ECPA Industry Case Study: How Rose Publishing increased it’s online sales by 50% during the worst recession since WW2. (Sep 08 - Aug 09).

1. Online Marketing
Case Study: How Rose Publishing increased online sales
by 50% during the worst recession since World War 2
Sept 08-Aug 09 Twitter hashtag: #ECPAELS
Gretchen Goldsmith, CEO, Rose Publishing Inc.

2. Problem
Independent brick and mortar bookstores are in
decline. Retail in general is suffering.
Goal
To increase our direct business via the Internet.

3. First, the Offer
Something irresistible and valuable…
“Be generous online.”
• Through the Bible in a year?
• Verse a day?
• Free Bible eChart each week?

4. The Offer
• Through the Bible in a year?
Done by many others
• Verse a day?
Done by many others
• Free Bible eChart each week
- Proprietary Rose Publishing content

5. Determine the best methods
• Banners
• Social media
-Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin
• Google AdWords
• Search Engine
Optimization
(SEO)
• Our own paper
catalogs

6. Banners on the most compatible
websites 279 names, $1800, <3 sales in 8 weeks

7. Social Media

8. Social Media
Not highly effective for
• Direct selling
Good for
• Google ranking (link authority) Top 2.6%=>1%
• Getting to know industry leaders, authors;
• Seminars (mind-reading industry influencers)
• News (heard about airplane in Hudson River first)

9. Where did our ONLINE sales come
from Sep 08 - Aug 09?
Email marketing 40%
Direct - people who enter our URL usually 29%
through catalogs or word of mouth
Search engines: Google/organic 12%
(unpaid)
Google AdWords 10%
Search engines: All others/organic 5%
(unpaid)
Referrals from people via email 4%
Banner ads <1%
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, <1%
LinkedIn

10. 90% of our online
business came from
3 sources
1. Email marketing to our own list
2. Our own snail mail catalog
3. Google paid/unpaid traffic

11. Email Marketing
• To develop an email
list fast that
– Delights our customers
– Connects with old & new
customers
– Generates direct sales
– Helps provide feedback
for customer service &
product development

12. Email Marketing
• A recommended
book: Seth Godin’s
Permission Marketing.
• Long on principles,
short on details.

13. What We Learned
1. You have to earn someone’s email address –
The offer and design must be good.
• Offer was good. Design needed pizzaz.
• Result: 10% conversion

14. After:
Offer was good. Design good. 20% conversion.

15. Increasing Sign-ups
Reasons to give
us information
Establish
credibility

16. What We Learned
2. People can be tricky - close the loopholes.

17. After:
New Design - no access to free chart without double
opt-in verification of email account.
Subscription confirmation rate went from 50% to 70%.

18. What We Learned
3. Overwhelm them with value.
• Not just one, but nine free e-Charts. Plus another one each week.
• Counterintuitive: Giveaways help product sales in most cases.

19. What We Learned
4. Invite them to share with friends and they will.
• Add urgency – limited time to share
• Reassure privacy
• Give ways to share
5. Test your customers’ tolerance.
• Number of emails per week?
• Best day of the week to send?

20. What We Learned
6. Add LOTS of self-advertising
below the fold
• Here’s an old email
Conversion Rate = 0.22%

21. Here’s a new email that is
3 times longer
• More products
• Discounts
• Related items
Conversion Rate = 1.17%
5 times higher!

22. What We Learned
7. Provide a consistent look throughout sales process –
show other products of interest.

23. What We Learned
8. A healthy email list requires work
• Check deliverability (from 90% to 99% - solve
problems with ISPs).
• Segment subscribers (according to sources).
• Track metrics (opens, clickthroughs, sales, date &
time). Google Analytics is free.
• Track value per name a year later.
• Reengage inactive names by email AND snail mail.
• Remove non-responsive email addresses.
• Ask for a purchase in a low-key but clear way.

24. Results: Number of Online Visits
and Orders Increased
• Web visits tripled over 8 months
• Our number of web orders in Jan-Apr 09 were nearly
double the number in Jan-Apr 08
• The orders were smaller but our retail sales increased in
12 months by 20%. Online buyers buy less but more
often. Lifetime value will probably be higher.

25. Results: Competitive Advantage
Rose Publishing
Publisher 1
Publisher 2
• Visits per month compared to two industry leading competitors
as reported from compete.com

26. Gretchen Goldsmith
CEO/President
Rose Publishing, Inc.
gretchen@rose-publishing.com
Feedback, please!
Five-question survey has link to handouts
www.tinyurl.com/ecparose