Case Study: International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology Email Newsletter Service
Sector: Nonprofit
Project: Email Newsletter Service, Blog Copywriting, Content Marketing
We partnered with the International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology (IACFP) as an email newsletter service provider to deliver content strategy, digital copywriting, and ongoing management for their bi-monthly member newsletter. In our first year together, we've increased their audience by 30%, achieved an average open rate of 49.1% (nearly 10% above the industry average), and yielded click-through rates ranging from 8.5% to 11.9%.
The Challenge
The International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology (IACFP) is a nonprofit organization established in 1954 to support correctional and forensic psychologists, as well as other helping professionals who work with justice-involved individuals. IACFP uses research, education, and advocacy to promote evidence-based and practitioner-informed practices. Their goal is to help members identify and implement effective treatment approaches for individuals in the care of the criminal justice system.
IACFP reached out to us to discuss strategy and support following a decision to shift their quarterly newsletter to a bimonthly newsletter and an online format. This shift required finding a partner who could provide assistance with content strategy, digital copywriting and ongoing management via Mailchimp for their new email newsletter marketing. Initial goals for our work together included:
IACFP reached out to us to discuss strategy and support following a decision to shift their quarterly newsletter to a bimonthly newsletter and an online format. This shift required finding a partner who could provide assistance with content strategy, digital copywriting and ongoing management via Mailchimp for their new email newsletter marketing. Initial goals for our work together included:
- To engage members in meaningful ways through global conversations, while acknowledging the needs and challenges members face in their professional lives.
- To provide education about the organization's current priorities, such as criminal justice reform, through thought leadership and research- or evidence-based articles.
- To help members bridge research and practice by highlighting and summarizing advances in correctional and forensic psychology, both nationally and internationally, with an emphasis on reform.
- To support the professional development of students and member practitioners in the field through research and publication opportunities.
- To improve readership and increase membership by providing material that is both substantive and consistent.
The Idea
IACFP found a great fit in our email newsletter service, which includes a monthly content strategy planning call, an SEO-optimized blog, and a bimonthly email newsletter. Included in this package are basic graphics, copy set up, and monthly reporting. This enabled us to create branding and imagery for their template that fit the tone and style of the former newsletter format, while providing updates that gave the email newsletter a sleeker, more professional, and more consistent look.
To tailor services specifically to IACFP's needs, we also included copyediting of three additional articles created by subject matter experts focused on the needs and interests of their members and original graphics to create a sense of branding and cohesion. These tailored add-ons provided the perfect vehicle to publish more student research and give practitioners a platform for sharing their work and insights from the field. It also has enabled the board to contribute more regularly, which provides a perfect platform to highlight the organization's criminal justice reform priorities.
Finally, we were able to provide the added benefit of consistency in management and expert guidance by placing an account manager on the project who is Mailchimp certified. This enables us to provide monthly reporting that not only includes relevant metrics, but also key insights and strategy recommendations that help us improve results on a continual basis.
Finally, we were able to provide the added benefit of consistency in management and expert guidance by placing an account manager on the project who is Mailchimp certified. This enables us to provide monthly reporting that not only includes relevant metrics, but also key insights and strategy recommendations that help us improve results on a continual basis.
The Results
- The size of IACFP's email newsletter audience has grown 30% since shifting from their prior format to our new digital format.
- By utilizing a resend campaign, we've been able to increase the open rate above both the average for their list and the industry average of 39.5% - landing anywhere from 46% to 52%.
- Members are clearly engaged with content, which can be seen by a click-through rate average of 8.5% to 9.7%, which is nearly double the industry average of 4.6%. Our highest click-through rate nearly tripled the industry average at 11.9%.
- Our work together has increased the consistency of their publication, guaranteeing members four new digital articles—which are substantive, practitioner-focused, and globally-oriented—every other month. Each publication now features at least one article focused on each of the following: 1) evidence-based advances in the field; 2) student-led research; 3) a criminal justice reform topic; and 4) international news.
"It has been a pleasure to engage in a professional partnership with SBS that has been a great benefit to our members. The quality, consistency, and results of our partnership have exceeded our initial expectations."
