continue to write regularly, showcasing your expertise.

This kind of content marketing is a long game, but it's based on permission. That means that people will read your writing as long as what you offer intrigues them. That's one way successful consultants gain clients.

This is one of an intermittent series of consulting tips.

(Interested in the consulting workshop later this year? See the Successful Independent Consulting Workshop page for the details and to subscribe to a notification list.)