Direct Mail Vendor Uses E-Zine to Inform Clients
How’s this for a switch? A direct mail services company starts an e-mail newsletter when it wants to serve clients.
QuantumMail.com did just that when it launched The Direct Mail Marketer. The firm insists that it is not trying to sell anything.
“We wanted another avenue to talk to customers where it was more give and less take,” says Brandon Cornett, Quantum’s advertising manager. “Typical marketing is, ‘Hey we want you to buy something.’ But we really wanted to give something back.” QuantumMail.com draws customers from a variety of industries, but the majority are real estate firms and related businesses like mortgage, remodeling and franchise companies.
Thus, QuantumMail.com produces two versions of The Direct Mail Marketer newsletter. One is tailored to real estate readers and the other is written for a wider, general audience. However, the firm plans to create include personalized e-zines with topics that are specified by readers when they register. To some extent, that already happens when subscribers opt in. Those who chose real estate as their industry are sent a different link when the publication is shipped. When they click through to the newsletter page, a cookie is downloaded so they are recognized as a real estate reader. “The e-zines have the same title, they look the same and they both link to the Web site,” says Cornett. “They’re just a little different.”
Although the articles are usually the same, some in the real estate edition are specific to readers in that industry, or may include real estate terminology. The subscriber list contains just over 500 names, but it is “growing every day,” Corbett continues. The company did not use its e-mail list of over 50,000 clients to garner subscriptions.
Prospective readers are contacted in various ways. Passive contact is achieved through pitches on the company Web site and through mentions on product confirmation cards and invoices. They are also mentioned in direct mail and on Web pages when clients log into their accounts.
In addition, customer service and sales people use a more active approach through printed scripts used to pitch the newsletter on calls. There is also a scripted tag line on their e-mail leading prospective readers to sign up for the newsletter: “Direct mail tips and news, straight to your in-box. Sign up.” Subscribers face a double opt-in process. “We want to make sure that whoever gets it wants it,” says Cornett. “I’d rather have a small group of readers who really want the e-zine than a large group that doesn’t care.” QuantumMail.com had a hard copy newsletter but discontinued that because it required high maintenance and was difficult to manage.
“You can do more with the Web,” he says. “You can get content up quicker at a lower cost and its more dynamic and interactive.” All aspects of The Direct Marketer are handled in house from writing the publication to the blast. Editorial contents include informative pieces and interactive opportunities for readers. Each month a reader Q & A section is highlighted where readers can post and respond to questions. Last month’s question asked how to integrate direct mail with other forms of marketing. Readers wishing to answer can click on a button to submit and share their experiences with peers. Or, they can submit their own question to be answered by other readers. “The point is to create a continual exchange,” says Cornett. “Our goal is to get people talking and provide something helpful for them versus their coming to us for a purchase, paying and the relationship ends.” Additional editorial includes a topic of the month that focuses on an aspect of direct marketing, a news section and a section that keeps readers abreast of company news and products available.
“We try to keep the newsletter objective and helpful and address readers needs first,” says Cornett. “That’s the mark of any good newsletter.” Cornett says that the logistics of pulling together different aspects of the newsletter has been his most challenging task so far. “We planned it out on paper but no matter how much you plan, it’s just one blockade after another…the list, getting it to work and the different versions.” In the future, Cornett hopes to track open rates and clickthroughs. But as of now, there is no on-line tracking in place. “That’s one of the things I’d like to find a host for,” he says. “We do need to track those numbers, it’s critical. Without them, it’s like sending e-mail to a void without knowing if it’s successful.” But even without those numbers, Cornett is experiencing positive feedback. “We have one success story so far,” he says. “Someone from a large real estate company that we’ve been pursuing to sign up for a marketing program approached our president at a recent industry function and expressed interest in starting up a program. He says they read our newsletter and liked what they saw.”
