Help us improve Eureka
10 Jul 2003
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Hi , sick of winter yet? Why not bury your head in some e-marketing reading material. Spring can't be far away.
And while you are reading this issue, put some thought into how you would make it better. Your thoughts could win you a groovy Xiro MP3/Voice Recoreder/USB Drive. We discovered these at CeBit earlier this year. They were a huge hit and coming soon to a store near you. But be the first on your block with one - take our one minute survey.
If you have any questions on how you can get more out of e-marketing, be sure to e-mail me. I really do want to hear from you.
Regards
Paul Hodgson
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Online Surveys - Remarkable ROI
 Electronic surveys are surging in popularity. The ease with which participants can respond means that on average response rates more than treble when conducted electronically. Damien Reddrop of the Australian Human Resources Institute reported that the response rate of 60% to a recent post conference survey provided an unprecedented level of feedback. "The result was amazing. We have also had a considerable increase in response rates from our other surveys since we started conducting them electronically. At least a 20% overall improvement." said Damien
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Newsletters in the Firing Line
Is the corporate Newsletter in danger?
The Corporate or Association newsletter is in the firing line. With a volume of information to share, an expanding database of contacts and a need for measurable returns, the printed newsletter now has competition from e-mail and web delivered news. Recently I had the opportunity to assist Sydney-based marketing communications consultants, Bevington and Bevington, compile a comparative report for a major Corporate considering just such a move. The company's objectives were to use an electronic newsletter for their smaller to medium sized clients, but deliver a printed brochure-style newsletter to their larger clients. Attracted by the measurability of e-mail but needing a rational justification, the company asked Bevington & Bevington (B&B) to compile this report. Since I know many of you are considering just this type of move, David Daffey (Business Development Manager for B&B) has given permission to share their results. (name of the company of course withheld)
This report compares the essential features of each medium, time frames, benefits and disadvantages and summarises with cost analysis.
Analysis of Print and Electronic Communications for XYZ CO
XYZ CO’s marketing department needs to develop a communication solution in order to maintain regular contact – monthly or bi-monthly – with 7000 key contacts. This target base is made up of medium enterprises and businesses.
To assist the current media review, B&B, in conjunction with a partner that specialises in electronic publications, has compiled a brief comparison of e-mail vs Print media for XYZ CO bulletins.
Assumptions
Producing a print bulletin vs E-mail bulletin based on a contact database of 7000. The newsletter is assumed to be a single page A3 folded to A4 (4 pages when using front and back sides), 4-colour bulletin on a sovereign silk stock. The printed version is assumed to be mailed out by an outsourced facility in a plastic wrap.
Print Communication:
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Activity |
Time to delivery |
Cost per Issue |
Benefit |
| Initial Design & Layout (assumes copy supplied, 4-page format A3 folded to A4). |
5 to 7 days |
$1,000 - $1,500 per issue |
Creative control and corporate identity maintained |
| On-Going: Taking Monthly content and formatting to the Template Design |
1 to 2 days |
$150 to $250 per A4 page |
Allows final approval of artwork prior to printing. |
Printing
4 page (A3 folded to A4), both sides 4 Colour Process, Sovereign Silk 180gsm stock, Finished Size: 297x210. |
3 to 10 days |
$2,208 (for 7,000 bulletins, or $0.315 cents per bulletin) |
Tangible record of content |
| Postage/Mail House processed (i.e. addressing, etc) |
2 to 3 days
Mailed to 7,000 contacts @ $0.75 per mail unit (could secure a postal discount for 7,000 units)
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$5,250
Up to 75c each, inc mail house handling and postage |
Addressed directly to target |
| Sub-total |
* |
$9,058 - $9,958 (1st Issue)
and $8,058 to $8,458 per remaining issues
Yearly Total is up to $102,996 assuming 12 issues |
* |
Notes:
- GST is additional to the costs quoted.
- There is no mechanism to measure the effectiveness of the bulletin (if it has been read, what elements of the bulletin were read, was it handed on to anyone else to read, etc).
- The time involved from the initial concept to actual delivery of printed newsletters often means content might be stale by the time it is received.
Cost per relationship per Year is $13.96 to $14.71 (or $1.16 to $1.23 per month) E-mail Newsletters (based on People Logic software application):
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Activity |
Time to delivery |
Cost per Issue |
Benefit |
| Set Up of Content Management Systems (CMS) |
2-3 days
(required only once regardless of the number of campaigns) |
$2,500 - $2,750 |
Integration of the Design with the Content Management System. Unlimited Perpetual Licence to update and use the CMS as needed |
| Design of Template |
2-3 days, once only |
$1,000 - $1,500 per template |
Creative control and corporate identity maintained. No professional assistance required after set up. Template control ensures a consistent delivery |
| Content management |
2-3 hours |
$200 per month |
Editor or content manager has direct control of content input and layout in real time. Multiple users can add content, approve and proof |
| Proofing |
1 hour
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Nil |
Final draft is e-mail in seconds to proof reader to ensure content is correct prior to broadcast |
| Despatch |
Immediate
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3 cents to 7 cents each depending on volume (50,000+ emails per year cost 3 cents/email) |
Addressed directly to target. All undeliverable e-mails not charged and are easily managed |
Sub-total
Based on 1 x Template Design |
* |
1st Year cost is up to $6,650 + email despatch cost of $2,520 (84,000 emails)
Yearly Total of $9,170 |
* |
| Monthly Costs |
* |
$764 |
Regular monthly contact with 7,000 contacts. Equal to 10.9 cents per customer, per month in communication costs |
Notes:
- GST is additional to these costs.
- Email bulletins are replacing print Bulletins as company’s databases become more populated with email addresses.
- In addition to the obvious cost and time benefits, the ability to manage undeliverable e-mails and collect valuable click through data provides an unchallenged advantage for e-mail over print media.
- Cost per relationship per Year is $1.31 ($0.109 per month)
Summary
As technology advances, the ability for communicators to manage the entire communication process from content creation through to delivery and measurement statistics – and with very limited technical know-how – is becoming increasingly important. Effective and easily managed eCommunication tools are becoming an important resource. Through intuitive email applications like those developed by People Logic, marketers are now able to deploy information to specific target audiences without ther need of IT skills. What was once the domain of IT technicians, eNewsletters now a manageable tool for most marketers.
Bevington & Bevington, in conjunction with IT specialists like People Logic, provide an Online solution for the management of e-mail bulletins and online communications.
You can see from the analysis that an eNewsletter is a more cost effective solution compared to a printed newsletter. However, there are benefits associated with each and we do not propose that one is necessarily better than the other. In many cases, the best solution is to give your clients the choice of what format they prefer to receive the bulletin in. Recent follow-up research (undertaken by companies that have initially offered their newsletter in both options) indicates that the majority of recipients prefer the eNewsletter format after a period of say 3 to 6 months. The idea of sending larger clients a printed (tactile) brochure and smaller to medium size clients an electronic version is a sensible approach.
If you would like to discuss anything in this report feel free to contact David Daffey Business Development Manager evington and Bevington Pty Ltd.
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Book Review - Keeping The Key
by: Stephen Jesson
"When someone subscribes to your publication, they've given you a key to their inbox; a key to all the potential benefits of email marketing. Keeping that key is what this report is all about. It's not about producing an email newsletter, it's about producing a newsletter which influences and impacts its readers..."
- Mark Brownlow, PhD
Mark Brownlow's book, 'The Keeping the Key Report', is a useful tool for all newsletter owners/administrators, whether your newsletter is a modest communiqué sent out to a handful of customers, or a targeted email campaign aimed at thousands of clients, Mark provides the insider tips, tricks, techniques and knowledge to transform your newsletter from an 'interesting read' to a powerful and successful resource.
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