Our March eNewsletter Results

You might be on our distribution list for the “Allegra Swatch.” In its newest incarnation, we switched email providers. We are now using Mail Chimp. So far, so good. There are lots of reasons to use them over the number 1 brand. But, that is for another post.

We are not totally sold out on email newsletters, though. There is a lot of evidence that printed newsletters are much more effective at getting the word out. That too is for another email.

Here is the down and dirty. For a marketing business, Mail Chimp says the average open rate is 18%. For the most recent issue of the Swatch, we are at 17.3%. Ok. Not too bad. But it is way off of our 21.9% open rate from the February issue.

Three big reasons for this pop out right away. First, folks could have found the subject line less compelling than I did. Second, we sent it out late in the day—4:00 pm. When my my east coast people or my local contacts who left early arrived at work the next day, my newsletter was buried deep in their in box. Last, it is a holiday week. Easter and Passover. On top of that, it is spring break for some folks. Just as their are fewer cars on the road this week, there are fewer people in their offices.

Here is the free marketing lesson: timing is important.