As iMakeNews ends another year, I thought it might be interesting to take a nostalgic look back at some customers that have been using the iMakeNews services for several years, not only to see how their newsletter campaign has evolved, but also to see if they had any specific resolutions or goals for the upcoming year. 

So I checked in with three very different companies…one in software, one in insurance, and one a high-tech distributor…and found that they had many things in common when it came to their newsletters. For instance, they all put a very high value on their newsletter and see it as an integral part of their communication plans. They also all love how easy the iMakeNews service is to use and the fact that almost anyone can use it. And they all are very diligent and conscientious about using the analytical reports that iMakeNews provides after every issue. They examine what’s been read and what hasn’t and use trend information to refine their editorial approach in upcoming issues.

But they are three different companies and, as you’ll see, they each have different uses for their newsletters, and as I was able to find out, very different resolutions for the upcoming year.

AFLAC, a leading provider of insurance sold on a voluntary basis, and a customer since November 2000.

Since the beginning of its use of the iMakeNews service, AFLAC has been publishing two bimonthly newsletters: Leadership in Action (LIA) is sent to all AFLAC coordinators and Training in Action (TIA) goes out to state training coordinators. Before using the iMakeNews service, these were printed and mailed so the benefits of using the service became evident immediately through the tremendous savings of both cost and time.

Brande Carden, a marketing analyst for AFLAC who manages the newsletters, appreciates not only those benefits, but also the fact that you can make changes right up to the minute it’s sent out. In addition, she values the fact that all back copies are archived and easily available for reference.

The newsletters are used for product information and updates as well as leadership and training tips and techniques. As a main vehicle of communication from headquarters, these newsletters are a critical component of their leadership and training efforts. Brande keeps the subscribers on their toes by using the iMakeNews quiz capability; she tests the readers on information in the articles in each issue and rewards the first to reply with a prize. And she knows the newsletter is working well because she is continuously getting emails from the field on how helpful it is.

Brande’s resolution for 2003: To continue to keep the readers interested (and on their toes!) by increasing the amount of leadership, organizational, and motivational topics in the newsletter.

Centive, a leading developer of incentive compensation software and services, and a customer since May 2001.

Centive has been publishing its monthly newsletter, Beta-Carrotene, for over a year and half, with product updates, industry news, case studies, and insights from executives included in each issue that goes out to customers, prospects, and partners. It chose iMakeNews initially because, as a small start-up at the time, it didn’t have a lot of extra time on its hands and needed a service that could provide a graphical template, backend list and database services.

According to Patty Lehan, Centive’s Director of Marketing and Alliances, Centive considers its newsletter to be one of its strongest programs and one of the greatest benefits is that it’s a small investment with a big return. It has used the newsletter to help position itself as a thought leader within the incentive compensation industry. It seems to be well on its way to achieving that goal, as the newsletter continuously gets praise from everyone it touches – customers like the friendliness and informative quality, partners like it so much that one of them has started his own iMakeNews program and the competition, well, it’s a case where imitation is certainly the best form of flattery. Even Centive’s board members have given their kudos, with one board member commenting that it’s one of the best marketing programs he has ever seen.

Patty’s resolution for 2003: The newsletter started with a subscriber base of 3,000 and has grown in a year and a half to 8,000. Next year, Patty hopes to see it reach over 10,000!

GE Access, a premiere value-added distributor of technical products, and a customer since December, 2001.

GE Access publishes its @ACCESS newsletter twice a month and sends it to a very targeted audience of 3500 resellers who sell technology solutions to mid-size corporations and 500 GE Access sales people and internal employees. Prior to using the iMakeNews service, GE Access communicated with its resellers only through emails – lots of emails. It saw @ACCESS as a way to consolidate the communication with resellers into a more usable format. Each issue is loaded with product news, discontinuations, promotions, financial programs, and industry-related news.

According to Molly James-Lundak, GE Access’ Communication Manager, one of the primary benefits of the newsletter is the fact that anyone can use the service. Because of the enormous amount of information that needs to be communicated on an ongoing basis to its resellers and sales people, there are typically 40 contributors from within the company to each issue. This information is filtered down through 8 people who actually put the newsletter together, with Molly as a lead coordinator.

While emails are still sent, @ACCESS has cut down on the abundance of information and reduced the amount of emails by almost 50% each month.

Molly’s resolution for 2003: Molly sees increasing potential for @ACCESS in the upcoming year and hopes to cut down the quantity of emails even more by increasing readership through the use of dynamic content and through more timely and relevant editorial.

On behalf of iMakeNews, I wish everyone a lot of luck with their upcoming goals and hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

Nancy Langmeyer is the principal of The Write Words, a copywriting service that uses strategy, research, and creativity to deliver compelling communications that link businesses to people. For more information, click here.