View Full Version : newsletter steps to completion
I.M.O.G.
10-21-10, 03:21 PM
Here's the steps we need to get through to make a newsletter happen. It's something we've talked about for a long time but never got around to it.
Current step: Create a wireframe/outline of what we want the newsletter layout to be. This could be a specific explanation, or an image/mockup.
1. Lindsey would need to create a newsletter template. It can be based off a wireframe/idea of what you and the team want the layout to be.
2. We would need to get a list sorted out. The method you laid out is one we have used before and as you stated with a slight difference:
A. We would import the addresses of everyone in vBulletin who has selected to receive admin emails. We would not do this in Exact Target as there would most likely be a high bounce rate for older emails that we would get dinged for.
B. We would send an initial email announcing the newsletter. This email would have an opt-in link to receive the newsletter. For list quality and can-spam compliance, it's better to have people opt-in rather than opt-out.
3. After a week or so we would import the opt-in list into Exact Target. We can re-import once or twice after that to capture any stragglers.
4. Aaron would need to implement a subscription center on Overclockers to allow members to unsubscribe. This would be 3 - 4 hours of dev time.
5. Once the design is finalized, you guys would send me the content and I would build and send the newsletter.
A couple questions:
1. How often would you be looking to send it? Weekly? Bi-weekly?
2. Are you open to ad spots in the newsletter? Kelly has mentioned this would be great for building advertising packages for OC.
3. Would you be open to doing an opt-in marketing message newsletter? Basically advertisers would be able to buy a send for their products. Kelly has mentioned this to me before as well. It'd be a separate list and newsletter.
4. Would you want it to be forum member only? Or do a sign up on the blog for it as well?
Update:
Those details are from my buddy Rob at iNet. He helps me with anything I need, tho he never does take my dry cleaning to get done. Pretty much anything else however he makes it happen. These are the answers to his questions there:
1. We'd do bimonthly or monthly. Depends on how quickly we can compile good content for the newsletter, without being too much work.
2. Yes. Good quality and reasonable ad spots in the newsletter are good. The better our income model is, the more good opportunities the site has to get new features and do cool stuff. (if overclockers makes 5 bucks a month, and webhostingtalk makes 50, they are going to get more dev time and attention from inet)
3. Yes. Its separate, so people wanting to get our primary newsletter could opt-in to get the marketing newsletter, which would feature good deals and things our sponsors want to highlight. These would be highly relevant sorts of ads/messages from the companies we already buy and use products from all the time.
4. Sign up would be forums and blog. This is for everyone that wants it.
That sounds interesting :) I cant wait to read it! fingers crossed for it happening! :santa:
What type of content would the newsletter host?
I.M.O.G.
10-23-10, 12:16 PM
That sounds interesting :) I cant wait to read it! fingers crossed for it happening! :santa:
It will definitely happen. Tho I was confident, I honestly wasn't sure if the community could take over when Joe handed off the frontpage but now its a year later and we're going strong. Putting a newsletter together is a piece of cake compared to that. :)
What type of content would the newsletter host?
The newsletter would be monthly or bi-monthly to start. The primary newsletter would host material we want to feature - a mixture of community news (teams, events, user promotions), frontpage features (highlighting popular articles and reviews, requesting article submissions), and forum threads and discussions (threads with a lot of replies, cool o/community threads that never get enough attention, member contests).
Basically, its a great way to remind people we are here and show them the hot stuff we got going on.
We'll need someone reliable to be responsible for gathering input and putting it together, which will be me starting off. Once we get a couple locked and loaded I'll be looking for someone to fill my shoes in that regard. Then I'll help them with the first one showing them who to work with and what to look for, and after that they'll be in charge of running the newsletter. This could be anyone, but I'd prefer to tap someone who isn't already heavily involved with the frontpage and spread things around, some of the lead editors would take on too much if you let them.
Current step: Create a wireframe/outline of what we want the newsletter layout to be. This could be a specific explanation, or an image/mockup.
This will be in some sort of email form, correct? Or a link to the newsletter, and be done in full HTML?
Threw a layout together right quick, just to have something to discuss. Disregard the colors, it's only for visually identifying the different sections.
Note: I was unable to upload the PUB file, but if you want it let me know.
this is exactly what i envision:
- twice a month (every two weeks)
- very minimal editor interaction, possibly update the opening/intro paragraph if needed, the majority of the newsletter is a "here's whats happening in the forum if you don't visit often". mainly we have a stock intro (since we're all volunteers) so we don't have to edit it if we don't have time.
- one text-only advertisement from our sponsor, 3 or 4 lines max
- the main body is simply a script pulling data from the DB, no human interaction needed
Linuxquestions.org sends this out twice a month and it is perfect as far as i'm concerned:
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Nice preview Jmtyra! I like it. You pretty much captured all the components we were thinking of including. I think we are leaning towards text-based, but then again I'm not sure what our capabilities are.
Splat, I like having this mostly automated with the option of adding whatever want if we decide to do so. Gives us flexibility and options. Either way it provides some useful info about what's going on both on the frontpage and the forums.
Matt
Having it automated, even partially, would be awesome. As for text vs graphics, it should be easy enough to contain both; most email recipients have HTML enabled email. Then again, it might look cleaner with text only. I dunno, I could go either way.
I suppose this depends upon the delivery method. Perhaps I missed it, but is the actual content going to be in the email, or are we supplying a link to our site which contains the newsletter?
I.M.O.G.
10-25-10, 11:46 AM
In email.
OK -- In that case, especially considering the audience *might* be more security conscious, I think it'd be better to go with primarily text. IIRC, even gmail blocks embedded images unless you allow it or add an exception. Not sure about the other major players, but it could be the same.
The less hassle it is to receive the newsletter, the higher the adoption and retention rate will be for our subscriber base.
I.M.O.G.
10-25-10, 12:22 PM
Ya, gmail blocks images by default, you have to click to display them.
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