Michael Katz's E-Newsletter On E-Newsletters
April 21, 2006
Issue #150
Running to The Finish Line
Once a year, my sleepy little town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts is transformed into a bustling metropolis, overflowing with news trucks, police officers and spectators. As luck would have it, Hopkinton is located 26.2 miles from the Boston Marathon's end point, which makes our town a likely spot for the marathon's beginning.
Although I've been living in Hopkinton for nearly four years now, for me, this year's event was different. What happened was that last November, I moved my office to a
building that faces the race starting line. My office window is so close in fact, that with a good windup, you could throw an egg and have a pretty good chance of hitting one
of the state troopers standing up front (not that I am suggesting this).
Anyway, thanks to my close proximity, I got a first hand look at the race preparations this year, as the downtown area was being set up for last Monday's event. Here's what I noticed: Nothing
started happening until the Wednesday before.
Think about that. A world class event with 25,000 participants and 5,000 spectators, and yet with less than a week to go, you'd never even know it was coming. No
scaffolding being built on the town common, no starting line being painted on the road, no vendors lining up to sell $25.00 "Boston Marathon 2006" T-Shirts (which, take it from me, will be on sale for three dollars each by
May). Nothing.
Poor planning? No, in fact, I'd say just the opposite. These folks have set up the center of town so many times by now that they know exactly what needs to be done and how long
it takes. Starting earlier would only prolong the disruption of business as usual, while offering little benefit.
I mention this today as a follow up to my last issue (follow this link to read it), in which I encouraged you to pick a publication date for your own E-Newsletter. Because if I
was successful in convincing you of the importance of publishing on a set schedule, than I'm sure I also got you thinking about the next obvious question: When do I write
the damn thing?
My recommendation? Take a cue from the fine men and women of the Boston Athletic Association: Wait as long as possible.
I'm not suggesting you rush the process and do a sloppy job, I'm simply saying that by giving yourself the time you need ñ and no more ñ each month, you will also limit the
disruption of your business as usual.
And as long as I'm telling you what to do, here's one more suggestion: Get out of the office when it's time to write. Grab your laptop and go park yourself in the local coffee shop, where you can work uninterrupted until you're done.
Bottom Line: Among my clients and friends who publish newsletters, I've noticed that the ones for whom it seems to come easiest (and with the most regularity) are those who have
developed a particular routine for writing each month. They don't put it off, but they don't drag it out either ñ they just do the work necessary month after month after month.
This Week's Interesting Tidbit (TWIT)
As I'm sure you've noticed with your own newsletter, clicking the send button always results in a barrage of "out of office" messages which come back in automated response to your newsletter's arrival.
I don't usually read them, but this excerpt from the e-mail of Jon Matthias, of UK based Care for the Family caught my eye:
Hi there,
Thanks for emailing. I'm off visiting my insane family and then my
sister-in-law. If I survive my parents' boring stories and my
sister-in-law's vegan cookery then I'll respond to your email on my return (which will be Tuesday 18 April).
Lots of love,
Jon Matthias
I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is the first out of office message that ever made me laugh out loud. Bravo Jon!
How about you? Is there something you can do to spice up the hum drum and boring aspects of own everyday business communications???
Enough About You, Let's Talk About Us
I am pleased to announce the relauch of the Blue Penguin Development web site. After a great deal of delay in getting around to it (hey, I teach this stuff, I don't live it), the new site is live.
Besides being rife with penguins, highlights of the new site include a searchable archive of past newsletters and a link to a "speakers" page for those who want to see what I look like in action (Warning: not a pretty sight).
About Blue Penguin Development, Inc.
Blue Penguin Development helps professional service firms get clients,
by showing them how to strengthen relationships with the people they already know.
I specialize in the development of electronic newsletters.
Click here for an overview of my services.
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