© 2008 David M. Freedman, Chicago/Northbrook, IL
847-204-6848 
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Newsletters and Blogs
Writing, Editing, and Development

Freedman helps firms develop, write, and edit non-commercial newsletters and blogs. The purpose of such publications is to (a) showcase your expertise and knowledge; and (b) reinforce relationships with clients, prospects, referral sources, and the media.

Newsletters
A client newsletter's four main goals are to (a) increase your visibility and build name recognition, (b) make people aware of your practice areas, (c) demonstrate your high level of expertise, and (d) generate inquiries from prospective clients.

Readers demand value

Even though you don't have to sell your newsletter, you still must compel people to read it. Your newsletter is competing for the reader's attention with a multitude of other media, including other promotional newsletters. Therefore an effective newsletter requires careful planning, creativity, and thoughtfulness to give readers information that they need and value – in an appealing format that projects a professional, authoritative image.

Dave Freedman has 29 years of experience as a writer and editor of newsletters and other periodicals, including online publications. He is the winner of a Apex Award for publication excellence, for his work in developing and editing a newsletter called Goldman's Critical Support. Dave's strategic partners include graphic designers, desktop publishers, website developers, and marketing professionals.

Complete range of services
Dave Freedman can help you with any or all of the following phases of publishing a promotional newsletter:

  • Set marketing objectives, identify target audiences

  • Develop an editorial concept; create a title, banner, and masthead

  • Costing and budgeting

  • Graphic design; establish a template and/or logo

  • Long-term issue planning; brainstorming story ideas

  • Researching, writing, and editing articles

  • Illustration, photography, layout, pre-press work, and print management

  • Copyfitting and proofreading

  • Build and maintain distribution lists; bulk mail and BRC permits, and e-mail service providers

  • Coordinating hard-copy and online versions of each newsletter

  • Search engine optimization

  • Tracking, reporting, evaluating, and measuring effectiveness

  • Conduct readership surveys

A newsletter can be a cost-effective marketing strategy for many firms, but not necessarily in every case. Also, a newsletter cannot take the place of the two most important practice-development strategies, which are: (a) providing excellent service and (b) face-to-face meetings with prospects and referral sources. But a newsletter can reinforce those activities very nicely.

Blogs and other Social Media
Web 2.0 is the new prime-time. It's a world of social networking, user-generated content, and hyper-syndicated media.

Blogging includes not only posting regularly to your own blog, but commenting on others' as well. The latter increases traffic to your blog and and website, and helps to improve search engine ranking of your website.

Please call Dave Freedman at 847-204-6848 if you would like to evaluate whether a newsletter or blog would help you accomplish your business goals. Or you can e-mail Freedman. Thank you.


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ARTICLES

9 Ways to Motivate Contributors
Getting staff professionals and consultants to write articles for your newsletter – on deadline – can be maddening. Here are some great tips for motivating them. Published in Association Publishing magazine

3 Keys to a Great Client Newsletter. Create a good impression, provide extremely valuable information, and compel readers to take action. Based on a TV interview with Dave Freedman

Newsletter Strategy Session features articles, book reviews, and resources for publishers of client newsletters.

David M. Freedman, Financial & Legal Communications