SecurTek Monitoring Solutions
Best Newsletter
Sponsored by Honeywell
The headline story on the next edition of The SecurTek Monitor will likely crow about the Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada-based monitoring specialist running its string of consecutive SAMMY Awards for Best Newsletter to an amazing three in a row. The quarterly publication is only a couple of pages, but is very polished looking and full of safety tips, systems/services updates and company news.
“Through our surveys and contests we run, we know that customers read the newsletter and like the format,” says Leanne Woodhouse, general manager of Marketing and Dealer Relations. “We developed the format over a couple of years and have fine-tuned it … it’s a quick read because we know customers are pressed for time today. We’ve invited our staff to contribute ideas and articles. They feel more connected to what we’re doing on the communication side and it presents a more personal face to the customer.”
That collaborative enterprise was evident to the judges, who scored the newsletter particularly high on benefits. Considerations in that area include: if the benefits of the company are apparent; if it spurs an existing client to call for an upgrade; if it makes a special offer with urgency to act; and if it provides interesting, non-sales-related editorial, such as crime tips or other information.
One of the newsletter issues submitted included false alarm advice, vacation planning tips and a warning about door-to-door alarm salespeople. There was also an item celebrating SecurTek’s 10-year anniversary. But one of the most important reasons to produce a company newsletter is to maintain regular and ongoing communications with your clientele — even if its cost against the bottom line may be difficult to justify.
“We are constantly fine-tuning our ROI model as I don’t think it’s an exact science yet,” says Woodhouse. “Some things we do are for customer retention purposes. We feel it’s important to touch base with our customers as often as possible to ensure them that we value the business they are doing with us. That’s the case with our customer newsletter.”
Print | posted on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 2:20 PM