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August 2015
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October 2015

Timing Is Everything...Almost

For those of you who follow our work you know that our advertising agency is the fuel that powers the only hour-long business news broadcast in the region, Insight on Business the News Hour.  To that end we do a IOB Newsletter Sept 2015
weekly email newsletter using My Emma.  That newsletter takes a peek our business interviews of the prior week and then lists our our studio guests for the upcoming week.  

The open rate for the newsletter runs about 30% and the click-through rate (people clicking on various linked podcasts, urls, etc.) runs about 8%.  As the industry goes we're pretty much ahead of the curve.

When we send it out on time.

The newsletter goes out each Monday morning just prior to 9AM. This past week we had some "issues" and did not get it out until the afternoon. The result was dramatic

  • The Open Rate dropped to 25%
  • The Click-Through Rate dropped to 4.6%

Some other interesting aspects of newsletter metrics:

  • Engagement - Those individuals whom we interview that have a strong social media presence receive the most clicks;
  • Sharing - Social Media Natives will also share the content more quickly;
  • Gender - Women tend to open more of the podcasts than men;
  • Images Matter - When we post an image of a sponsor vs. their logo the image receives many more clicks. 

We've been at this for over two years and the numbers are pretty consistent.  We thought we'd share with you just in case you are considering some newsletter marketing.

Thanks for reading!

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The Eyes Have It

We're asked all the time about what makes the most effective Content Marketing Effectiveadvertising/marketing content. In other words...what works best.  The simple answer is "it depends on your target demographic" but that takes time and talent to figure out so let's cut to the most recent study.

We realize this is for B to B however, we think it holds well for B to C marketing as well.

According to the North American Content Marketing Institute the most effective tool is person-to-person contact. It figures, "People like to do business with people they know and trust" right?  But directly equal to that is content in video form.

VIDEO PEOPLE!

And the very cool thing about video is that it crosses nearly all the other platforms and can be used in each:

  • Video for Social Media Content
  • Video for Case Studies, White Papers
  • Video for your Website
  • Video for your Nearly Everything...

Of course it has to be done well and connect with the audience and you can't drone on and on...

Get Video and Get Noticed!

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The Restaurant Industry - Needs a New Brand

There's some major trouble brewing in the restaurant industry and it's Servergoing to take some time to get it fixed. Let me set this up for you...here in the Des Moines Metro there isn't a week that goes by where we don't learn of yet another restaurant opening its doors.  While that may seem like progress there is something else going on: No workers.

I know of two owners who have put restaurant openings on hold because they cannot find help.  There is a lack of servers, cooks, chefs, dishwashers...and those two owners know the market.

Meanwhile corporations are draining the market dry.  After all...Hy-Vee might pay a lower salary for cooks...but they offer benefits.

If it is true that consumers control the brand then the restaurant industry needs to up their game and share with consumers what a great career food service can be. But it is going to take time and money.

In Europe a server is more highly treasured than a banker or attorney. Why? Because the industry there has built a brand on high quality, low turnover and knowledge.  Servers in Europe are...professional. Here they are often looked down on.

I've been told that the Iowa Restaurant Association has a plan to move this forward...they can't start soon enough...we're hungry.

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I'm Trying To Help But...

The small business owner sat across the table and said, "You know, we Woman Yawnhave all of this collateral to give to our retail clients to help them sell more; but they don't use it. Why?"

The answer hinges on time and talent.

We flipped through the various print pieces and while they were colorful and printed on great stock there was simply...too much. Too much detail, too many offerings, too many pages...too much.

Here's something for you to remember. The average human has an attention span that is below a goldfish. It's true.  If you don't capture somebody's attention in under eight seconds...forget about it.  And, while this business has had a great run, much of what they were producing and sending out seemed old...and a bit tired.

Time & Talent

If you need to capture time...you need to have some amazing talent at creating the brochure/print ad/television commercial/radio ad/video that connects with the right audience. That means you better KNOW who your audience and HOW they want to be reached. 

Be bold and get noticed!

So, what do you think?

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