Traditionally, jan/san distributors have sent newsletters via snail mail to customers that contain announcements and new product information. But as postage costs continue to rise, and the labor alone to send these out can be a little taxing, some distributors have decided to send their newsletters out electronically through e-mail.

Distributors who have made this transition are finding it to be advantageous, as they can now send out as many newsletters as they want to current or prospective customers — as long as they have a healthy collection of e-mail addresses.

Simply put, e-newsletters are a simple and cost effective way for distributors to share the benefits of what their company offers. Plus, e-newsletters allow distributors to connect with customers and prospects on a more frequent basis — anywhere from once a month to once a week — on top of having salespeople make routine sales calls.

One thing for distributors to consider, however, is that e-newsletters should be designed to be a quick read. Thus, distributors should only show glimpses of what they have to offer (green cleaning programs, new or improved product lines, special promotions), as well as share any new educational and informational tips from manufacturers.

But the most important facet distributors often fail to capitalize on when sending out e-newsletters is to link customers to the subject matter being highlighted in the newsletter. Not only can it be a courtesy to customers, but it can also help a distributor make a sale or get customers to visit their Web site. In fact, those distributors who have been using e-mail to send out their newsletters say they have noticed a significant boost in traffic to their Web sites as well as an increase in e-commerce.

So as times continue to get harder in the cleaning industry, don’t underestimate the value of what an e-newsletter can do for your business.

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