One of the ways to keep in touch with the list you are building and make offers in a way that doesn't feel too "marketey" is through the use of a newsletter.

A newsletter is an e-mail, generally done in HTML format (pretty format as I like to call it), that is sent out to your list on a regular basis. It could be sent out weekly or monthly (or anything in between) but the key is that it is consistent communication with your list.

As you begin to set up your information products, you can use your newsletter to announce the new products, add "teasers" to announce upcoming products and you can also ask your audience for their feedback on an on-going basis. What do your newsletter subscribers want or need right now? Survey them to find out!

Make sure that your newsletter has a lot of fantastic advice and information inside of it to encourage newsletter readership, loyalty and sharing.

Most entrepreneurs know that prospective clients and customers need to see their message repeatedly before they will make a purchase but many aren't taking advantage of that opportunity. If you have an online presence, be it a website, social media profile or other web-based area that you share information through, you want to make sure that you are capturing the information of those people who might be interested in learning more or hearing from you further.

Capturing names and e-mail addresses is fairly easy. First, you want to start out by signing up for an e-mail autoresponder system. Choosing one can be tough since there are many options out there but here are two options we use often and why we use them:

Mail Chimp - Mail Chimp offers a robust e-mail marketing and autoresponder system that integrates with many well known websites to capture your leads and allow you to send targeted messages out on a regular basis. We like them because you can pay-as-you-go and purchase credits only when you need them versus having to pay a monthly fee. Essentially, it allows you to continue to build your list and capture leads but if you don't e-mail them often, it won't cost you a fortune.

1ShoppingCart - If you need an e-mail marketing system that also integrates with a shopping cart and an affiliate program, 1SC (also known as Cartville, Marketer's Choice, Easy Web Automation, Kick Start Cart, etc.) is a good option.

There are many other services out there but the easiest way to take action is to review the options, compare costs and then choose one.

Once you've chosen your e-mail marketing system, you want to then create a new list (also known as an autoresponder) and generate the opt-in box form code. This will allow you to place a name and e-mail address capture box on your website, on Facebook or wherever else you are allowed to place HTML code. Once that is complete, you can then begin capturing names and e-mail addresses.

Now, to encourage registration to your newsletter, it's a good idea to also give something away for free. This is known as your "freebie." This can be an e-book, an audio program, an e-course or anything else you have that has a value attached to it. Creating a graphical representation of the item, such as a 3D e-book cover, is a good way to draw the eye there and entice sign-ups.

After all of the above is done, you can now get your newsletter process in place.

Create a schedule. How often do you want to send it out to your list? Weekly might offer you more touch points but it's also difficult to keep up with over time, depending on your schedule. Monthly might be more manageable but people also might forget about you when you aren't sending a newsletter out.
Determine the format. With your newsletters, you can choose to send HTML, plain text or both (also known as MIME). HTML allows you to send prettier e-mails with images whereas plain text is just plain ol' web copy. If you choose HTML, you will need to have a template created outside of your e-mail marketing system or use one of their default templates.

For HTML newsletters, get a template created. It's always better to have a branded message so a HTML template is encouraged. This would include a custom header to match your website, followed by section headers to introduce each regular column in your newsletter.

Prepare material in advance. If you are working with a team to execute your newsletter on an on-going basis, determine how far in advance you need to send the material to them in order to be prepared for the e-mail newsletter delivery. If you pre-write material, send it to your team and ask them to place it in "tickler" files for upcoming newsletters.