June 2023 Rep Rap

Insider Newsletters Get Results

It may only be June, but we’ve already booked most of our digital inventory for the rest of the year. It’s why we made the decision to add additional GUNS Insider and American Handgunner Insider dates. The Insider e-blasts, along with our dedicated emails, are our most popular and effective digital ad options.

Kristen Gooding from 5.11 Tactical told us our “metrics are fantastic!” They booked dedicated emails to promote their 5.11 Days sale in May. Kershaw Knives promoted a big knife sale to our American Handgunner list one day and to our GUNS list the next day. The dedicated emails are perfect for announcing new products and for big sales events.

“The most successful campaigns this year have been simple with a call to action.”

We have dedicated American Handgunner, GUNS, American COP and Shooting Industry lists available. Advertisers have used our dedicated emails to introduce products, as a lead generator or to promote a sale. The most successful campaigns this year have been simple with a call to action. Our e-blasts and dedicated email inventory around Black Friday and the holidays are filling up quickly. Reach out to your sales rep for current rates and availability.

We are closing up the GUNS October issue that has a shotguns focus, and Shooting Industry’s August issue will be the “Range Issue.” If you have a product vital to a range’s success, then send info our way. You can reach me anytime at delano.amaguin@fmghq.com.

No Better Time Than Now

School is out, family vacations are upon us, kids are starting summer camp and life is busier than ever. Coincidentally, there is no better time to digitally promote your brand and push new products.

Our website ad options and email marketing programs offer a quick and convenient way to reach your target market. From our high-impact banner packages on our websites to a perfectly tailored email program, each option provides a really great return!

“Our website ad options and email marketing programs offer a quick and convenient way to reach your target market.”

For those who have not secured upcoming ad placements for the fall, we are gearing up to launch an additional Insider e-newsletter in September, with content handpicked by Handgunner Editor Tom McHale and GUNS Editor Brent T. Wheat. Ad space in this new program is sure to sell out, so don’t delay reserving placement for your message.

For all of the small businesses looking to market new products, we will happily take your press releases to promote them in the New Products section of our magazines, but the best results will come from a consecutive ad schedule. Remember my advice: Consistency is key! It’s important to keep your brand in front of our audience. Change up your ad images and verbiage occasionally and tailor your ad to the editorial focus. Small but effective changes will make for a successful campaign!

With that being said, this is also the time to plan advertising for the fall season. October GUNS will have a shotguns focus, our November/December issue of American Handgunner will feature sights and optics and Shooting Industry’s first-ever “Range Issue” is coming in August. Each issue would be a great addition to your next fall promotion.

Let me know how I can help and for more information about important deadlines for these issues and programs. Reach out to me at amy.tanguay@fmghq.com or call me directly at (760) 580-8633.

Chat GPT To Build An Email Ad Campaign?

As we move quicker to the Jetson’s age, I’ve been hearing a lot lately about the advent of AI and Chat GPT. It’s an interesting idea, so I decided to give it a try to see what all the hype is about. I set up an account at chat.OpenAi.com, and having been heavily immersed in email campaigns lately, I typed, “Best strategy for creating a successful email advertising campaign” in the chat box. Here is an abbreviated response that generated:

“Creating a successful email advertising campaign involves careful planning and execution. Here are some strategies to consider:

1. Define your goals: Clearly outline your objectives for the email campaign. Whether it’s driving sales, increasing brand awareness or promoting a new product, knowing your goals will help you shape your campaign effectively.

2. Build a quality email list: Focus on growing an engaged and targeted email list. Offer valuable content or incentives in exchange for email addresses. Avoid purchasing email lists, as they often result in low-quality leads and can harm your sender reputation.

3. Segment your audience: Divide your email list into smaller segments based on demographics, interests or previous interactions. This allows you to send tailored messages to each group, increasing the relevance and effectiveness of your emails.

4. Personalize your emails: Use the recipient’s name in the email and craft personalized subject lines and content. Personalization creates a sense of connection and increases the likelihood of engagement.

5. Create compelling subject lines: The subject line is critical in getting recipients to open your emails. Make it attention grabbing, concise and relevant to the content inside. Arouse curiosity or highlight the value they’ll receive by opening the email.

6. Provide valuable content: Offer relevant and useful content that aligns with your audience’s interests and needs. Focus on providing value rather than solely promoting your products or services. This builds trust and engagement with your subscribers.

7. Use a professional email design: Ensure your emails are visually appealing and optimized for different devices and email clients. Use clean layouts, attractive visuals and clear calls to action (CTA) to guide readers toward the desired action.

8. Optimize for mobile devices: With the increasing use of mobile devices, make sure your emails are mobile-friendly. Test your emails across various devices and email clients to ensure a seamless experience.

9. Test and analyze: Perform A/B testing to evaluate different elements of your emails, such as subject lines, CTAs or email layouts. Analyze open rates, click-through rates and conversion rates to understand what works best and iterate accordingly.

10. Monitor deliverability and engagement: Pay attention to your email deliverability rates and ensure your emails are reaching the recipients’ inboxes. Monitor engagement metrics like open rates and click-through rates to assess the effectiveness of your campaign.

11. Automate where possible: Consider using an email marketing platform that offers automation capabilities. Automate welcome emails, drip campaigns and personalized follow-ups based on user actions to nurture leads and enhance engagement.

12. Comply with email regulations: Familiarize yourself with email marketing laws, such as the CAN-SPAM Act, and ensure your campaign adheres to them. Include a clear unsubscribe option and honor opt-out requests promptly.

13. Continuously optimize: Regularly review and refine your email campaign based on data and feedback. Experiment with different strategies, track results and make adjustments to improve performance over time.

Remember, successful email advertising campaigns require experimentation, ongoing optimization and a deep understanding of your target audience. By following these strategies and adapting them to your specific business and goals, you can increase the effectiveness of your email campaigns.”

Are there things noted that may or may not work for our industry? Sure. But for the most part, this is a pretty sound answer for someone looking to get started with email marketing.

As I read more about the service, I understand it’s an “open” source and it comes with the potential for hackers to be lurking in the background for information. If you’re looking for help with general topics and information, this will be a good source to provide answers and ideas. It seems getting specific with information is something most suggest against because of the open-source platform.

I experimented with a couple of topics to see what would generate, and think it’s definitely a tool that can be beneficial. You’ll no doubt hear more and more about Chat GPT, but I definitely recommend signing up and giving it a try to see what answers you get or problems it can solve for you.

Contact me if you’d like to discuss at tom.vorel@fmghq.com.

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