eNewsletter Leading to Sales for Educational
Organization
When the Society of Certified
Senior Advisors (SCSA) sent out its second monthly eNewsletter, CSA
Connections, something interesting happened. A subscriber who had been
in SCSA's prospecting database for years — but had never responded
to sales calls — suddenly telephoned his sales rep and immediately
became a customer, mentioning he had seen her photo on front of CSA
Connections.
"People like seeing a picture that's related to the name of
the person who's been calling them," explains Vice President
of Operations Barbara Barstow.
The prospect's positive reaction to the salesperson's picture
is early evidence that the newsletter is leading to sales, Ms. Barstow says.
And based on results from the first three issues, it's also leading
to more informed subscribers. Opt-outs are extremely low, open rates are
very high and unique click-throughs are increasing with each send.
"The more they see the newsletter, the more they're reading
it," Ms. Barstow adds.
This initial success is a welcome achievement for the SCSA, a small organization
of 35 employees. For a long time, the Society had wanted to create an eNewsletter,
but lacked the time, expertise and other resources to produce it in house.
"Once we understood we should find an outside vendor to do the whole
thing, that allowed us to stop talking about it and start doing it," says
Ms. Barstow, explaining the recent move into eMarketing. "We're
very excited about it."
SCSA is an educational and credentialing organization that provides training
on senior issues to professionals who work with the senior market. CSA
Connections gives the organization an effective and economical medium for educating and
communicating with prospects, says Marketing Communication Director Dan Danbom.
The newsletter's format is intentionally brief. Each issue features
several short articles covering marketing strategies, interesting news and
the latest developments in aging, plus a humorous "Virtual Coffee Break" section.
It also piques readers' interest with previews of upcoming trainings,
classes and seminars.
"It's intended to make the reader think: 'I never knew
this about senior marketing, aging or the Society of Certified Senior Advisors,'" Mr.
Danbom says.
SCSA maintains extensive direct mail, telemarketing and other marketing
efforts. The email newsletter offers a new, less intrusive, way to keep in
touch with prospects.
"It's another channel to reach prospects to give them a flavor
of the kinds of things that CSAs become immersed in as they're learning
about seniors," he says.
The Society has completely incorporated the newsletter into its marketing
mix, promoting it at tradeshows and in all of its marketing material. The
newsletter lifts response rates across multiple marketing channels, Ms. Barstow
says.
"We're growing not just our newsletter subscribers, but also
our database of prospects," she adds.
CSA Connections also affords the Society the benefit of instant subscriber
feedback which shows people are opening and reading it. And this assures
the organization its messages are successfully reaching their target.
A Unique Organization
The SCSA was founded in 1997 by a group of visionary doctors, attorneys,
financial planners and other professionals. Today it represents 11,000 members
in multiple disciplines in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.
Active participants run the gamut of fields, including accountants, clergy,
funeral directors, insurance agents, Realtors and social workers.
Professional members who complete the appropriate educational and other
requirements earn the CSA designation. Unlike most other designations, the
CSA label indicates a level of expertise in the topic of aging. To earn the
CSA designation, professionals must attend a three and a half day classroom
session or complete a correspondence program within six months. Both options
expose participants to numerous issues relevant to aging to help them better
understand and market to seniors.
"There really isn't an organization out there that trains its
members in all aspects of aging to give them...a holistic view of senior
citizens," Ms. Barstow says. "Most other designations are product-specific
or industry-specific."
Membership in the SCSA offers professionals the advantage of having access
to others who can complement their efforts. Members can network with other
CSAs who have expertise that can benefit their potential customers. For example,
if a financial planner recognizes that a client needs health care at home,
he can refer the individual to the appropriate home health professional advisor.
Upcoming Plans
In the near future, SCSA plans to deliver more information services electronically.
Since many of its members conduct public talks, more power point presentations
will be added to the Web site. SCSA also plans to make a large number of
technical improvements to the Web site. For example, the online CSA locator
will expand beyond offering a name, phone number and other basic information.
The enhanced version will also feature a listing members can personalize
to better advertise their business — including a link to their own
company Web site.
"We are always looking for ways to put more tools in the hands of
our CSAs and keep them abreast of developments in aging and marketing in
ways that can help them better serve the senior population," Mr. Danbom
says.
For more information about the SCSA, contact Barbara Barstow or Dan Danbom
at 303-757-2323 or visit www.society-csa.com.
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