Three years ago Propell National Valuers implemented the newsletter and marketing system created by Using The Net. The creation of our banners and newsletter formats was a seamless process and the assistance given by Derek Brown and his crew resulted in a pain free transition from standard email marketing (that is, putting together a document and laboriously sending it via the email system) to the powerful application of UTN that has transformed the way we communicate with our clients.

But that’s not why I’m writing this article. There are many companies out there who deliver the service that UTN does and with the same efficiency and professionalism and I could realistically be writing this article about the local air conditioning business I deal with. The real reason is because UTN has transformed the way we think about email marketing (and marketing in general) and the use of the system has educated us and guided us to knowing what it is that our clients really want. The fact that they operate a good business should be par for the course, it’s what it’s done to our thinking that has been most enlightening and ultimately, profitable.

We started out using the system to send our internal newsletter (which we still do) and used that as a testing ground for things such as headlines, article content and length, newsletter size etc. In other words, the standard marketing testing process. What it showed us however, was that the old maxim of “solving a problem”or “giving the client what they want”, was not only true, but that to go against it or try to be clever was tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot.

To give you an example, we tried to provide in-depth knowledge based articles to our staff members in order to keep them up-to-date with market activities and developments in the industry. We also provided an article based around the “Up Close and Personal” style about staff members and what they get up too. Which one do you think got the most hits? It certainly wasn’t the industry articles that’s for sure. Why? Well simply put, the staff were already getting bombarded by this type of information through their CPD (Continuing Professional Development) courses and industry publications and didn’t want to see any more of it. But did they want to know what Joe Blogg’s most embarrassing moment was? you bet. Our internal newsletter now focuses around “people” activities and talks about what’s going on within the organisation instead of outside the organisation. The open rate has gone up from 25% to 40%. Still not the greatest as far as I’m concerned but given that we are a national company with people all over the place, it’s still not bad.

What is great however, is an external monthly email we sent to all the commercial real estate agents on the Sunshine Coast. This 2 page article was a classic case of “solve a problem”. The availability of commercial leasing data is a constant bug-bear to commercial real estate operators (agents, developers, managers etc) and we have been collecting this information for some time in the hope of building up a database product to assist our valuers. Given that we collect this information from commercial agents we felt it was only fair that they received the entirety of the information back as a reciprocal appreciation of their effort. Our first email achieved a 50% hit rate and we have averaged a 60% hit rate on this newsletter ever since. It goes out once a month and is now being commented on by agents as being the most sought after piece of information on market activity and pricing. It has been picked up by the local property magazines and is being used in the same way but is now seen by thousands of people who read the weekly magazine (even though the data itself is only published by us once a month). People who hadn’t heard of Propell now know who we are and the flow on effect in terms of commercial valuation requests, both as referrals from the agents who receive the report and from others who see it through the magazines or hear about it from friends has been not only eye opening, but beyond anything we could have anticipated.

To anyone looking to increase their business output I say this. Get yourself organised with an online automated newsletter system such as Using The Net. Find out one area of business activity that you are involved with where information is hard to come by. Put in place the equipment, personnel and procedures to collect and report on that information and then send it out to your client base using the newsletter software. You will be staggered at the feedback you will receive by undertaking this process and by the brand awareness that occurs as a result. If you want to be seen as an industry leader you need to give your target market something that they don’t already have. They will love you for it.

by Aaron Parker

Company Research Manager

Propell National Valuers