Following is the #smbiz Twitter chat recap on newsletter development for small business. Expert panelists were @margot_lester, @kodiakcreative and @emaildirect.

@smbiz Q1 Why should small businesses do a newsletter? #smbiz

@margot_lester Q1: related to what @docorlando70 said, Know your audience. Who are they and what do they need to know? #smbiz

@kodiakcreative Q1 It’s a great way to maintain loyalty among ur customers and attract new biz. #smbiz

@emaildirect Q1_ Newsletters keep their business in front of the most important audience: their own customers! #smbiz

@emaildirect Q1_Email newsletters are inexpensive, easy to distribute and generate huge ROI’s. #smbiz

@kodiakcreative Q1 the more communication the better, just keep it concise #smbiz

@emaildirectQ1_According to an Oct08 study conducted by the DMA, email generated $45.06 in revenue for every $1 spent! #smbiz

@emaildirect Q1_Newsletters specific to email are quick to distribute and generate instant results. 80% of response comes in first 24 hours. #smbiz

@emaildirect Q1_newsletters drive traffic to websites, foot traffic for brick & mortars & phone calls for sales #smbiz

@smbiz Q2 What should a small business keep in mind before they create a newsletter? #smbiz

@emaildirect Q2_2 Rule–A newsletter is not a standalone promotion. If you lack time to develop content promote it as email program..not newsletter #smbiz

@kodiakcreative Q2 Audience. Focus. Budget. #smbiz

@emaildirect Q2_3 Rule–Brand it! Make it fun! Be interactive! Include Trivia, tips. Create excitement & your program will be much more successful #smbiz

@smbiz Q3 What are some tools (free & otherwise) available to help #smbiz create print and e-newsletters? #smbiz

@emaildirect Q3_For email, free tools are not a good option. Emails will end up in Spam folders, if delivered at all. #smbiz

@kodiakcreative Q3 E-newsletter: Microsoft Outlook $; Print: InDesign $$$ #smbiz

@margot_lester Q3 Re: branding: we have a framework we help clients think abt msging: http://bit.ly/5gyVH #smbiz

@kodiakcreative Q3 if sending via email your newsletter should be branded to keep interest #smbiz

@emaildirect Q3_Blind CC’ing a group from Outlook is also a bad choice..again, hard work will be rewarded with very poor delivery. #smbiz

@margot_lester Q3: good point @DocOrlando70 re free/inexp tools for design. Looks count! #smbiz

@emaildirect Q3_For very inexpensive tools sets I would look towards iContact.com who achieve better, but not great, delivery. #smbiz

@smbiz Q4 What are some design and layout strategies a small business should keep in mind for a newsletter? #smbiz

@margot_lester Q4: simple, clean, easy to read (seems obvious, yet so few are). #smbiz

@kodiakcreative Q4 Ensure that ur content applies to ur audience. Answer the 5w’s and h. Design should be clean & easy to follow #smbiz

@emaildirect Q4_For email, try to create a mini-website. Replicate your websites Navigational bar at the top of the newsletter. #smbiz

@margot_lester Q4: also should match your corp. personality. I like Marquita Farms’ eNL. Just text, but they’re low-tech folks. #smbiz

@emaildirect Q4_Keep the top nav bar/logo small…less than 150pixels in height, so your content shows in preview panes. #smbiz

@margot_lester Q4: amen on the white space, y’all! #smbiz

@emaildirect Q4_Don’t use a general template, make sure the emails are well designed…it leads to higher readership. #smbiz

@emaildirect Q4_Draw attention to copy using images…remember people are busy so you have to grab their attention so they read your content. #smbiz

@smbiz Q5 What kind of content and/or stories should you do for a newsletter? #smbiz

@margot_lester Q5: Content should drive your operational goals and inform customers. That said, ppl also enjoy profiles on staff members #smbiz

@kodiakcreative Q5 Answer these ?s: What’s new at ur biz? New employees? New products, services, website functionality or Events? #smbiz

@emaildirect Q5_Relevancy is key here. Promote products or services, but also provide topical information. #smbiz

@margot_lester Q5: the key is to serve your reader in a way that serves your operational goals. Again, with the purpose! #smbiz

@emaildirect Q5_Contests, employee profiles, recipes, how-to tips, customer testimonials, jokes/riddles.these element keep your readers interested #smbiz

@margot_lester Q5: I encourage clients to write like a reader. What do *you* like to see in NLs? That’s a good place to start. #smbiz

@emaildirect Q5_Ex:Website selling Sporting equipment could include content on new items in stock, MLB scorecard, coaches corner w/hitting tips #smbiz

@smbiz Q6 How does design/content differ depending on if ur audience is B2B or B2C? #smbiz

@emaildirect Q6_Regardless, success is rooted in relevant content. The sporting example wouldn’t work for a B2B marketer but the idea is the same. #smbiz

@margot_lester Q6 Content: Tone/voice will differ with the audience and should always support sales/rev/ops goals #smbiz

@kodiakcreative Q6 B2C content should answer: What’s in it for me? #smbiz

@emaildirect Q6_Ex. A Dietary Supplement Supplier might include content on how to promote the supplements their vendors sell. #smbiz

@margot_lester Q6: re ads: just remember that the NL is designed to sell YOU, not others. Partners, maybe. #smbiz

@emaildirect Q6_EX Dietary Supp cont…how to cross promote different items for up sell, or how to execute lifecycle marketing campaigns #smbiz

@smbiz Q7 Can you offer some tips to distribute a print newsletter on a shoestring budget? #smbiz

@kodiakcreative Q7 Keep page count short and content focused and concise. #smbiz

@margot_lester Q7 Get to know your local copy shop owner – maybe run a trade-out ad #smbiz

@margot_lester Q7 Make a deal on discontinued paper that has a similar stock once that’s gone, and investigate bulk mail options #smbiz

@kodiakcreative Q7 Talk to ur printer about less $$ alternatives for paper. Dist less frequently. #smbiz

@margot_lester Q7: but some people still really like paper and getting US mail. Again, good to know your audience. #smbiz

@smbiz Q8 Now how about a few tips on distributing an e-newsletter on a tight budget? #smbiz

@emaildirect Q8_Lots of providers offer email marketing services at very low prices, starting at $10/mth.The tips here relate to how to choose one #smbiz

@margot_lester Q8: Whether e or not, building a good list is part art, part science, part sweat. But a good one is gold! #smbiz

@emaildirect Q8_If you have over 40,000 email addresses the low end providers aren’t going to be a good fit. #smbiz

@emaildirect Q8_Don’t rely on the low end providers Spam Checker tool to determine delivery outcome. These tools are out of date & misleading. #smbiz

@emaildirect Q8_Ask about IP structure, sharing vs. pooled, how its determined & where you’ll be placed. This GREATLY effects inbox delivery. #smbiz

@smbiz Q9 How can you use a newsletter as a sales tool? #smbiz

@emaildirect Q9_A newsletter is arguably the most valuable sales tool in the toolbox! #smbiz

@margot_lester Q9: The key is managing your sales funnel so you don’t kill off clients who have a long sales cycle. #smbiz

@margot_lester Q9: I hate to sound like a broken record, but knowing your audience and their buying habits is critical. Best way to find out: ASK. #smbiz