QUARTERLY TIP: Maximizing Subscription Rates

There are two simple steps you can take that will help you maximize your subscription rates: 1) Effective implementation of GovDelivery on your website and 2) Additional promotion of the service.

Step 1: Effective Implementation of GovDelivery
Maximizing subscription rates starts with effective GovDelivery implementation on your website and continues when you actively promote your organization's ability to provide citizens with e-mail alerts. Here are some tips to make sure your website is promoting the service for you.

1. Provide relevant content for subscribers
   • Offer many subscription items
   • Offer subscriptions to specific topics
2. Place subscription links directly above or below content of interest
3. Include detailed link descriptions and graphics

Step 2: Promotion
Once your website is optimized to promote the subscription service, there are secondary measures you can take to further increase your subscriber base.

1. Write and distribute press releases to local, regional and trade publications
2. Plan a special promotion or contest for subscribers
3. Send out targeted mailings
4. Advertise your service
5. Use your phone message and phone answering scripts to encourage citizens calling in to visit the website and sign up for e-mail upates

Click here to read a white paper on how to increase subscriptions, "Maximizing Subscriptions for E-mail Subscription Management Systems."

FEATURED GOVDELIVERY SUCCESS STORY:
Idaho Fish and Game

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov

Idaho Fish and Game launched GovDelivery in December 2004. They are using GovDelivery to proactively communicate time-sensitive information to fish and game enthusiasts across the country; in fact, more than 34 percent of subscribers are not Idaho residents. They currently offer more than 38 different subscription options on a wide range of topics including hunter education, employment opportunities, regional fishing reports, hunting seasons and rules, news releases and much more.

Since launching GovDelivery in December 2004, Idaho Fish and Game:

• Sent more than 46,000 e-mails to subscribers.
• Added more than 2,400 subscribers, who have an average of more than 11 subscriptions per person.
• Generated a click-through rate of more than 49 percent.
• Gained the ability to gather important information from website visitors including whether visitors are residents of Idaho, frequency of website visits, primary fish and game interests, and more. This information gives Idaho Fish and Game the ability to better understand and communicate with their visitors.

GOVDELIVERY FEATURE HIGHLIGHT: Questions

The Questions feature in GovDelivery collects information from your subscribers as they sign up to receive e-mail alerts. Questions makes it possible to gain valuable insights about your subscribers and better serve their needs with your website and e-mails. Below you can see a sample of the great data Idaho Fish and Game has been able to gather using the Questions feature.

How do you get information about Fish and Game?*

• 2/3 of respondents are Idaho residents.
• 3/4 of respondents visit the Idaho Fish and Game site at least once a month; most visit at least once a week.

*Percentages do not add up to 100% because respondents were allowed to select more than one answer.

BEHIND THE SCENES:
Sarah Heikkila, Senior Account Manager

Sarah Heikkila has been a GovDelivery Senior Account Manager since April 2002. She has over 8 years of experience in customer support, training and technical documentation. In addition to handling the day-to-day aspects of account management, Sarah also helps set up new clients and provides ongoing training and consultation to more established clients.

Some of Sarah's clients include the Minnesota Department of Education; Tri-County Metropolitan District of Portland, OR (TriMet); Marin County, CA and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Feel free to contact Sarah by phone at 866-276-5583 ext. 312 or by e-mail at sarah.heikkila@govdocs.com if you would like more information about how to better utilize GovDelivery in your organization.

RECENT GOVDELIVERY LAUNCHES

	U.K. Parliament http://www.parliament.uk/
	Federal Reserve Bank Foreign Exchange Committee http://www.ny.frb.org/fxc/
	U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis http://www.bea.gov/
	Minnesota Department of Education http://education.state.mn.us/
	Sacramento County http://www.saccounty.net/

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