GWADS Promotional Award

Skagit Valley Herald

Turnkey Emails

City: Mt. Vernon, WA
Daily audited circulation size: 10,009
Sunday audited circulation size: 10,086

Objective

To enhance our retention efforts, and to digitally interact with our subscribers throughout the duration of their subscription. By automating a series of both Welcome and Retention/Renewal emails, we reduce the cost of direct mail, and save time by eliminating the need to make Customer Service calls.

Strategy

With the technology provided by MSG, we have implemented an ongoing series of automated emails, which run for a total of eight weeks. When a person becomes a subscriber and have provided an email address, they are opted into our Turnkey program. Through this program, he or she will receive an email once a week which contains different information regarding his or her subscription. The first four weeks of emails are "Welcome" emails. The first email describes the different features of our daily/Sunday newspaper, the second informs of how to set up their digital access, the third explains the benefit of signing up for our newsletter, and the fourth is a customer satisfaction survey. The results of this survey are sent in a report to us quarterly; the surveys provide us with the opportunity to both understand our reader's experience with us, and the insight into how we can improve our service, if need be. The following four weeks of emails are comprised of reminders to renew the subscription, to update an account if a credit card has expired, and a final customer satisfaction survey. All of the Turnkey emails feature information specific to our market, with pictures that have been specially selected to best represent the top demographics in our market. The emails also contain click-through links to the pages we would like to direct subscribers to. Through Second Street, we are able to view these emails on a dashboard to see how many people are receiving them, and who among them are clicking on the links within, as well as what time of day they are most likely to view the emails upon receipt of them, if they are viewing the emails on a PC or mobile device, what zip code they are in whilst opening the emails, and so on. This information is immensely beneficial to our marketing efforts, as we learn the most effective times to send future email blasts.

Results

We launched this program in February of 2018, and it costs us only $100 per month. Since we initiated our Turnkey emails, we have grown to include six other papers from our division who are now also utilizing the program as a retention tool. The goal of the Turnkey program is ultimately to be able to engage with our subscribers through a hands-off approach, but simultaneously in a way that allows us to remain "present" throughout their subscription. It has been a successful endeavor in that we can connect with subscribers, keep them informed about new opportunities to be involved in through their subscription, remind them to update and renew their accounts, and to give them an opportunity to share their feedback.