The OpenWater Blog

Learning Series: Marketing Emails to Promote your Awards Program

Email marketing serves several distinct purposes. It:

• Allows you to stay in touch with contacts;
• Alerts contacts of upcoming events;
• Allows you to send updates regarding your organization; and
• Helps you promote offers and new content.

Most importantly, it allows you to do all this in an easy, cost efficient manner.

As is the case in your typical organizational activities, you can use email marketing to promote your awards program to existing contacts and new contacts as well. When used effectively, email is one of the best ways to grow your program in combination with other marketing tactics, like press releases, traditional marketing, and social media outreach.

Read on to learn:

• Types of emails you should send to promote your awards program; and
• Best practices for any email you send.

5 Types of Emails You Should Send for Your Awards Program

If you’re ready to promote your awards program via email, there are 5 different templates you should use to interest your readers:

• Stand-Alone Emails – Stand-alone emails are one-time emails that announce your call-for-entry. You’ll use these emails for previous or regular applicants.
• Newsletters – If you already distribute a regular newsletter, you can use it to inform contacts about your call-for-entry or program in general.
• Lead-Nurturing Emails – This is a series of emails centered on a single theme. Lead-nurturing emails are great for those who have never entered your program and may include information regarding submissions, announcements, deadlines, application information, best practices, criteria, and more.
• Sponsorship Emails – You may pay for a sponsored spot in an organization’s email or sell sponsorship positions in your awards program.
• Transactional Emails – Send thank-you emails after an entrant takes a particular action in your program.

Email Marketing Best Practices: Quick Tips

Regardless of what type of email you send, it’s important you follow the same general best practices to remain effective. Here are a few of our favorite quick tips:

• Consider Your Subject Line – 64% of people open an email based on the subject line. You must consider tone, entertainment value, and brevity to be successful.
• Segment Your Audience – Your entire audience isn’t the same. Segment which emails you send to remain relevant.
• Social Media – If you maintain an active presence on social media like you should, you should include social sharing buttons to allow users to share as they see fit.

Learn More About Email Marketing and Other Awards Marketing Tips in Our FREE Course, Awards 101

If you want to learn more about how to run an awards program beyond email marketing our free course, Awards 101 is a great way to do so. In it, you’ll enjoy several hours of narrated slides and presentations along with companion worksheets and an awards website sample to keep you on track.

Email marketing is but one component of an effective awards program marketing strategy. Start learning today by clicking the link below to get started!

[button id=”” style=”” color=”orange” type=”large” size=”large” href=”http://go.getopenwater.com/awards-101″ align=”center” target=”_self”]Begin the FREE Online Course Now![/button]

Kunal Johar

Kunal Johar is the OpenWater platform evangelist. He currently manages our development teams and enjoys diving into the fray. Find him in our community chat room.

From 300 to 1,000+ Entries: How OpenWater Has Served as a Catalyst for Growth for the National Council for Behavioral Health

Learning Series: 20 Years and Still Growing – How to Sustain Success in an Awards Program