Emailing your school newsletter and why MS Outlook is a bad idea

Emailing your School Newsletters

Why Business does it…… why schools should be doing it too…and why MS Outlook is a bad idea.

August 2011

Safenewsletters.com.au

http://safenewsletters.com/

Email…

• Emailing school newsletters is no longer fanciful or wishful thinking.

• It’s essential.• It’s a vital part of the school business

model.• Don’t miss the boat. You need to start

now!• Its easy and in reach of every school.



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You will learn …

• Why email is critically Important• How email links your website which is your

biggest communication tool.• How email can grow school confidence• Why Microsoft Outlook is bad• Why schools try and fail to send email

newsletters effectively…• How to set your school up for email success• How to measure email success• The barriers/excuses schools use…



The Biggest Blockers…

• Emailing is too hard to organize…

• I don’t have time to set it all up…

• I don’t have the technical expertise…

• Our school isn’t ready…

• Some families don’t have computers…

• It’s not safe…



It’s too hard to organize…

• Most schools think they need to use MS Outlook to email. It’s a Myth. All of the worlds largest companies DON’T use an email client such as Outlook to broadcast newsletters… because its too hard!

• Most schools think they have to write down and type in all parent email addresses. That’s a myth too.



I don’t have time…

• Most schools think that takes up too much time to set things up for email. If you’re using MS Outlook… you’re right.

• That’s why the worlds largest companies DON’T use an email client such as MS Outlook.



Expertise…

• Most schools think that a systems technician or a person with technology skills is needed to oversee the email process. It’s a myth.

• If you’re using MS Outlook… you may technical help.

• All of the worlds largest companies DON’T use MS Outlook to broadcast their newsletters.



We’re not ready…

• We are not ready… or YOU are not ready?

• One of the biggest barriers to technological change is FEAR.

• Planned, sequenced change management will overcome fears.

• Age is not a barrier.



Families without internet…

• 72% Australian families have internet access. Source ABS 2006 census data

• 28% of families will need a paper copy. Survey families and find out.

• 28% is not a reason to exclude the majority of families with the capability to receive email.



Safety…

• Some schools think that sending email will compromise privacy.

• Some schools think that parent email address will be accessed by spammers.

• If you use MS Outlook… they might be right.

• That’s why all of the worlds largest companies DON’T use an email client such as MS Outlook.



Why NOT MS Outlook??

• Its great for personal emailing.• Its difficult to manage a dynamic parent list and

becomes time consuming• It fails on large mail outs• Lists over 50 get flagged as spam• Cannot send email one at a time… unless you

buy specialized plugins…• It’s not as secure.• Usually only one person has access to the list



Why Not Webmail Portals?

• Usually one person has access to the parent list in their personal contact list.

• Still have to take phone calls from parents and type in their email address.

• Large lists get flagged as spam• Cannot send one email at a time• Still have to manage a dynamic parent

email list



Why NOT Your Own Email Server

• Setup costs.

• Wages for a technician to deploy and administer

• What happens when it fails??

• It’s more trouble than its worth…



So what does Business do??

They use professional email services such as…



Aweber



Mail Chimp



iContact



Stream Send



Vertical Response



Why??

• To get customers browsing their websites so that they buy stuff!!!



But Schools Don’t Sell Stuff!!

• Actually… they do…• The core business for a school is teaching and

learning… right??• Schools sell education and achievements amongst

others• Parents make an investment in their child’s future by

sending them to your school.• Your school website should be as important to you as it

is for a retail business site. Its an extension of your core business…

• The way to get traffic to your website is… EMAIL



School Websites

• Most schools think that they have load every single document onto their website

• Its becomes an archive of stuff

• It also becomes difficult to maintain because some of the stuff becomes out of date…



School Websites

• It’s a poor reflection

• Check your web stats. How may views do your pages get? Which are the least popular pages?

• What do you want parents to read first?

• What do you want parents to click on?



School Websites

• What do you want parents to know?• Your website needs to be well organized• It needs to be functional … not confusing

and hard to navigate.• Place your newsletters on your website

where parents can find them easily.• Send parents an email to view your

newsletter on your website.



WHY??

• Because when parents finish reading your newsletter… they can then browse your school website.

• They can see your achievements.• They can see your school in action.• It Grows school confidence because parents are

informed and they are learning!!• How many times have parents complained that

they don’t know what is happening at your school?? No MORE!!



Why Does Business Use Email

• Email DIRECTLY reaches people who WANT to receive their updates.

• Email is cheaper than distributing a paper copy… and reduces landfill

• Email is quicker and convenient• Email can be analyzed to determine what is

being read• Email is easy…• Email is scalable…



Business 20 years ago…

• Catalogues were printed.• Customers called requesting a catalogue.• Catalogue posted (if it hadn’t expired)• Unused catalogues incinerated.• Customers browse products after traveling

to the store.• Catalogue to sale may have taken days or

weeks



Business Today…

• Customers request catalogue using websites

• Catalogue delivered automatically via email.

• Customers browse products online.• Sales transaction happen online.• Catalogue to sale time reduced. More

sales…



What Does this mean for Schools?

Emailing your parents means…

• DIRECTLY reaching each parent each week. Because of this…

• Parents checking your website regularly.

• Parents are better informed.

• Parent confidence in your school grows



For Business Email can…

• REDUCE costs. • MAXIMISE sales and profits by extending existing

business.• STREAMLINE and maximise salesforce productivity and

efficiency.• BETTER use of time• REDUCE waste.• DIRECTLY reach more customers.• BUILD relationships and loyalty.• GENERATE repeat sales.



For Schools Email can..

• REDUCE costs. (eg photocopy costs, wages)• MAXIMISE readership.• STREAMLINE and maximise workforce

productivity and efficiency.• BETTER use of time• REDUCE waste.• DIRECTLY reach more parents.• BUILD confidence and loyalty.• GENERATE enrolements.



How Do Business Do It??

• Business use their websites to collect customer subscriptions (eg name and email address). No need to answer phones.

• Business use a business email service who give them a small subscription form for their website.

• The Newsletter is placed on their website• An email is sent directing customers to their

website



Benefits of email services…• Email subscriptions are done silently by the website technology.• Staff no longer have to type in email address. Saves time• Reduces errors because the user types in their own email address.• Professional email templates.• Analyze email open rates.• Sends traffic to your website• Manages unsubscribes• Manages spam via double opt in• Its easy!!• Its safe



Business Examples


This business captures leads using an optin form.

An auto responder will email the prospect with follow up info increasing the likelihood of a sale


David Jones


David Jones collect email addresses and send out their catalogues via email.

This is allows customers to shop online increasing their bottom line profits…


JetStar


Jetstar send details of special deals on flights.

Often its to fill empty seats …


Dick Smith


Dick Smith send an online version of their printed catalogue and special deals…


School Email Services

• Schools don’t need business scale email services

• Safe Newsletters provides services just for schools who better cater for the needs of schools.

• Safe Newsletters has a free service and a paid professional service.



Safe Newsletters Can…




• Include links to your school website inside the body of the parent email

• Segment you list into parents, teachers and students• Bulk import email addresses you already have• Export your email addresses to synchronize onsite

school systems• Offer superior support• Send emails one at a time to all parents.• Provide internet encryption similar to banks making the

framework very secure• Send message alerts


Safe Newsletters Can Help Your School…

• Reallocate Staff. If it takes a staff member 3 hours each week to reproduce and distribute your newsletter… you can now allocate them another task..

• Grow school confidence. With parents browsing your website each week and seeing your school in action…it reinforces the good work being done inside classrooms…


Webmail and MS Outlook…• Great for personal emailing.• Creates many lists• Cannot self subscribe• Cannot self unsubscribe• Cannot automate one at a time sending• Cannot generate analytics• Cannot SMS• Cannot collaborate• Cannot handle large mailouts



• Handle small or large email lists• Provide greater communication traction for your school.• Save you money.• Save you from the MS Outlook treadmill…



• Do all this with near zero downtime because there is nothing to install and very little to learn…

• Take your school newsletter and…


Deliver it better than you can…


Because that’s what we do…

Safe Newsletters

We help schools make…Environmental Sense


Economic Sense

And More Efficient

That’s why we a leaders in email distribution systems for

schools…


By Taking a Test Drive…

• Means you have access to all the tools for you to test…• You are under no obligation to continue• You can continue free• You can continue with the cool toys in the professional version…


You always receive same day support…

• Free users get email and ticket support

• Pro users get email, ticket and phone support.

• All users can access the short video tutorials for fast immediate help…



Bonus

Recommend us to 3 schools and receive a free copy of the latest student performance software…

Got to safenewsletters.com/bonus

http://safenewsletters.com.au

Emailing your school newsletter and why MS Outlook is a bad idea

Education

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