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Workshop Highlights: Best Tips to Boost Engagement

Hey there,

We’re going back to the basics! 

Why?

Because the last few weeks have been a powerhouse for learning, the biggest takeaway- even getting the basics right can top off your results.

Let’s dive into it and see how.

Table of Contents

Engagement Goes Up, Up, and Up

I’m excited to share that we have started conducting workshops to help companies build their marketing flywheel. Oh yes! 

Here are few things worth sharing with you, my beloved audience.

  1. One of the companies in the workshop was getting (only) a 10% open rate for their newsletter. Thinking of it as a lost cause, they wanted to switch to LinkedIn newsletters. But, we decided to focus on winning one digital channel before hopping on to another. 
  1. So we decided to conquer the existing channel (email newsletter) with 4 simple steps. And, guess what? The open rate jumped to 20%. 

Let’s look at what we did:

– Imperfect Images: We are tired of computer images. People do read one graphics to another. Let’s combine the two facts. Tell your story with the imperfect images.

-Clean the data: Removed all inactive email addresses and the list was 10% lighter. These contacts weren’t adding any value, so it’s better to trim those from your mailing list. This step would give you a clear indication of open rate. Things could go north or south from there….but in this case we got 1% better estimation of open rates.

-Repurposing the content: Send the exact copy of the newsletter with a different sender name. This step would give you 2-3% more audience with opens.

-Targeted: Focus only on one core ICP (customer persona) in the newsletter. And, then measure the success of that ICP.

  1. One of the most common questions asked in the workshop was- Can we call the people who are opening our newsletters. Well, it depends on – how desperate you are for leads. Let me answer it this way – Should I be calling you when you read my newsletters?

Now, time to close your eyes and remind yourself of another rule of marketing – Give, Give, and Give. What could you give more to your audience?

What is the goal of a newsletter?

Open rate? Click rate? These are measurable goals. You can keep them as KPIs but what if you could be more ambitious. I think the goal for newsletters should be to get a response from the audience instead of just being happy with the open rate. This was the goal we kept in one of our workshops. We put the hat of ‘give, give, give’ to figure out changes in our approach.
 
Here’s how we achieved this goal and you can too
  1. Ensure takeaways in the email exist- loud and clear. Underline them or highlight them. Do it in a subtle way.
  2. Use a bag of words with language that’s relatable to your audience.
  3. Make the title, and subject line catchy to get the audience’s attention.
  4. Don’t overdo the branding. Make it subtle and relevant to the audience. Focus on give, give, and give.
  5. Bring non-computerized images such as the one below.
You might say that all of these are the basics of marketing. Yes, they are. But you’ll be surprised how many of us still go wrong with it.
Core principles of marketing and demand generation do work. We just have to get them right.

How to engage the audience with your newsletter and keep them coming back for more?

Approach them with more ‘gives’ or the valuable information that makes their life easier.

What ‘gives’ can you offer?

  1. Ask them to collaborate with you in the newsletter by sharing their thoughts on a topic.
  2. Invite them to a webinar for an interview or an honest discussion.
  3. Quote them in your next newsletter.
  4. Share those insights on social media.