today . “ It ’ s the things we hear from customers and people in the industry that spark ideas for the emails ,” he says . “ Sometimes it ’ s something our employees bring to us . Sometimes , it ’ s what we think could be useful information for our customers . Sometimes , the emails focus on the unique needs of the customers in the verticals we are the strongest in .”
For RDS , it ’ s often about what ’ s happening to their customers , the community or the company . “ I live with the camera in my hand , and so does my team because I think pictures tell the best stories ,” says Zogby . “ I ’ ve trained my team to have their phones close by and always to take pictures . And before we do any newsletter , we review the photos in that month ’ s library to see what stories are important .” They also have specific categories they like to address regularly . These often feature their customers , the members of their team and the company ’ s extensive work in the community . “ We ’ ve had great success highlighting cultural moments for those in our company ,” says Zogby . “ These cultural moments are all about our people and how we value them . We hold seven events in my office that reinforce our company ’ s culture and always feature them in our monthly newsletters . Whether celebrating a birthday , doing meet-andgreets with the drivers , or holding safety events , we ’ re always doing something to bring our people together . That ’ s the RDS culture . We also feature onboarding new clients and celebrating them . We always like to feature a ‘ behind the scenes ’ look at how things are done at RDS . It all boils down to connecting with your readers authentically and adding value .” ( For a list of RDS ’ most successful newsletter topics , see the sidebar of this article .)
The Flexible Editorial Calendar
Both companies say creating an editorial calendar as a general framework is critical as long as you build in plenty of flexibility to respond to in-themoment events . “ Our bi-weekly eblasts are planned ahead of time . They are all mapped out , but we ’ re also interested in being responsive to change . We think of our editorial calendar as a guideline ,” says Mark Seltzer .
RDS also plans out some content in advance , especially when it ties in with regular events . “ Let ’ s say , in September , it ’ s Fashion Week . I ’ ll build a story around that since it ’ s a huge deal in New York . Or , we ’ ll tie in with Valentine ’ s Day in February . We ’ ll look at those events to see what we can capitalize on ,” says Zogby . “ That gives us a skeleton for the editorial calendar , but we ’ re very responsive to what ’ s happening right now .”
The Measurable Benefits of Email Campaigns
Regular eblasts can keep a last-mile provider on the radar of current customers and prospects in a non-sales manner . “ I think it ’ s an opportunity to tell your company ’ s story and add value with these emails . They are a low-pressure way to follow up with prospects and customers and share what ’ s going on with your company ,” says Zogby . “ Email campaigns help your company build a fan base , a customer base , and a referral base . People are always in different buying stages . So when they have a need , we must be at the top of their minds . That ’ s when our newsletter reminds them of our services . With these emails , we ’ re not selling anything . We ’ re just sharing a few stories every month to keep ourselves top of mind and visible when needed .”
He also points out the power of eblasts to retain customers and inactive customers and reach com-
46 customized logistics & delivery Magazine I summer 2024