Maintained 40% Open Rate over 4 Years for Monthly Newsletter
The EDUCAUSE Center for Analytics and Research (ECAR) is an EDUCAUSE sub brand and the only subscriber-driven research organization dedicated to improving IT's contribution to higher education.
The cornerstone of ECAR subscriber communications is our newsletter, ECAR Update. I helped to develop the overall ECAR communications plan and designed this newsletter in 2013. Since then, I have written content, tested, and published sent 44 issues. We have maintained consistent and above average open and click through rates for nearly four years. As an association, we compare our email analytics to association benchmarks.
ECAR Update is sent to 1,200 subscribers and has maintained an average open rate of 41.4% and an average open rate of 21.4%, respectively 5.4% and 5.26% higher than the Informz 2016 Association Email Marketing Benchmark Report email metrics averages.
Figure 1. Open, Delivery, and Click Rates for ECAR Update March 2013–October 2016
The November issue highlights the 2016 Students and Technology Research Study. This report is an annual favorite among ECAR members, higher education IT staff, and faculty alike. The research is based on data from the annual student survey on technology ownership, use patterns, and expectations. It's administered locally by nearly 200 colleges and universities throughout the United States, and approximately 70,000 students participate each year.
With a well-known and well-loved product like this, I wanted the feature story to accomplish two primary things 1.) create awareness, and 2.) give the audience a taste of the content. Secondarily, the feature needed to announce the availability of the new data portal and recognize the sponsor with their logo, sponsor statement, and EDUCAUSE partner level.
The additional links in the body of the newsletter announce subscriber benefits and new publications. "The Data Say..." section features an interesting data point and is typically used as a teaser for upcoming research. The "More From EDUCAUSE" section features articles selected for our subscribers from our magazine, EDUCAUSE Review. The right-hand column includes our most popular research, social sharing links, and a link to other EDUCAUSE newsletters.
