This week I am pulling together the material for the first e shot for nine individual Pub businesses. I've spent quite a bit of time on setting up the mechanics to make this work but now its time to think clearly about what's going to make a successful communication.
Over the last months I've got into the habit of signing up for anyone and everyones email lists and now get a good selection of messages of varying value. In the case of this particular project I have 9 quite different and independant businesses and the only reason they are all going to be broadcasting at the same time is for my convienience rather than their need. Clearly once a pattern has been established that will have to change!
Going back to the practicalities - I had spent alot of time thinking about and then working on the whole business of how we would go about an e marketing programme and internally I have had a long debate with the client over whether we should be outsourcing the work or handling it in house by setting up a marketing function we manage ourselves. Now that debate is over ( and I'll go into that debate and the costs at another time) I find myself more and more thinking about making the messages valuable and interesting to the recipients.
In particular I am concious of the hard work involved in collecting the database members; whether it be persauding an individual to sign up or that when they have persauded them we have incorrect or ilegible details we can't use; either way a useable database for an individual Pub site of +1000 names isn't built over night. My best site has built up 1500 + over 4 - 5 months but with a real zeal and determination not found in every busy Pub or Restaurant Manager. Therefore if we accept its hard work building the database what we don't want to do is turn half of the recipients off in the first newsletter. In trials for one site so far we get around a 35% opening rate; so its worth remembering if your database is only 100 then only about 35 people are even going to look at the message you sent.
I discussed the issue of value messages with Rob Ward ( LinkedIn) at the weekend and his reminder that everyone in 'town' is sending out discounted product messages like crazy and not to forget customers are just as interested in product developments and / or the personal angle was timely!!
Anyhow Ive set myself the goal of getting material for an e shot from 8 out of the 9 businesses this week and getting that info into shape to go to the next stage; as well as ensuring everyones databases are as up to date as they can be before we boradcast on or around 8th December for a Christmas messaage!
In addition I have to prepare for my new 'Marketing' help who starts work on December 1st. We have 11 web sites to build and a strategy to work up before Christmas!
And finally I was pleased to receive a call this week from a 'Brother of a Friend' whose buying a Pub site in Essesx and it looks like he'd like some guidance!
Watch this space.......
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