New E-zine Launch for LookWest.ie

Posted 27 May 2009 in Activate Clients , Email Marketing | No Comments

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LookWest.ie is an iniative of the Western Development Commission, with responsibility for promoting economic and social development in the Western Region.  LookWest.ie promotes Ireland’s Western region as a great place to live, work and do business and maintains a database of subscribed individuals and enterprises.  The new look e-zine was tasked with informing and appealing to both individuals and business.

  • We introduced LookWest.ie in an introductory paragraph.
  • Each e-zine presents quite a bit of information and therefore we  ‘themed’ each monthly ezine to provide focus and context.
  • Many of the articles contain statistical information so we presented users with a summary paragraph and the option to ‘read more’ for more in-depth information.
  • The e-zine referred users to LookWest’s new Twitter account and Facebook page

Campaign Stats

The stats of the first e-zine send were very encouraging.  Despite a long period of inactivity with their database:

  • Only 8 people unsubscribed.
  • The open rate was 33%
  • The click rate was 45%

This is an indication of a finely tuned message sent to a relevant and well maintained database.

Stats vary widely on average open and click rates in e-mails.  Generally accepted averages are 25% for both.  That will obviously depend hugely on, amongst other things, your message, frequency of emails, quality of your database and your sector (whether it is e-commerce, B2B, charity etc).

Tips for planning an e-zine:

  • Plan ahead – schedule in advance and gather relevant information
  • Consider “theming” emails where appropriate
  • Have a clear focus on what you are trying to say, by basing it on what is likely to be of interest to your readers
  • Ask yourself why users have signed up to your e-zine. What are they expecting you to provide them with?
  • Break information up into bite sized chunks
  • Present key information in the top.  Many users will see only the top in a preview pane, and will use this to assess whether to open or delete.

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