MARKETING LESSONS FROM SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHERS

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Evangeline Sanders
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5 EMAIL MARKETING LESSONS FROM SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHERS Publishers face a special set of challenges in creating effective and profitable email marketing campaigns.

1 5 MARKETING LESSONS FROM SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHERS Publishers face a special set of challenges in creating effective and profitable marketing campaigns. In some ways, newspapers and magazines are fortunate: Most marketers struggle to create the steady stream of good content that attracts subscribers and keeps them reading. Publishers currency is content, and it s relatively easy to find creative ways to repurpose that content for newsletters and special updates. However, publishers have their own obstacles to overcome to deliver great campaigns that drive reader engagement and generate revenue. Publishers confront busy, hectic schedules and oppressive deadlines. They are often complex organizations in which multiple, and often firewalled, departments must work together. And publishers newsletters must deliver results for advertisers. At Campaigner, we have worked with hundreds of publishers and publications. We have helped set up unified programs that deliver local content for newspaper chains. Regional magazines rely on us to deliver newsletters and dedicated promotions. And niche websites have built thriving businesses on the success of delivered via Campaigner. Our successful publishing clients have a lot to teach about what makes for great marketing and we wanted to share some of their lessons.

Automation is Not Impossible Whether used to drive ad revenue or to push readers to web content, email is a valuable product for publishers.

2 Automation is Not Impossible Whether used to drive ad revenue or to push readers to web content, is a valuable product for publishers. But newspapers, magazines and niche publications are understandably reluctant to add personnel to manage daily campaigns. That s where automation tools come in. We ve found a lot of misplaced fear about automation because, for many publishers, the word conjures images of complicated, custom software integrations. In truth, it s easier than many might assume to automate some, or all, of your marketing programs. Salon.com uses a recurring sender tool to automatically send multiple newsletters to subscribers every day. The tool grabs the day s content from the magazine s website and automatically converts it into a newsletter. Morris Digital Works, the digital arm of Morris Communications uses the same method to send daily newsletters and deal offers for a dozen publications including the Savannah (Georgia) Morning News and the Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal. The setup allows each publication s production department to create the day s newsletter and post it to the special URL. 5 MARKETING LESSONS FROM SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHERS 1

Segment for Better Results In email marketing, the more relevant your content is to your subscribers, the better results you will see.

3 Segment for Better Results In marketing, the more relevant your content is to your subscribers, the better results you will see. Segmentation, or breaking up your subscriber lists based on specific criteria, allows marketers to send targeted content to audiences that are more likely to want to read (and click on) it. For general interest magazines like North Carolina s Our State, curating content into separate monthly newsletters creates opportunities for targeted engagement. The magazine s Good Food newsletter includes recipes, restaurant feature stories and advertising content relevant to foodies. Mitzvah Market, a niche website specializing in planning resources for moms preparing for a bar or bat mitzvah, maintains special subscription lists for mothers and grandmothers, as well as a list for vendors and potential advertisers. By segmenting subscribers, Mitzvah Market is able to provide more precise engagement information to potential advertisers, who can also be separately reached with promotions and pitches for available ad inventory. 5 MARKETING LESSONS FROM SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHERS 2

4 Adapt Your Platform to Your Organization, Not the Other Way Around Publishers have complicated organization charts. Advertising and editorial are often separated by a firewall. Even within departments, different groups have a distinct set of roles in producing the final product. Nearly all publishers that we work with have found success creating different user logins with permissions. These role-based user accounts allow the account administrator to control who can do what within the marketing software. For example, production may be able to edit content but not add or remove subscribers. Sales reps may only be allowed to send content to potential advertisers and not to readers. Things can quickly get even more complicated when multiple publications are under the same ownership. Morris Digital uses an enterprise edition of Campaigner. Each of 11 newspapers has its own Campaigner account, but a central administrator can access any account at any time. BUSINESS UNIT #1 (Sub-Aaccount) ADMIN DASHBOARD (Master Account) BUSINESS UNIT #2 (Sub-Aaccount) BUSINESS UNIT #3 (Sub-Aaccount) This setup simplifies billing, allows for uniformity among publications and requires IT to only support one product. Use Your Outcomes to Improve Your Results marketing offers an unrivaled level of insight into how subscribers interact with your content. Effective publishers have found ways to use those insights to get even better results from their newsletters. Using heat maps, click-through data and other metrics, Mitzvah Market has been able to identify the most popular types of stories. 5 MARKETING LESSONS FROM SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHERS 3

For regional publications, Geolocation reporting has proven to be a valuable tool. Our State can see where in North Carolina opens and clicks are occurring.

Be Where Your Subscribers Are Email offers publishers a huge opportunity to create a one-on-one relationship with their readers.

Coman recently began publishing mobile-friendly email campaigns that look great on both desktop computers and mobile devices.

5 For regional publications, Geolocation reporting has proven to be a valuable tool. Our State can see where in North Carolina opens and clicks are occurring. This data allows the magazine to better plan special events and other promotions. Be Where Your Subscribers Are offers publishers a huge opportunity to create a one-on-one relationship with their readers. Savvy publishers have figured out how to take that relationship on the go. Coman Publishing, a Raleigh, N.C.-based niche publisher, creates fan-centric magazines focused on college sports programs. Coman recently began publishing mobile-friendly campaigns that look great on both desktop computers and mobile devices. The campaigns used a modified system template, which required no special coding from the editorial staff. Our State magazine recently converted all of its newsletters to mobile responsive templates. In just two months, click through rates jumped 13 percent. What Will You Do With ? represents a huge opportunity for publishers to engage readers on a more personal basis. We have highlighted just a few tips that have helped newspapers, magazines and niche websites grow their business and delight their subscribers. We d love to talk to you about how your organization can benefit from marketing. Give us a call today at or drop us a line at sales@campaigner.com. 5 MARKETING LESSONS FROM SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHERS 4

6 About Campaigner Campaigner is a robust marketing solution built by marketers to help small, medium and large businesses strengthen customer relationships and drive sales. Features include professional campaign creation, industry-leading A/B split testing, advanced list management and segmentation tools, targeted autoresponders and workflows, powerful API and CRM integration, and detailed campaign reporting. Campaigner is a brand and registered trademark of the Business Cloud Services Division of j2 Global, Inc., the global provider of Internet services. Learn more at Contact us to learn more or schedule a demo: Toll-free salesteam@campaigner.com 5 MARKETING LESSONS FROM SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHERS 5

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