Academy Committees. American Academy of Audiology BEST committee. How to Create a Successful Newsletter Web Seminar

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1 Kayce Bramble, AuD Ress ENT American Academy of Audiology BEST committee Direct-to-Consumer Information Toolkit Reaching Physician's CD May is Better Hearing Month The BEST Guide to Marketing for Audiologists State Licensure Information on Audiology Assistants Tip of the Month Practice Management Articles Practice Development Tools Resource Library Academy Committees Volunteer for a AAA committee Minimal time investment Valuable experience 1

2 Learner Objectives Describe the benefits of newsletters in marketing the audiology practice Establish goals for the newsletter Select an newsletter distribution format Create and send an newsletter What is an newsletter It is relevant content sent (via ) to subscribers on a regular schedule (monthly, quarterly, etc ) provides the most direct line of communication Flexible Cost effective and measurable format History of Newsletter First newsletter came out in 1538 By the early 1900 s gained momentum because businesses and industries needed specialized information 1980 s introduction of personal computers Newsletters go digital 2

3 Don t reinvent the wheel Just Google it Ask You-Tube Look at your colleagues and other local clinics Hire a professional Benefits of Marketing Reduced time & effort Real-time messages Personalized messages More frequent communications Test marketing messages Information spreading Why is this valuable to audiologists? Drives traffic to your web site Keep patients informed about your practice Very inexpensive Patients subscribe and unsubscribe themselves Patients forward the s to their friends and family 3

4 How seniors use the internet From the Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute (ACLP) at New York Law School and Older Americans Technology Services (OATS) report, Closing the Broadband Gap: How Seniors are Navigating the Digital Highways. A cost effective marketing option can cost half of the cost of direct mail Existing clients spend 60% more than new clients According to the Direct Marketing Association, every dollar spent on marketing results in an average return of $42.80 From: Why enewsletters? Getting started 4

5 Newsletter Key Elements Goals Editorial calendar Distribution method Design and layout Readability Subject line Sharing Call to action Testing Subscribers Newsletter Goals Brand awareness Driving traffic to your website Driving a revenue generating event Generate leads Sell ancillary products or services Position your organization as a leader in its field Keep the organization s name in front of prospective or current clients Retain customers Up-sell to customers Newsletter Distribution: Self-Hosted Software or Marketing Service 5

6 Self-Hosted Software Options MS Publisher Interspire Sendy ARP Reach Pricing (self-hosted software) Software: $39-$495 one time fee SMTP service: $50-$150 month or VPS/Dedicated Host: $24.95/month for 20k s per day Optional Power MTA: $10K From: The true costs of running self-hosted auto-responder. Marketing Services icontact Mad Mimi Mail Chimp Get Response Constant Contact Brain Vertical Response Campaign Monitor 6

7 Pricing (paid service) Number of Subscribers Price Range 0 to 500 Subscribers $14 to $19 a Month 501 to 2,500 Subscribers $25 to $30 a Month 2,501 to 5,000 Subscribers $49 to $55 a Month 5,000 to 10,000 Subscribers $65 to $100 a Month From: How much should you pay for marketing service? Design and Layout Readability Break text up with images or headlines Eliminate the side column Keep it clean Narrow design to be mobile friendly Make call to action buttons large Color coordinate with website and printed materials Use photos to capture attention! 7

8 Image Resourcess Pixabay.com: Free images with no attribution needed (that means you can use them without running a photo credit). Compfight.com: Creative Commons licensed images that require photographer attribution. BigStockPhoto.com: Vast collection of reasonably priced stock photos. Subject Line Front-load the subject line with keywords and limit it to 40 characters Don t repeat sender information in the subject line Avoid using recipients names in the subject line Be cautious with symbols and special characters 8

9 Subject Line Ideas Reason Why Benefit Question Testimonial How-To News Targeted Teaser Seasonal Sharing Make sure there is an HTML webpage copy of the newsletter Code your in- sharing buttons properly Put social share buttons in the right places Provide text alternatives to social share buttons Patient Focused Content Problems and solutions Top 10 lists and steps New technology Hearing industry news Testimonial Keep it short 9

10 Words to avoid Free Visit our website Opportunity 50% Off Click here Call now Subscribe Bonus Discount One Time All New Save up to Winner Prizes Information you requested Important information regarding Guarantee, Guaranteed Special Promotion Great Offer/Deal Web Formatting Don't copy and paste from word Use bold tags, font colors and font sizes: Underline links Use headlines Small text blocks Readable font (sans serif) Make a Relevant Call to Action Try using the 80/20 rule Use the sidebar to make a relevant offer Use an obvious underlined blue link Be sure to include a call to action in the first three inches (above the fold) 10

11 Call to action example Testing Send a test message to each of the big providers (Hotmail, Yahoo, MSN, Gmail, AOL and one generic office address that is viewed in an Outlook client) With an A/B test, you send two or more versions of the same Inbox preview The subject line The text in your pre-header From field The content of your , hyperlinks or RSS feeds. The layout, images, positioning The call to action: shape and size of your call to action. Personalization: are you using the right personalization for your target audience? How to do an A/B test Remove inactive users and highly active users Sort alphabetically Do not sort by join date Check the percentage of service providers 11

12 Testing Pitfalls Make sure your list is truly random Only test one thing at a time Don't over analyze marketing can be measured Open rates Click rates Unsubscribe rates Bounce Rate Gaining Subscribers Try adding a subscription link to both your blog and website Include a subscription link in your signature. Encourage sharing Promote in the community Archive past issues Include testimonials on the signup page Clean your list regularly 12

13 Two Newsletter Promos Newsletter Sign-Up Creating a Mailing List Never send to a purchased list Double opt-in method. Throughout your opt-in confirmation process ask subscribers to add your address to their contacts list or address book. Be sure to have an unsubscribe form Put your business address in the If they unsubscribe, don't them again. Read up on the CAN-SPAM act 13

14 CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act of 2003 (CAN-SPAM ) Prohibits fraudulent or deceptive subject lines, headers, return addresses, etc. Makes it illegal to send s to addresses that have been harvested from websites. Criminalizes sending sexually-oriented s without clear markings. Requires that you have a working unsubscribe system that makes it easy for recipients to unsubscribe (opt out of receiving your s). Requires most ers to include their postal mailing address in the message. Implicates not only spammers, but those who procure their services. If you fail to prevent spammers from promoting your products and services you can prosecuted. Includes both criminal and civil penalties and allows suits by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), State Attorneys General, and Internet Service Providers. Seek professional help Don t forget that if its necessary seek professional help. Don t reinvent the wheel. Resources Practice Management Resources on AAA website: Constant Contact Marketing Service. CAN-SPAM ACT of publ187/pdf/PLAW-108publ187.pdf What happens if I get too many spam complaints? Why enewsletters? How much should you pay for marketing service? 14

15 Resources Why seniors use the internet. Older adults and technology use. Marketing ebook. Mobile Opens Hit 51%. History of Newsletters. The true costs of running self-hosted auto-responder. Q&A To ask a question, please type your question into the chat box in the lower left corner of the screen and click on the Send button located right below the box. 15