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Business Know-How Q
& A (TM)
Newsletters
on the Net
by Janet Attard
Dear Janet,
I am currently
researching the business feasibility of starting a newsletter for a
specific market. I'm also considering developing an Internet site for the
newsletter. This has led to a question in my mind: when it comes to
profits based on number of subscribers, will having a web page for your
publication undermine your profit margin? I ask this because a long time
ago I gave up buying newspapers in order to read them for free online. How
can you maintain and increase profits when you are posting your
publication for free on the Internet? Thanks for your consideration.
--Thrifty Reader in
VA
Dear Thrifty,
If you plan
carefully -- and if your publication contains information that people like
you can't get for free elsewhere -- the Internet site should enhance your
profits rather than killing them.
The way to make it
work: make only a small portion of your newsletter available on the web
site. Include a link to a subscription form in each portion of the
newsletter you post. The portion of the newsletter that's online should
then help you attract new subscribers to boost your profitability.
If you think your
subscribers would like to read the entire issue from your web site or that
they'd like to discuss the issues you talk about in your newsletter,
divide your site into two areas: a public area and a private area. Make
the private area accessible only to those who have paid for a
subscription.
The Internet site
could enhance your profitability in one other way, too. It could be used
to sell products to your subscribers.
About the author
Janet Attard is the founder of
the award-winning Business
Know-How small business web site and information resource. Janet is
also the author of The
Home Office And Small Business Answer Book and of Business
Know-How: An Operational Guide For Home-Based and Micro-Sized Businesses with
Limited Budgets.

IMPORTANT
NOTE:
Business Know-How(tm) provides
general information only and should not be considered individual advice.
Consult your own attorney, accountant or other advisor before taking any
actions that might lead to adverse consequences for your business. |