Project Overview

Email remains a primary communications tool for associations to reach members and prospects. We needed to formalize and manage the processes around email communications to build trust and loyalty, maintain positive results, engage members, and ensure we are using best practices in email campaigns.

The APhA marketing team analyzed newsletters by measuring engagements and effectiveness (open and click to open rates), conducting a member survey to evaluate content, format, and frequency preferences, obtaining direct member feedback through a focus group, and researching current benchmarks and best practices.

Findings

• The weekly newsletter performed below all averages for opens and clicks.

• Bounce rates are higher than average in most cases.

Recommendations

Design and format

• Update newsletter to streamline and make the content easier to read and scroll through.

• Use a uniform tone/voice, design, and font across all newsletters for consistency and brand recognition.

• Change the name of FOCUS.

Content

• Prioritize content based on what we know about our members through recent research and web data and serve the most recent or hot topic content first. Update as we learn more information through our content strategy.

• Create easy-to-digest summaries with the key information and context. Make it easy to read and understand and as short as possible.

• Explore other opportunities for segmentation.

• Create an email newsletter content team and develop SOPs for collecting and deploying content and develop a calendar that is planned at least a month in advance, when possible.

• Review the member email preferences page and determine if we need to maintain all existing newsletters or if some of them can be combined.

Frequency/Audience

• Send a maximum of 3 emails (newsletter and promo combined) per week/per member, + daily.

• Remove students from FOCUS and nonmembers from the newsletter.

Best Practices

• Create an A/B testing plan and fine-tune formats and design, content priorities, subject lines, and delivery times to improve basic performance metrics.

• Monitor deliverability – opt-outs, bounces, complaints, and churn.

• Include preheader text.

• Include a call to action text and/or buttons (test both).

• Analyze newsletters quarterly to identify gaps and adjust based on metrics and new technology.

• Conduct follow-up research periodically to ensure we are meeting expectations and adjusting communications to members’ needs.

Results

• Identified member benefit and enhanced positioning for the newsletter by removing full pharmacist audience

• Responsive design and greater readability on mobile

• Content is presented in a digestible format that aligns with reader behavior

• Increased cross-department collaboration and participation

• Enhanced ability to measure/analyze content and prioritize high performing content

• Open and click rates now meet the industry standards

• Unsubscribe rates reduced by 5%