Increase your readership using email metrics
Case Study: Toy Industry Association, New York
Challenge: In 2009, TIA decided to make its monthly e-newsletter a weekly. The newsletter was renamed “Toy News Tuesday,” with the goal of pushing news to readers in a more timely fashion. By 2011, TIA wanted to increase readership for the weekly newsletter and increase visitors to the TIA website.
Solution: TIA sent out a survey to the e-newsletter readers to determine what type of information they wanted to see in the newsletter. Also, by using the responses to the survey, TIA could determine who was interested in the newsletter and thus clean up its distribution list. Those who did not respond were removed. This fostered improved open and click-through rates.
By using email metrics, TIA was able to determine which headlines in the subject area worked best, as well as which topics were most popular with readers, judging from click- through rates. “Most wanted news relating to safety,” TIA digital assets and interactive communication senior manager Isabel Carrion-Lopez said. Going forward, this is an area TIA will focus on in the newsletter, she said.
Also, TIA found that most readers prefer to open their newsletter through html, and on a computer rather than a cell phone.
Results/conclusion: The e-newsletter saw an 18% increase in deliverability, 56% increase in open rate and a 67% increase in the click-thru rate to the web site. Carrion-Lopez said TIA is pleased with how email metrics can help shape editorial content as well as strategy for delivering content. “It was a major accomplishment to get open rates and click-through rates up. We’re very happy.” Details: www.toyassociation.org.
