eNewsletter Takes Off

I've worked, over the past few months, on rebooting the company email campaign. Prior to the reboot, we were sending out too many emails and not enough meaningful content. Our members were losing faith in our product and no longer wanted to hear what we were saying. The restructure planned followed two main philosophies:

1. provide content - give readers a reason to read. while we wanted to keep pushing our products, we needed to give them a reason to interact with us as well.

2. be reliable - establish a time frame of when emails go out and plan ahead to make sure there's enough time/opportunity to publicize all events.

3. follow through - make sure that we're doing the things that we tell people we're going to do. give our audience a reason to believe in our 'product' again.

So far things have worked out great. The first email went off on time and we saw a great return: 17% open rate and 29%(!) ctr. That's a huge jump from where we'd been in the past and from what I can tell, some pretty solid number as email marketing goes.

Take two. Our second email went out as planned but hasn't had the same response. This time we only had 13% opens and 17% ctr. How to account for the big change? The email went out three hours later than the last one. There weren't as many links. The bulk of the content was different, though some was the same. Would all those factors decrease the numbers that much?

It's all trial and error with a new campaign. We'll play with the details a bit before next month's edition and see where that puts us. Hopefully after 6 or so we should have a more solid sense of what our readers want to get, when they want to get it, and what will make them read on.

Ad and PR Blogs... how to choose

With so much out there to digest it's hard for someone just getting into the field to figure out what's most worthy of attention. Magazines, eNewsletters, blogs, eZines... content is non-stop. How do you choose?

As I'm working on structuring my own blog -- finding a voice and figuring out what unique message I have to say to the world -- I've been especially enjoying reading other people's blogs. I set up my own NetVibes page and now get a steady stream of Ad- and PR-related postings every day. Here's what I'm reading now:

The Steve Rubel Lifestream offers the most consistent and regular posting -- with short updates coming every few hours. The author has a blog too (Micro Persuasion) but I like the lifestram as it it's somewhat of an information tease... bits of news here and there to investigate as you will. Has been a great resource for discovering new blogs, websites, and hot articles.

PR Squared is Todd Defran's comments on social media marketing. Consistent lengthy posts that get you thinking. Bonus: his firm Shift Communications, has an employee blog (unSpun) that covers a hodge podge of thoughts from Shift professionals.

Gaping Void Hugh MacLeod draws cartoons on the back of business cards and comments on his life and the media. He's the mind behind Microsoft's Blue Monster, the corp's new mascot for their new PR plan to tell their own story instead of letting their competitors and the media do it for them.

Adverganza. Just found this one (thanks, SRL). Comments on advertising industry. Haven't had much time to look into it but so far it seems good.

Forward Blog is targeted at young PR and Advertising professionals. Archived posts on interviewing, job hunting, and PR basics. Regular podcasts with a similar focus.

What are you reading?

The Privileged Generation

Out for coffee with a friend earlier this week, the subject of the new generation of workers came up. As we chatted about our post-college job search, grueling interviews, and the eventual offers, she pointed out that part of the difficulty that of finding a job stems from the fact that we are proud members of the "privileged generation." Now I've heard this arguement before: the 20-somethings of today's world want it all and want it now. We grew up being told that we could do anything we wanted -- encouraged more than criticized, we believe that with enough effort and a good education, we will rise to the top.

What our parents, teachers, mentors, and advisors forgot to tell us is that there's quite a large gap between the time we're told this and the time it proves true. They failed to mention all menial tasks and annoying grunt work we'd have to put up before we arrive. Their constant encouragement didn't include speaches about 'paying your dues' and so, my generation, "the prividledged generation' has had to learn the hard way that that if we want to be president, CEO, or own our oun business, we're going to have to put in some hard time of answering phones, taking messages, and opening mail.

You may be smart and you may have great great ambition, but (what I'm learning) is that a huge part of early years on the job is about handling the small details of the big picture. Sending out a press release? Guess who gets to manage the database of publications and reporters? Preparing a mass mailing? Guess who'll be collecting quotes from mail houses and list rental companies? Phone calls, filing, and organizing details. These are the resposibilities of an entry-level marketing professional, and it's these tasks that this 'privileged generation' has such a hard time swallowing. Filling this position, however, is as necessary a part of climbing the career latter as getting a degree.

I'll grant you that much of this is easier said than done. It takes patience and a few self-reminders to smile though the tasks, work diligiently, and stay focused on the next step. As my friend mentioned during our coffee outing, it's in our nature to be impatient and want it all now. And perhaps, this driven, ambitious attitute will be a major driving force in our future success -- determining what story we will tell when the power is (eventually) left in our hands. But first we need to get there. And right now, getting there means answering a few more phone calls and taking a few more messages.

A Blog Begins

The beginnings of blogging...

On Tuesday I went to a marketing seminar sponsored by PR Newswire. In addition to being a great excuse to get away from my desk for a few hours, the conference focused on online marketing -- a topic of particular interest to me. After spending about a year working at a web design studio, examining websites has become somewhat of an hobby. I can't help but pick at poorly structured sites to consider what I'd do better. More content, less flash, better layout, clearer focus. Yet I don't have a website. Not a homemade site and not even a simple do-it-yourself in a hot second site. Heck, I don't even have a blog. Though, I've considered it, things seem get in the way. What would say? How would I define myself? Who would listen? Well, this conference inspired me to dive right in. So here goes...

The world of online marketing fascinates me. How in the vast universe that is the internet, you can can influence the way people connect. Make it easier. Make it quicker. Drive the way people think about how they work online. This blog will be my thoughts on that. As a pr professional just getting her feet wet, I'll explore the excitement and tediousness of the first years of work and express my thoughts on what I'm learning, what I want to know, and where I see this ever expanding industry going in the next 5, 10, 20 years.

So welcome. To my musings, my ramblings, my speculations, and my curiosities. I'm not sure where this blog will end up, but I'm happy to say that it has finally begun.