Newsletter: Cut Through the Noise with 'Least-Crowded Inbox' Strategy ✂️ ; Krispy Kreme taps ‘Strategic Doughnut Reserve’ for a Cause 🍩 ; Is It Time to Kill the Paragraph in Your Writing? ✍️
I got two great questions last week....
🙋🏻Regarding my post on case studies, several readers asked: "Should I put my case studies on my web site?"
Yes! Last week, I pointed out that case studies help mostly in the middle and at the bottom of the sales funnel. However, when you post them on your web site they are now helping at the top of the funnel (i.e. the awareness stage) because the case studies are discoverable via Google search and by web site visitors. Yes, companies are researching your organization before they ever send you an email or pick up the phone. You can make sure they find something informative and positive by sharing your case studies on your web site!
Bonus Tip: Include an email signup pop-up on your corporate partnership web page so interested companies can sign up for your partnership newsletter. This is a great way to identify warm partnership leads!
🙋🏽♂️"Joe, I love getting your newsletter every week [Me = 🥰]. What are your top tips for getting an email newsletter opened and read?"
Give your newsletter a human voice. This all starts with your newsletter coming from a real person (e.g. "joe@" instead of "selfishgiving@") and sounding like it's being written by a real person.
Be consistent. Whatever frequency you decide on (e.g. weekly, bi-monthly, monthly) you have to stick with it if your goal is to build a reading habit with your subscribers.
What you are doing - or not doing - on the backend matters. Are you using a quality email service provider (ESP)? Are you building your list organically by signups and not buying lists or signing people up without their permission? Are you regularly cleaning your list and removing bad emails and inactive subscribers? Success happens well before you hit send.
Curate articles from other areas and even your competitors. This shows readers that you are interested in their success and just not selling them stuff for your benefit. Pro-tip: Use Pocket to keep track of articles you want to curate in your newsletter.
Send your newsletter out twice. The first time send it to everyone. A couple days later send it out again, but only to subscribers that didn't open the first newsletter. If you're thinking, "My ESP doesn't make this easy to do", revisit point #3 ⬆️
➤➤➤ Need help writing case studies or creating a partnership newsletter prospects will actually read? Reply to this email and ask about my case study service or my one-on-one coaching program!
✍️ Partnership Notes
1. Recently, I signed up for a wicked smahht newsletter from a public relations coach named Michael Smart. It turns out that Michael lives up to his last name. He's pretty SMAHHT!
Michael shared some great advice for PR pros that I've to adapt for partnership outreach. It's called the least-crowded inbox strategy. Here's how it works.
When you are reaching out to prospects consider a different channel - one that has less competition. The goal here is to build a solid connection with a prospect through a less-crowded channel that will make the prospect more likely to connect with you on a more-crowded channel down the road.
Here are some examples:
A handwritten note mentioning a marketing initiative and how it could be improved or enhanced by adding your organization as a partner.
Posting a comment to the prospect on a less-trafficked channel, like to their Twitter handle, which I talked about a couple weeks ago.
Believe it or not, the phone is now a less-crowded channel, especially on Friday afternoons
A client of Michael's tried this strategy. She sent travel postcards to her prospects introducing herself and mentioning the value she could provide. It worked! Several prospects got back to her. More importantly, they are now opening and responding to her emails in their crowded inboxes because she built a connection with them in a less-crowded way.
This strategy could work for you too!
🤑 Marketing Your Cause
1. Krispy Kreme taps ‘Strategic Doughnut Reserve’ for a cause (but not a nonprofit). Great example of newsjacking!
2. Research: What makes a story shareable, according to journalists.
3. Is it time to kill the paragraph in your writing?
😎 Cool Jobs in Cause
1. National Director, Cause Marketing, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Remote
2. Corporate Partnerships Manager, mothers2mothers, NYC, $55k - $80k
3. Senior Engagement & Partnerships Manager, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Remote, $80k - $90k
4. Deputy SVP, Strategic Partnerships, AmeriCares, Remote, $186k - $236k
🧠🍌 Brain Food
1. Research: Customers spent more buying stuff from companies that engaged in corporate social responsibility than those that didn’t - as long as those do-gooder efforts actually addressed damage the businesses caused.
2. How to persuade your fellow team members to do things they would rather not do.
