Hello and welcome to the last day of July! Ready for the Dog Days of summer? FYI it’s called “Dog Days” because it was once believed that Sirius “The Dog Star” made the Earth hotter since it was closer to the Earth this time of year. Didn’t think you’d learn something today, eh?
A couple of weeks ago I sent out my Quarterly Newsletter, which you can read here if you didn’t get it. BTW if you want to be added to the mailing list for that, just drop me a line at tom@nulltomdheere.com.
I have a love/hate relationship with newsletters. It’s fun to condense three months of experiences into a concise message that you hope your clients & colleagues will not only enjoy reading, but will remember you down the road. It’s also a great way to update your client database if the email gets bounced back to you. Sometimes the client goes out of business, your contact has left the company, etc. so it’s a great excuse to call that client and check in with them.
On the other hand, I don’t want my newsletter to be perceived as some narcissistic look-at-me exercise, while at the same time being disappointed by the amount of people who unsubscribe (John, how could you?!). Also, does it really work? Do you land gigs from sending out a newsletter?
TIP OF THE WEEK: Um, sort of? As a professional, you want to be taken seriously and be present in the minds of current & potential clients. So make that newsletter worth their time! Make it look good, make it informative, and for the love of Pete, make it short!
BTW I recommend Vertical Response for sending out mass emails like newsletters. It’s got an easy-to-use wizard and you can purchase credits A la carte.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. Elbart Hubbard
STUFF!: If you wanna see a fun, visually breathtaking film, go see “Brave”. If nothing else, it’s worth the price of admission just to see the girl’s hair! How the hell to they do that…?
From Tom Dheere’s apartment, this is Tom Dheere: GKN News…