I'm pleased to introduce guest writer Katja Bartholmess, who is is a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant with offices in New York and Berlin. Today Katja shares her expertise regarding how to create an effective newsletter for your home business.

For those of us running businesses out of our spare rooms and garages, it’s vitally important to use advertising methods that make every penny count – methods that really connect with potential customers and let them know why they should do business with you, not the next one down the line who happens to offer the same (or very similar) products and services as you.

If you want to turn skeptical consumers into loyal customers, you’ve got to go the extra mile and offer them something above and beyond whatever products and services you’re selling. But don’t worry: that extra something need not cost you anything. You already have an unlimited supply.

That extra something is your expertise.

Let me tell you how you can take the knowledge and opinions of your industry that you’ve accumulated over the years and pass them on to your potential customers, creating trust and interest in your business:

Write an engaging, helpful and – most important – persuasive newsletter. No matter how many people receive it; your newsletter can personally address the desires and concerns of every recipient while convincing them that you have the solutions they’re looking for. Newsletters are proven to work – whether you’re a business/life coach, a landscaper, an artist, or a purveyor of the world’s best kitty litter!

If you have the free time and a knack for writing, then your own newsletter is well within your reach. Just follow the eleven steps listed below and before you know it, you’ll have a finished product that will help you drum up more business. [Ed. note: we recommend using Aweber for collecting subscriber email addresses and sending out newsletters]

And now? Roll your sleeves up and let’s get started on your newsletter.

Type the phrase "how to write a bio" into Google and the first result that comes up is my article called How to Write a Short Bio. As a result of this high Google ranking, I get enquiries on a daily basis from people needing to write a bio.

Most of the time people are in a hurry to write a bio and therefore happy to simply purchase one of my bio templates. Sometimes, though, I get into an email exchange like the one below. I'm reproducing it here because it's a good example of the issues that come up when trying to write your own bio (names and some details have been changed to protect confidentiality).

-----Original Message-----
From: Smith, Mike X.
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 10:36 AM
To: barbra@sundquist.ca
Subject: Hi

Hi Barbara. Are you in Canada? I found about you through another Web page where I think you might have been involved in writing the bio for a company (sorry can’t remember the name). But I am also interested in coaching as a possible business. I’ve been in IT for 25 years, 50 years old, midlife blah blah…

Have you ever noticed the Kiva banner on this website? I've made a screenshot of it here, but a live version is always in the right column of this site - if you can't see it right now just scroll down and it will appear.

What is Kiva?

Kiva enables me to make a micro-loan of any amount (I usually do $25) to a small business person in the developing world. Note that I said LOAN, not donation. These are loans which will be paid back.

How does Kiva work?

You can click on the banner on this site or go directly to Kiva's website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the business is going.

The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a $25 loan to an entrepreneur named Catharine Ejenarhome in Nigeria. (You can see her pictured at right.) Mrs. Ejenarhome sells wooden combs to people in her community. She is 54 years of age, married, and mother of 7 children. She needs the loan amount of $625 to boost her business, which she started 2002.

Hopefully within a few days other people like me will chip in to make up the additional $600 to complete Mrs. Ejenarhome's loan request of $625.

It's very easy to actually do something about poverty using the microfinancing system that Kiva has introduced. I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they're using it for. And most of all, I know that I'm helping them build a sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world - one loan at a time.

Thanks! Barbra Sundquist
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What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

'Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.'
-- BBC

'If you've got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you've now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.'
-- CNN Money

'Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.'
-- The Wall Street Journal

'An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity...All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.'
-- Entrepreneur Magazine

In this interview, life coach Daina Puodziunas shares the story of how she took a five year "creative sabbatical" and the benefits it brought her.

How old were you when you started your creative sabbatical?

Daina Puodziunas: 44 or 45. My illness started when I was 40. It took 4 or 5 years before I got to the point where I realized I had to take time out.

What were your living circumstances?

Daina: I was self employed doing workshops. Also had a small housecleaning business. I was a very social person. But I didn’t know if that was really my nature or if I had just been socialized to please by being social. I didn’t know! So I did a thought experiment. I thought “let’s test it out”. And I found out that I am actually a very social person. That I really like people.

It sounds like you wanted to bring yourself down to zero so that you could see what bubbled up naturally for you.

Daina: yes, and wait to see what emerges

How did you tell people that you would not be available to them?

Daina: it was hard. I said different things to different people - whatever I could to get people to accept it. I wasn’t always completely honest when it was someone that I just didn’t want to be friends with anymore. I had a few women friends who were quite controlling. Even still, I could see that some people were hurt. And lots of people couldn’t understand. I’d say “-----“ and they’d say “well, I’ll just drop by sometime” and I’d have to say “no, I’ll have the gate up”

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Did you know the giraffe has the biggest heart in relation to its body size of any mammal? That's why I choose it to be our symbol for learning Mastery #1: Establishing and maintaining a relationship of trust

Mastery #1 Definition: Ensuring a safe space and supportive relationship for the client’s personal growth, discovery and transformation.

(the definition is from the members learning guide available at the IAC website)

The keywords to remember for Mastery #1 are TRUST and RAPPORT (remember the giraffe with the extra-big heart).

Some of the ways that you build trust and rapport are by:
• using active listening skills such as paraphrasing and listening for feeling as well as content
• having a warm and supportive tone of voice
• validating the client's feelings
• asking for the client's suggestions and input

Action Item:

Wondering how to get local tv publicity? Joan Stewart, author of the Publicity Hound newsletter, explains:

If you're planning a special event, are you paying attention to the TV news shows in your community that are sometimes desperate for guests?

You should be. It can mean the difference between no pre-event coverage and tons of it. One of the best places to look is the weekend news shows at your local TV stations.

On Sunday morning, I caught the tail-end of an interview on a Milwaukee TV news show with somebody who was promoting the Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival in West Bend, Wisconsin, about a half hour from where I live.