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How To Create Effective Owner Communications
by Marge Lennon
Owner
Lennon Communications Group
When properly written and designed, newsletters can be one of your most inexpensive and effective marketing and communication tools.
Although estimates run as high as 100 million newsletters published in North America today, most of them are never read. That's because they are not attractive in appearance and poorly written. Often, they are over-designed and so glitzy that the reader confuses them with a promotional piece or an advertisement. Although the mark of a true newsletter is that it can be read in one sitting, some are so large that they are actually magazines. Many end up in the "I'll-Get-To-It-Someday" reading pile.
But when done right, newsletters can work marketing magic. They can be highly effective in communicating to existing and/or prospective owners for informational and marketing purposes. Newsletters can be used to expand a customer base, introduce new products and services or referral programs and encourage repeat business. Newsletters can also build customer awareness and be used as a vehicle to reposition a company.
In the vacation ownership industry, most developers and management companies recognize the value of a regularly scheduled owner communications program to assure them an informed owner base. Newsletters have also played a major role in eliminating potential problems - such as reducing maintenance delinquencies - simply because of their repetition.
Newsletters can be the ideal vehicles to emphasize an on-going resales program. If none exist, it can be used as a resales listing forum for the owners themselves, listing internal trade requests from other owners.
When used as a marketing piece, owner interviews (testimonials) can help sell the resort or development. This also applies to articles that emphasize benefits of quality property management and onsite activities. Although a resort may be sold out, communications with the owners need not come to an abrupt halt. You can never tell when you'll want them as a customer again!
It is important that the professional you select be knowledgeable about the hospitality or real estate product and that he or she understands the true purpose of the newsletter.
TIPS & TRICKS
The following "tips" have been prepared after creating more than 800 newsletters and interviewing several hundred timeshare owners around the globe.
1. The Plan. Decide first on the purpose, or multiplicity of purposes for your newsletter. Assuming that you are mailing to owners, what are you trying to accomplish? Resales? Reloads? Referrals? Introduction of new product or services? Or just conveying information? Then, stick to your plan and don't deviate from that purpose. If you want your true message to be subliminal and not jump off the page, you may want to sneak it in beside several other informational-type stories.
2. The Frequency. Decide on the publication frequency and maintain your original schedule. A quarterly or three-times-a-year 4-page newsletter often gets the most readership. Any more is too often to be noticed. Monthly newsletters have the opposite effect. How often do you read your entire frequent flyer newsletter?
3. Who pays? When the developer is still in sales, costs can come from the marketing budget. Sold out resorts often list their newsletter as a separate line item in the condo association budget and they are paid from maintenance fees.
4. The Size. Unless the purpose is primarily sales oriented, try to keep your stories short. Remember, the best newsletters are those that can be read in one sitting. They are far more likely to be read in their entirety. Stay away from long boring articles. Keep in mind the size of USA Today articles.
5. Include photos or graphics. Words are not enough! Don't forget that you need to attract the attention of your prospective audience to get them to pick up your newsletter in the first place. One or two simple black and white photos or artwork add tremendous impact and makes it far more readable.
6. The Format. The traditional newsletter format (2-3 columns) is accepted by readers with far more credibility than an advertisement, direct mail letter or something that has a "buy me" message jumping off the page. Thus, it is important to make sure it IS DESIGNED & READS LIKE a newspaper instead of an ad. It's a slight form of "trickery", but it works! Unless you are in sales, a one- or two-color newsletter designed as a self-mailer is sufficient and will be inexpensive to print.
7. The Contents. Here's where you merge your purpose with your message. Also, try to put yourself in the owner's shoes. What type of information would YOU like to hear about if you had purchased at a distant resort? Remember that a regularly informed owner is most likely to pay maintenance fees, be responsive to meeting notices or voting proxies, and show support for sales of new products or services.
8. Mailing. Send it bulk rate. With a minimum of 200 pieces, you can buy a bulk permit to print directly on each newsletter. Mailing locally and presorting by zip code will get you the lowest possible rate. Check with your post office for rates.