Newsletter Design for Richardson & Edwards, Inc.
“Kitty, we love your newsletter, now do the same for us.”
Um, okay.
“Kitty’s going to design our newsletter, obviously, but who’s going to write it.”
“Kitty will. And we’ll both edit.”
Um, okay.
No worries, though. Clients often ask me to tackle all aspects of a project. Normally I would hire a writer to tackle the copy writing and editing, but the combination of timing, budget, and personality made it easy for me to say yes on this one.
Housecleaning
It had been a year since their last issue. They weren’t loyal to anything. Their list was dated. Their look was dated. And they weren’t happy with their current service. So they switched providers and put together a new list.
Objective, approach, name, and topic
I suggested that they define an objective and approach. And also name their newsletter (they never named their last one). Those pieces came together after an email discussion and an in-person brainstorming session.
I also asked about a topic for the first issue. To which my client replied, “that’s what I’m paying YOU for.”
Very funny. Allow me to rephrase, “This will go out in December. What is it that you want people to know as we head into the New Year?”
To which a team member replied, “Hey! Let’s talk about how we actually work on holiday packaging over the summer, that by the time Christmas rolls around, our minds are on something else entirely.”
Me, “You can spin it into a helpful article about production timeline(s) for holiday packaging. Perhaps include a handy reference chart of deadlines.”
Client, “Yes!”
Me, “[You can call it] Christmas in July.”
Client, “Yes!”
Funny how ideas come together once you rephrase a question.
And in case you were wondering… Objective: demonstrate R&E’s knowledge and expertise in a non-sales like manner. Approach: helpful tips through effective storytelling. New name for the newsletter: Outside the Box.
New look and feel
It was time to put it all together. I began with the masthead and wireframe, then chose the color scheme, font and other styles based on their current website, also designed by yours truly. After the client approved the final design, I wrote the main article and designed the sidebar info graphic, my client wrote the sidebar content, and we collaborated on the edits.
Success
The final result – Christmas in July | Outside the Box | December 2011 – produced an open rate of 26.9%, and a click through rate of 6.7%. Well above industry average.
“Wonderful job, Kitty!”
“Aw shucks, thanks.”
Credits
Client lead/copywriter/copy editor: Mike Long
Client team member: Kim Leffew
Designer/copywriter/copy editor/email service migration: yours truly
** If you’re ready to get going on your newsletter, drop me a line, or call 312.772.3962.
** I gave R&E the option to utilize my services for one issue, or for the entire course of the campaign. They were confident that they could work with the foundation I gave them, and chose to continue on their own.