CEO Newsletter Concept Proposal "The primary task of leadership is to communicate the vision and the values of an organization. Second, leaders must win support for the vision and the values they articulate. And third, leaders have to reinforce the vision and the values.

FedEx Chairman and CEO Frederick Smith

Purpose of the CEO Newsletter

Updates. o The CEO Newsletter primarily provides updates about recent events and

developments in BagoSphere. In addition to the more general news outlets of Facebook and the BagoSphere website, the newsletter will provide a more targeted and detailed presentation.

Connection. o The CEO Newsletter will connect and reconnect with existing and previous

supporters and contacts of BagoSphere. The regular interaction with supporters and contacts will (1) make them feel that they are a valued stakeholder in BagoSphere, (2) reinforce the BagoSphere vision, mission and message, (3) leverage of their resources, expertise and networks whenever appropriate and (4) emphasise BagoSpheres internal professionalism.

Marketing. o The CEO Newsletter serves as another form of marketing which is targeted

and effective, hence complementing existing marketing efforts. A full display of BagoSpheres general marketing material, such as stories and pictures, will be delivered straight into the inbox of supporters and contacts. The newsletter may also serve as an ad-hoc advertising channel when the need arises.

Leadership. o Regular, personal communication from the BagoSphere CEO to supporters

and contacts will make their engagement with BagoSphere more personal, and improve their impression of the BagoSphere leadership as collaborative, communicative and knowledgeable.

o Sharing of insights into trends in the BPO industry could project the CEOs position as a thought leader in the industry.

Content Features of the CEO Newsletter Here is a tentative list of content that will be included in the newsletter, with the purpose of each feature appended. As you would realise, the emphasis is on News and getting them to get updated on latest developments in BagoSphere.

Story from Reason for our Being series A brief introduction and link to the MyNewsDesk site.

o Purpose: Engage the interest of readers through storytelling and provide examples of how BagoSphere is fulfilling its social mission.

Update on current batch of students o Brief quotes from students

o Notable events since the last newsletter o Purpose: Humanise our call-centre training programme by providing actual,

authentic voices from students. Introduce new BagoSphere hires.

o Brief write-up of near staff of BagoSphere. o Purpose: Emphasise how these readers are on-board with the BagoSphere

journey. Current business and operational developments.

o Such news items being more sensitive, a careful curation is required to create awareness and excitement at BagoSphers future plans, yet at the same time not release any confidential or strategically significant information.

Good news and gratitude. o Purpose: Imbibing a positive and grateful tone will help generate goodwill and

social capital, and project BagoSphere as a collaborative and grateful company. o Examples including thanking ex-interns or ex-staff, thanking supporters.

CEO reflections. o Some short, honest and insightful comments on the period of time since the

last newsletter. o Purpose: To convince readers that the CEO Newsletter is not merely another

marketing effort, but an effort to personally engage and connect. Upcoming events.

o Information and updates on future events. o Purpose: To project BagoSphere as a developing and forward looking

company. Human Interest Stories.

o Short updates on recent BagoSphere team outings or trips by individuals which is in line with BagoSphere values and image.

o Purpose: Adding to the personal element, while promoting BagoSpheres image.

Links to thought-provoking content. o Purpose: Part of communicating is not only creating content, but sharing

content. Sharing thought-provoking content, which is still in line with BagoSpheres image, builds social capital, adds tangible value to the reader and projects how we are freely giving and not just taking.

Target Audience A key feature of the newsletter is that it is generally tailored to suit the respective target audience. Content generated for the newsletter will be largely the same with differences in amount of content and tone of writing. Since Ms Jam is also planning to produce newsletters for NWTF and Barangay markets, the content for the CEO Newsletter and the other newsletter should correspond to each other. More targeted content to the relevant receivers would also allow the readers to feel more engaged with the content.

Friends of BagoSphere. The most general group of supporters and contacts, who have social or non-strategic contact with BagoSphere. Examples include people you meet

at conferences who want to hear more about BagoSphere, Bago City local contacts and supporters like Joseph Aunzo, ex-staff like Lynette, ex-interns, visitors to BagoSphere.

Strategic Partners of BagoSphere. Partners and contacts of BagoSphere who have strategic interests in the development of BagoSphere, ranging from contacts and partners made in the BPO industry, to government contacts, to contacts in the MFI industry, to potential partners.

Alumni of BagoSphere. Alumni of BagoSphere would do well to hear from BagoSpheres CEO. This will reinforce the efforts of the Alumni department.

Style of the CEO Newsletter The style of the CEO Newsletter would be the most crucial in engaging readers it should be in align with the brand values of BagoSphere, but also possess a personal touch from the CEO. To set it apart from an ordinary newsletter, the newsletter should employ the use of emotional engagement leads e.g. anecdotes, photos, quotes, short trailers of stories. It should be written in the first person perspective, because this POV engages with readers more intimately, is more immediate and shows the CEO is more engaged on the ground. The overall tone of the CEO should also be consistent throughout subsequent issues of the newsletter e.g. reflective, optimistic, friendly etc. Proposed tone for the different newsletters is listed below. The proposed tones should still be in line with the overall tone of the CEO.

Friends of BagoSphere. More light-hearted and optimistic. Strategic Partners of BagoSphere. More professional and collaborative. Alumni of BagoSphere. Optimistic and hopeful.

I also found this quote helpful. Deliver something with genuine individuality. Putting the boilerplate approved copy for your product or service to one side, think about how you might talk about these things to a new acquaintance over the dinner table employing simple language, a bit of humility or humour, some pithy facts. And if you have an opinion, share it. Its often better to stick your neck out than to play it safe.1 Content Pivots Since the interests and motivations of the respective target audiences vary, the content for each newsletter should be slightly tweaked.

Friends of BagoSphere. Content should be more anecdotal and story-based. Includes a few more pictures in line with the light-hearted and optimistic tone.

1 HOW TO: Personalise Communications Meaningfully | b2bmarketing.net, accessed July 9, 2014, http://www.b2bmarketing.net/knowledgebank/customer-insight-marketing/best-practice/how-personalise-communications-meaningfully.

Strategic Partners of BagoSphere. Content include the anecdotes and stories, but focus slightly more on operational and business developments, including highlighting new and potential partnerships.

Alumni of BagoSphere. Content also anecdotal and story-based, with a slight pivot and emphasis toward alumni related activities and information.

Presentation of the CEO Newsletter I have thought of three kinds of presentations for the CEO Newsletter and will discuss the pros and cons of each.

1. Designed and Formatted PDF Newsletter. Such a newsletter will probably be formatted in Powerpoint or Adobe Photoshop and then attached as an email attachment, with some text to introduce the attachment. Alternatively, the Newsletter can be embedded within the email text (and not as an attachment). The only way that I have found to do this is to convert the PDF to JPEG and insert the photo within the email text.

PDF Newsletter as email attachment o Pros:

Higher quality newsletter Makes for easier and effective circulation. Ability to attached hyperlinks that link to our website.

o Cons: More barriers to entry to open the newsletter (how many time do you

open attachments voluntarily?) Attachments sometimes feel like viruses.

PDF Newsletter embedded within mail text o Pros:

Immediate exposure to the newsletter will likely perk the interest of the reader.

o Cons: Embedding in JPEG (the only way I found thus far) reduces the image

quality due to the compression that happens with JPEG, hence producing a lower-quality newsletter that looks less professional and appealing.

Inability to attached hyperlinks in the JPEG. In either case, the newsletter will have to be formatted. Here are some examples:

2. HTML Email Newsletter This is probably the most common and professional newsletters that come out now. The newsletters are embedded within the email, contain vivid visuals and active links, and are not JPEGs or PDFs.

3. Written Email Newsletter Written email newsletters have text and images within the email. Evaluating the three different presentations of the Newsletter

Criteria PDF Newsletter HTML Email Newsletter Written Email

Newsletter

Ease of designing

Relatively easy; using Powerpoint

or Photoshop

More challenging; Possibly require

knowledge of coding2 Relatively easy;

just typing!

Professionalism

Subjective. The most formal way to present a newsletter, although it may same outdated

to some.

Most professional as this is the most commonly

used method now. Portrays BagoSphere is

tech-advanced.

Subjective. Can convey a more personal touch. However, may appear informal if not done

well.

Functionality Embedded PDF will not have active links. Attached PDF will

have live links.

Most functional. Able to include embedded

pictures and active links.

Fairly functional. Able to include active links, although embedding photos inline email

text is risky.

Compatibility Fully compatible, as long readers have a

PDF reader.

Somewhat compatible, although some HTML

emails experience problems being read in

different email software.

Fully compatible.

Next Steps

1. Determine Frequency of Newsletter. 2. Determine how (if any) to track effectiveness of Newsletter in achieving outcomes. 3. Create roles and system for creation of Newsletter. 4. Create email lists.

2 Some websites offer free HTML email design software e.g. https://www.klaviyo.com/, although not sure how advance and usable the software is.