How You Can Use Your E-News To Create Better Buzz
Announcement Timing is Everything.
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I know a company or brand has accomplished a successful and effective campaign when everywhere I turn, I see something about it. For example, Instagram pops up and there’s a picture from the company’s feed, then on Facebook a friend has liked their page, while on Twitter, another friend tweeted about it. I have consciously taken note when this happens and inevitably, I end up clicking on the article or looking it up. E-news announcement timing is everything. Here’s how to use your e-news to create better buzz.
Leverage Internally
When sending out an e-newsletter, the best you can ask for is a base following before any strangers ever see it (e.g. the landing page, social media profile, etc.). The best place to get this base following and grow your audience is internally. Whether it’s your immediate employees or your personal and professional network, make sure you’ve sent your e-newsletter there first. Have an “ask” for them such as liking your new page or visiting your landing page and leaving a comment or sharing something. By ensuring a base audience before it even goes public, the reach of your announcement will go farther. (P.S. Do this a week before the public e-news is sent so that it has the chance to circulate through your network).
Blast It On Social Media
Plan and schedule various posts about different pieces in the e-newsletter 2-3 hours after it goes out. Post different verbiage and photos on various platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, so that your audience reads your e-news and then sees something else about it on a social site.
E-newsletter
The e-newsletter is a powerful tool that requires a brilliantly executed plan every time it goes out. Establish a scalable system to repeat on a weekly or monthly basis. Choose pieces for the e-news that have been monitored and measured and had the most engagement to increase the chances that it gets read. Also be sure to monitor when your audience has read your e-news in the past (time of day, day of the week, and frequency). Assuming an internal network has already engaged with it and the social media posts are on standby, send out the e-news.
Measure
Once the e-news has gone out, measure the following two to four week later: the email read and click rate, exactly how many people visited the landing page and when, how many more likes the Facebook page has, and how many people left comments. It is incredibly telling as to how successful the e-news was. Spend time hashing this out so that you know what to do more of next time.
In order to create great buzz and inspire the best social media engagement, you have to give the fire a little fuel, which includes a plan, leveraging your internal network, spreading the word on multiple channels, and timing your e-news well.
-Jamie
