send your message to the masses

+

Email Newsletter Overview

Drag picture to placeholder or click icon to add

Drag picture to placeholder or click icon to add

Send Your Message

to the Masses

June 12, 2013Emily Pitts, University of Georgia

+Email newsletter overview

This session will cover:

E-newsletter basics

Selecting an e-newsletter service

Working with subscription lists

Planning your newsletter series

June 12, 2013Send Your Message to the Masses : : Email Newsletter Overview

Send Your Message to the Masses : : Email Newsletter Overview

E-Newsletter basics

June 12, 2013

+Basic definitions

HTML email

Email newsletter service

Subscription list

Campaign

Email client


+HTML email… Why do it?

Visually appealing Include your logo Include pictures Help focus attention Professional

Message straight to user’s inbox No additional software No attachments necessary Link to more info or include it all in the message


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What makes HTML email different?

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Email Client

DeviceFormat

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How can an e-newsletter service help?


Email Client

Device

Format

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What’s so hard about sending bulk email?

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TrashSPAM!

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Email works like this… Ideally.

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Your Message

YourEmail Server

Recipient’sEmail Server

Recipient’sEmail Inbox

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Problem #1: Message never sent

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Your Message

YourEmail Server



!!SPAM

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Problem #2: Message blocked

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Your Message

YourEmail Server



!!SPAM

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Problem #3: Straight to junk mail

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Your Message

YourEmail Server


Recipient’sTrash or Junk Mail

Folder

SPAM!JUNK!

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Problem #4: Return to sender

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Your Message

YourEmail Server


BAD

ADDRESS!FULL

INBOX!


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How can an e-newsletter service help?


Trash

SPAM!


Selecting an e-newsletter service

June 12, 2013

+E-Newsletter service

Permission-based tool for mass e-mailing

Subscriber management Unsubscribes, deletes, edits Segmentation Profile information History of interaction

Campaign creation tools

Tracking success and monitoring problems


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Which service should I use?

There are so many to choose from!


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How do I pick?

Budget

Scalability

Immediate results

Freebies and features

Simplicity

Customization

Vendor advertising

Reliability

Survey tools

Invitations / announcements

Support

Integration

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Understanding subscription lists

June 12, 2013

+What’s in a subscription list?

List name

Your contact info

Permission reminder

Per subscriber Basic info: email address Additional info: first and last name Detailed information: birthday,

address, phone, etc. Interest groups: ANR, 4-H, FACS,

special events, specific topics, etc.

Sign-up forms


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How do new subscribers get added?

Via web form Subscriber adds self You subscribe individual Double opt-in

Import list of individuals From written sign-up form From migrated listserv As a text document As an excel spreadsheet

June 12, 2013

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Working with

subscription lists

You must have permission for every single address that you enter or import into your list.

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Recruiting subscribers

Link to sign-up forms On your website From Facebook page In email signature In targeted messages

Sign-up sheet at office/event

Invitation over the phone

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+Build and maintain relationshipsTrust

Use transparent language

Use email addresses only as explicitly written at sign-up

Don’t share email addresses with other people or lists

Do consider sharing a message for other people

Don’t pick up email addresses from other sources

Do consider asking other sources to plug your newsletter


+Build and maintain relationshipsRespect

Introduce yourself in your campaign

Reintroduce yourself if a lot of time has passed between campaigns

Allow subscribers to change their preferences

Always allow people to unsubscribe

Make unsubscribing a simple process

Be clear about why they are receiving your message


+Tips for migrating lists

Did these people agree to hear from you via email? About this subject? For this purpose?

How old is your list? Will they remember you? Will the addresses bounce? Be blocked?

Clean it up! Look for: Old email addresses Mistyped email addresses Generic email addresses Duplicates sometimes okay

(be wary if different names on same address though!)


+First contact to migrated list

If they agreed to newsletter – send message from new subscription list.

If they are office contacts or very old addresses –send from your email and include sign-up link.

Re-introduce yourself and re-introduce your list New newsletter format! Here’s what we do and why you want to hear from

us. Method to unsubscribe Link to update subscription info


NOTE: If you mass email random people from your email account, be respectful of their privacy. Always use BCC to hide addresses in mass emails.

+Can I subscribe a listserv?

No.

Probably against terms of service

One person’s actions from a listserv affects everyone on the listserv Change of address Unsubscribe SPAM (100% sure way to be blacklisted)

NOTE: If you are the listserv owner, consider migrating list to email newsletter service for distribution and management.


+Can I subscribe the entire organization?

No.

Subscribing listserv addresses may not be allowed.

Email addresses may not be easily compiled and maintained.

Do:

Recruit subscribers from faculty and staff listservs.

Include link to sign-up form on your email signature.


+How do I recruit listserv subscribers?

Send occasional message asking people to sign up (monthly, seasonal).

Include what the newsletter does, why they should get it, how to subscribe.

Send teaser with issue information.

Include a link to the sign-up form.

Include a link to sample newsletter (do not forward actual newsletter).



Planning your newsletter series

June 12, 2013

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Establish a distribution strategy

How often? Frequency Ability to produce

To whom? Targeted audience Multiple audiences

Archive? Link to back issues List back issues on your site


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Craft a content plan

Email subject

Required info per campaign

Predictable sections

Articles

Voice

Primary goals

Links

Images

Text-only version

Send Your Message to the Masses : : Email Newsletter Overview June 12, 2013

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Email subject

Inviting emails = more opens

Recognized sender

Personalized “to” line

Subject Call to action Preview of content Relevant No “spammy” language

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Required info per campaign

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Articles and voice

Most important article first

Sections: like with like Subject-related (i.e. program areas) Action-related (i.e. event calendar)

Formula for your layout Article placement Newsletter info placement Features

Standard approach Link out to articles? Include all content?

June 12, 2013

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Primary goals and links

Clear actions = more clicks

Make it easy to pick out actions

Keep an eye on how many links you include

Monitor which ones are clicked, ignored, etc.

Standard links to: your site, your facebook page, etc.

June 12, 2013

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Images

Image visibility Most emails will be delivered with images OFF Images MUST have alternative text Once open, rely on text (not images) to convey message

Placement – with every article? sidebar?

Consistency – size, shape, style

Reuse – banner, section, etc.

June 12, 2013

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Text-only version

Organize and clean it up

Issue information

Table of contents at top

Indicate headings Separate with lines or asterisks above and below heading Allow a few extra line breaks after the end of each section

Don’t forget standard newsletter info at bottom

June 12, 2013

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A few examples…

Walk Georgia (HTML & text-only) http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/home/?u=4cc31c1fa608

a4d5b37d9e142&id=97c6956b22

Environmental News (HTML & text-only) http://www.caes.uga.edu/unit/oes/news.cfm

Galleries http://www.beautiful-email-newsletters.com http://www.email-gallery.com http://mailchimp.com/features/email-template-gallery

June 12, 2013

http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/home/?u=4cc31c1fa608a4d5b37d9e142&id=97c6956b22



http://www.caes.uga.edu/unit/oes/news.cfm



http://www.beautiful-email-newsletters.com/

http://www.beautiful-email-newsletters.com/

http://www.email-gallery.com/



http://mailchimp.com/features/email-template-gallery

http://mailchimp.com/features/email-template-gallery

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Questions?

Emily [email protected]

Visit www.caes.uga.edu/unit/octsfor more resources and WIMBA archives.

send your message to the masses

Education