I want to schedule an email campaign for new cardholders
Let’s get started.
Our new cardholder series kicks off with a “welcome” message in week one followed by five e-blasts with different messages about programs, services and/or your collection—reasons for your cardholders to start using your library. Just search “cardholder” to find the templates, and remember, they’re completely customizable, so add links to your library’s resources.
Ready to get started? Just follow these four steps:
1. Go to the home page in LibraryAware and enter “cardholder” in the search bar. You will see six templates to choose from; select the one(s) you wish to use. Customize them with links to your library’s resources. Pro tip: Watch our recorded microtraining on using our templates specially designed to engage cardholders.
2. Create a Subscriber Interest Group under the Subscribers link and name it “Welcome to Your Library.” Do not check the box next to “Exclude from Opt-in page.” You want the list included so people can opt out easily if they want.
2. Create a Subscriber Interest Group under the Subscribers link and name it “Welcome to Your Library.” Do not check the box next to “Exclude from Opt-in page.” You want the list included so people can opt out easily if they want.
3. At least 24 hours before you want to send out your first email in the series, upload your list of new cardholders. To do so, use the Bulk Upload feature by clicking Subscribers, then the orange Add button, then Bulk Subscribers.
Upload your .csv file and under “Select Subscriber Interest Groups:” choose “Welcome to Your Library.”
Then click the orange Import and update Subscribers button.
4. To schedule your series, open email #1 (Welcome) and customize it with your library’s links where needed. Save it, then click “Publish to...”at the top right. Select “Schedule Email.”
Then follow the prompts. Remember to change the subject line if you’d like.
Under the Email Subscribers section, at “send to” click the dropdown arrow and choose “Subscribers by Interest Group since...” and select the date of your upload. This will limit the emails to only those on the list you uploaded and not any you might add to the Subscriber Interest Group going forward.
Leave the toggle button selected for “Send to subscribers in ANY of the selected interest groups” and click the orange Save Publication Event. Now schedule email #2 for two weeks from now, email #3 for four weeks from now, and so on, so that your emails are scheduled two weeks apart.
Note: If you wish to start another series with those who signed up for a card since your last upload, repeat steps 3 and 4. When you select “Subscribers by Interest Group since...” choose the date you uploaded your second list. That way, your first list of cardholders won’t get the series twice.
Note: If you wish to start another series with those who signed up for a card since your last upload, repeat steps 3 and 4. When you select “Subscribers by Interest Group since...” choose the date you uploaded your second list. That way, your first list of cardholders won’t get the series twice.
Pro Tip: To schedule several welcome series over the next few months, just change the “Subscribers by Interest Group since…” to the day before you want each email to be sent. Mark your calendar to upload a list of new cardholders on that date, and you’re done. Set it and forget it!
Go to the Reports page/Schedule to confirm that all emails are scheduled properly. You can make changes to any scheduled email by clicking on View Details. Emails that are marked “in progress” or “published” cannot be changed.
Pro Tip: We suggest you create a table or spreadsheet when planning out your e-blast schedule. We find it’s easiest to plan it out with all the dates first, then start scheduling.
Example: Scheduling for sending six emails in a series, with uploads of new customers every week.
Pro Tip: We suggest you create a table or spreadsheet when planning out your e-blast schedule. We find it’s easiest to plan it out with all the dates first, then start scheduling.
Example: Scheduling for sending six emails in a series, with uploads of new customers every week.
|
New cardholders as of (upload date) |
Email #1 |
Email #2 |
Email #3 |
Email #4 |
Email #5 |
Email #6 |
|
10/30/2020 |
Schedule for: 11/2 |
Schedule for: 11/16 |
Schedule for: 11/30 |
Schedule for: 12/14 |
Schedule for: 12/28 |
Schedule for: 1/11 |
|
|
Subs since 10/30 |
Subs since 10/30 |
Subs since 10/30 |
Subs since 10/30 |
Subs since 10/30 |
Subs since 10/30 |
|
New Cardholders as of (upload date) |
Email #1 |
Email #2 |
Email #3 |
Email #4 |
Email #5 |
Email #6 |
|
11/2/2020 |
Schedule for: 11/9 |
Schedule for: 11/23 |
Schedule for: 12/7 |
Schedule for: 12/21 |
Schedule for: 1/4 |
Schedule for: 1/18 |
|
|
Subs since 11/2 |
Subs since 11/2 |
Subs since 11/2 |
Subs since 11/2 |
Subs since 11/2 |
Subs since 11/2 |
Pro Tip: Want to know whether you engaged your new cardholders?
One week later, check your metrics on the Reports page/Metrics. Opens show interest; clicks show engagement. Click the linked numeral under Total Clicks. You’ll see which link(s) patrons clicked on and how often. Watch your statistics for a few months and then set goals for your library to increase engagement based on your library’s overall goals. For instance, if your library is trying to increase attendance at virtual programs this year and you notice many people aren’t clicking on the link about virtual programs, you may need to adjust your text to make it more intriguing.
Need more help? Email us at libraryaware@ebsco.com or reach us via live chat 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. ET weekdays. You can also can hire a NoveList expert to help you with your library marketing.