We are living in the digital age. That being said, not everything promoted electronically is a new technique developed in this age. As a college student, I am constantly working to learn (as well as keep up) with new social apps, new digital techniques and software, new social medias etc. I was secretly worried when I started my internship at the Y this summer that I wasn't going to be up-to-date on the new digital marketing technique or social media for instance, that came out last week that I am expected to be proficient in (since I grew up and live in this generation and seems as though new technology is released as soon as I master one). To my surprise, the Y used an old form of marketing called "e-newsletters." To my sister, this is ancient and she wouldn't even know how to write one, let alone recognize an electronic newsletter. But it was refreshing to me. Even more so because it was a huge marketing success for the communications department. I was intrigued. I have to admit I have never written an e-newsletter before so I was excited to use email marketing via a newsletter.
After completing this internship and delving into further research about e-newsletters, I find that it is a small form of marketing that every nonprofit should be conducting. This does not require any formal campaign, budget or marketing team. It's a simple way to connect with your audience. I have been encouraging other clients to utilize this "old-fashioned" form of communication that is still relevant in today's digital society. Many people subscribe to newsletters for a multitude of reasons. The most common being a form of communication that keeps the member of the nonprofit organization or brand in the loop with current news that is happening inside the organization. It's a simple email explaining what's up. Often times, newsletters include pictures of its members. This is a great way to connect with your audience members.
The Y I interned for sent a monthly newsletter. I would recommend this because it's enough to keep your members informed of your programs and events for the upcoming month, but it doesn't overwhelm their email box and annoy them. The last thing you, as a nonprofit, want is to increase your bounce rate or find yourself in the spam folder.
According to an article I found that is attached here (Email Marketing Benchmarks by Industry), the nonprofit industry has an newsletter open rate of 25.12 percent. Meaning that a quarter of your audience is connected and communicates with your brand through the content of email marketing. This is significant in terms of free advertising. I think it's important for nonprofit organizations to conduct quarterly or monthly e-newsletters because many people see this as a form of a newspaper. People care about their community and who supports a community's wellbeing better than a local nonprofit? People come to the newsletter to see pictures and stories of their neighbors and community involved in organization that does outstanding deeds for the people they care about. Its a way to share events, feature community members, get people informed and involved and or simply a way to let them know the difference they made through last month's donation.
When I interned for the Y, we used a service called "Constant Contact" to create the layout of the newsletter. I've inserted the link for any of you interested in using this paid service (Constant Contact). Constant Contact was a great resource because it kept your format and you could easily update dates and stories each month. Although it isn't free to use their layouts, it is an effective website for anyone in the beginning stages of putting together layouts and newsletters. There are other free websites or Microsoft offers free newsletter templates to use as a means to keep the newsletter completely free.
I will finish off this blog with a few reminders when creating and sending a newsletter. First, don't underestimate the power of the subject headline. It leads to your success or death (via spam folder). Make sure your email subject line is short, vague, to-the-point, and you don't sound like a marketing ad. The point of the e-newsletter is to market your name without making your audience feel as though they are being marketed to or scammed. Again, as I've stated in my previous blog, all marketing is, is story-telling. Your email subject line needs to tell your story and simply what is in your newsletter.
Again, limit the number of newsletters sent weekly/monthly etc. It's a free form of advertising and I have read stories where organizations take this to the max to inform their audience of every event coming up. Once a month is a happy number that won't push your readers to the "unsubscribe" button.
People care about what is happening in their communities and e-newsletters are a great form of free advertising that connects readers with nonprofit organizations.
No comments:
Post a Comment