Douglas Communications Group » PR & marketing tips

Make your e-newsletter put in some overtime

sharlan — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:20:46 +0000

Once you’ve written something that is valuable to your audience, don’t you want that content to be findable and indefinitely available? Wouldn’t you like to track the results? If you do, then don’t rely on an e-newsletter. Put it on the Web – ideally in a blog — and use your e-newsletter to drive people to it. (Are you reading this because you clicked on a link in MY e-newsletter? Whoops, you caught me. Or did I catch you?)

Below you’ll find the 10 questions you must answer for your e-newsletter to succeed, from my recent presentation to the Michigan Economic Developers Association.

If you’re a business owner feeling a little unappreciated or misunderstood, I can help you combine e-mail and the Web to demonstrate your value. If you’re an association executive whose members are likely to use e-newsletters in their marketing mix, contact me to offer this seminar at your next conference.

Successful e-newsletters answer these 10 questions

Why do you want to publish an e-newsletter?
Who cares?
How often?
How will it be created?
How will it be delivered?
How will you build readership?
Who will write it?
Who will produce it?
Where will you get images and who will process them?
How will you know it’s working?

Stop the presses! It’s now a “website” not a “Web site.”

sharlan — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:18:35 +0000

The Associated Press’s AP Stylebook has been the final arbiter of journalistic use, spelling, grammar and punctuation for decades. In June, they updated the book to include social media. So, in my news releases, what once was a Web site is now a website. However, if I am referring to the “World Wide Web,” I still must capitalize Web, as in, “The Web has forever changed the way we communicate.” And there’s still a hyphen in e-mail and an e-newsletter. Read more.

Everything I learned about email offers, I learned from Chadwicks

sharlan — Wed, 26 May 2010 21:21:33 +0000

Ken Hebenstreit, Bookseller sells collectible, first editions of mystery, suspense and contemporary fiction. (Full disclosure: He’s my husband). We send a biweekly email offer to his customer list, varying the offer each time. I’ve taken my cues from the playbook of clothing retailer Chadwick’s, which sends me a different email offer, with a different appeal, every day. We offer “Buy four, get one free” for collectors who want to complete their collection of works by a given author. For those who’ve had their eye on an expensive gem, we’ll next offer “10% off anything.” For the PBS crowd, we offer “Free tote bag with any purchase.”

Of course we’re tracking the responses to each newsletter, to see which offers work best and when. 5/27/10

Are you hiding from the truth?

sharlan — Wed, 26 May 2010 21:21:22 +0000

When I was studying to be a PR practitioner, the definition of “public relations” included the concept of “two-way communication.” Once that meant laborious and expensive surveys, with long gaps between the question and answer. Web 2.0 can give you that information instantly, providing instant feedback from your customers and making it possible for you to continuously improve and refine your products or services. Here’s a list of Web products – some free, some fee – you might find useful. Thanks to Debi Hart of Hart Marketing for this source. 5/27/10

Cities use polls to decide on budget cuts

sharlan — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:13:55 +0000

As property taxes and revenue sharing fall, decision makers in every Michigan municipalities are going to have to make hard decisions about where to cut or what benefits will prompt people to support a millage. Quantitative research will load your guns. Bonus round: You’ll have the stats to contradict the opinions of that perpetual complainer who shows up at every public meeting. Good article by longtime Free Press reporter Bill Laitner. 4/28/10

A PR seed planted two years ago pays off

sharlan — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:29:37 +0000

When Carlisle/Wortman Associates developed and wrote a technology planning toolkit for Oakland County, we pitched it as a story to the Michigan Township Association’s magazine. At the time, they weren’t interested. Two years passed. This past February, I got an email from Jenn Fiedler, editor of Michigan Townships News. They’d lost the cover story for the April issue. Could Carlisle/Wortman provide them with a 3,000-word toolkit summary by March 1? You bet! Here’s the result 4/28/10

Did social media and cell phones influence this election?

sharlan — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:24:46 +0000

In the fall of 2009, Royal Oak voters were asked to approve a two-year moratorium on new liquor licenses in the city. The campaign against the moratorium used social media vigorously. Many of the opponents were established Facebook users. We posted a steady stream of status updates on the subject, sharing links when local media editorials opposed the moratorium.

We ran a Facebook ad that said, “Keep Royal Oak Vibrant. Who’s trying to keep new businesses out of Royal Oak? Find out why you should vote NO Nov. 3 on the liquor license moratorium.” The campaign paid for clicks only, and ultimately spent less than $15 for 32 clicks. But the ad was viewed more than 38,000 times – and that was really all we needed.

The moratorium failed, with 61 percent of the voters opposing it. Three city commission candidates who opposed the moratorium were elected, while the fourth – the lone moratorium supporter – was defeated. I believe that, in this off-year election, the liquor license issue drove younger voters to the polls

Before the election, a telephone poll by the city commissioner behind the ballot initiative concluded that voters overwhelmingly supported the moratorium. So why was the telephone poll wrong?

According to this study, nearly half of adults aged 25-29 years and more than a third of those aged 18-24 lived in households with only wireless telephones. I think the poll missed those young voters, and they were more likely to opposed the moratorium. 4/28/10

Two speaking engagements in May

sharlan — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:31:40 +0000

I’ll present a webinar on sponsorships for the Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals on May 5 at 2 p.m. Chamber execs contact Bob Thomas at MCCP to learn how you can participate.

On May 27, I’ll present “Improve your E-newsletter” at the Michigan Economic Developers association day-long educational conference, “Inside the Economic Development Toolbox.” 4/15/10

Going in a new direction? Embrace your stupidity

sharlan — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:06:09 +0000

Harvey Ovshinsky’s March 27 “How to produce a career in film and video” presentation at Eastern Michigan University was packed with great career tips, lots of motivation and plain old common sense. If you want to break into a new field, or understand a prospective client or write a better news release, follow Harvey’s advice: “Embrace your stupidity.” Call somebody who knows something – a friend of a friend or even a complete stranger – and ask if they’ll give you 10 minutes of wisdom in their specialty. People love to talk about themselves and their work. Ten minutes will turn into 20 and you’ll have a fresh perspective and maybe even a referral to the next best person to interview. 3/31/10

How to avoid wasting money on sponsorships

sharlan — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:05:25 +0000

Throughout my career I’ve put together many a sponsorship package. At the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, I bundled all the organization’s events into annual sponsorship packages, minimizing the number of times we had to hold out our hand while helping our members match their interests to our opportunities. Through it all, my goal was always to deliver the most bang for the buck as we could. This article on American Express’s Open Forum gives the buyer’s perspective on sponsorships, echoing many of my principles. 3/31/10