The paradigm shift that has enveloped 21st-century business revolves firmly around the online phenomenon. Nothing encapsulates this new-age spirit of business more than email marketing. Although email was unidentified as a serious marketing tool barely a decade ago, no self-respecting marketing plan today would be presented without an acknowledgement to its reach and ever-increasing power in the marketplace.

QR (quick response) codes, already established as a consumer staple in Japan for the past 10 years, are now finding increasing popularity in the United States as companies look for enhanced interaction with customers along with innovative approaches to marketing and support, and as consumers seek increased access to pertinent information.

A fundamental, though often overlooked, rule of business is that it is cheaper to keep an existing customer than to find a new one. But developing a loyal client base comes at a cost: It's more than just handing out promotional items and sending client birthday cards. It has everything to do with developing personal, long-term relationships and providing quality service.

As a financial professional, you are conditioned to have short-term and long-term business plans. You may even have been trained to create a marketing plan for how you will grow your business. But do you have a formal client retention plan? Research shows that the cost to gain a new client can be six to seven times higher than the cost of retaining an existing client.

Building a relationship with an existing client starts by staying in touch on a regular basis. If you don't, someone else will.

All businesses have limited time and resources for marketing — but also the need to attract prospects and stay in touch with existing clients. There are many ways to reach clients and prospects, each with its own appeal and drawbacks.

A professional, polished, and well-focused newsletter can be your most productive tool to connect with current and potential clients. The challenge is to create a publication on a regular basis that provides useful, interesting information and represents you as knowledgeable and credible. What does it take to create a winning newsletter?

To send out a quality newsletter that reflects the high professional standards you bring to your work as a financial professional requires multiple tasks and types of expertise. If you decide to produce a newsletter on your own, consider this list of the basic steps.