The Edmiston Group’s client is Green Seven Technologies – a managed IT service company. The Edmiston Group is a full service marketing firm and we provide fully integrated marketing campaigns with targeted messaging, social and simple share using Constant Contact suite of service products and in this particular case – email marketing campaigns.
Green Seven’s contact lists are segmented – business, nonprofit and government. Prior to attending a conference we announce where they will be in preceding newsletters and send out another touch with a “Visit My Booth Flyer” announcing our give-a-way, generally a Kindle Fire HD.
Registration slips are worded in such a way asking for permission to add them to our mailing list, but also target specific sales questions for warm leads. This serves two purposes – to increase their mailing list, but also probe to see if the registrant is open to an appointment. We have a template set up to thank people for visiting our booth following a trade show.
The Problem…..Green Seven Technologies was scheduled to speak at the Spring Conference of the Allegheny League of Municipalities at Seven Springs Resort – but they were the last speaker on the last day. How do you fill a room? In our monthly newsletter as well as the pre-show announcement flyer- we announced we would also be giving away a set of Steeler tickets to someone in attendance at their breakout session, but they must be present to win.
The Process…How We Did It……We crafted targeted messaging and reached out to our lists multiple ways and times prior to the event. The April Flyer was preceded by Green Seven’s March issue of their Tech 7 Newsletter which discussed trends in the industry, the death of Windows XP and the announcements of our give-a-ways. Open rates for this particular monthly newsletter were 17.7% with a 6.7% click thru rate that was sent to all 784 contacts on our lists – business, nonprofit and government. This was also pushed out to their social media channels.
The April 1 ALOM Conference Flyer sent only to the government list targeted 138 government officials had a 24.3% open rate, 6.1% click thru rate with a subject line……. No April Fool’s Day Joke – Win 2 Steeler Tickets At Our Breakout Session!
Re-purpose Information….Multiple touches and sharing across a variety of channels.
The Result…..For the breakout session, the room was full with approximately 40 people representing various municipalities – the client’s target. As we approach the upcoming budgeting season this summer we have paved the groundwork for the 2015 Government Yearly Budget Process with a number of warm leads that came from this effort. We systematically continue to send relevant information to this group with targeted messaging to remain top of mind to gain appointments, presentations and contracts.
This process is repeated (minus the Steeler tickets) for any trade shows they attend. At a recent nonprofit conference the prize was $300 to benefit their nonprofit. Messaging is adjusted for the audience and the appropriate target list is accessed.
Additionally, as a result of using this process at a nonprofit conference in the fall of 2013– my client met and spoke with a business contact one time. We put that individual in my client’s newsletter distribution list and she received his monthly newsletter. In the spring of 2014 – she was on the board of a large municipality and when the RFP for IT Managed Services was to go out for bid, she asked that Green Seven Technologies be given the opportunity to submit a proposal for services. Green Seven Technologies prepared and presented multi-year bid that was over $200,000. Although my client was not chosen, we would not have had the opportunity to submit the bid had it not been for those consistent touches to a person he met one time at a conference six months prior. Green Seven Technologies is certain should the situation change, or when additional opportunities for future bids present themselves that they will be included on the bidder’s list for future RFP’s.
A library has received their monthly newsletter for the past two years. Upon reading about web protection and monitoring in a recent issue, they requested an appointment and proposal from my client. The selection process to switch services to my client is now going before their Board of Directors for review. This was an opportunity that my client wouldn’t have had if they didn’t consistently put their information before their growing email list.
Jay Markey, the owner of Green Seven Technologies networks regularly and continues to grow his email distribution list via face to face meetings as well as other activities such as trade shows, newsletter signups on their website and social media channels. These contacts are segmented and uploaded to the appropriate lists on a monthly basis. His newsletter distribution list grows monthly.
The power of email marketing is about setting goals, using targeted messaging – no shotgun approach, delivering relevant information, utilizing a consistent pattern and executing a plan of action. Measuring the results through the use of Constant Contact has been a winner for my client!
About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business growth.