Overview

FirstMate is a family owned and operated manufacturer of dog and cat foods in Canada with headquarters in Deep Cove, British Columbia. As part of its customer retention strategy, FirstMate sends a monthly e-newsletter to its clients to keep them informed about new product launches, product updates, social media contests, and new blog posts. Building on the stories shared by brand ambassadors and user-generated content, FirstMate’s newsletter subscribers have almost doubled in just one year.

Challenge

In a saturated market, how is it possible to create a special bond between a pet food brand and consumers?

Solution

Content Marketing is key when it comes to telling stories and sharing tips with an audience. Pace Creative designed a custom newsletter template for FirstMate and writes compelling content each month to drive traffic back to FirstMate’s website and social media channels.

Solution

The monthly newsletter always follows the same structure, opening with a social media contest, followed by 2 to 3 blogpost extracts. The footer is generally used for product updates or coupons. Consistency is key when it comes to “training” customers to open a newsletter.

Solution

FirstMate’s newsletter is scheduled through MailChimp with timewarp, which allows the newsletter to be sent at the same time in each time zone, optimizing opening and click rates.

Result

Since its inception, FirstMate’s newsletter has helped drive traffic back to the website and social media channels.

Result

In a little bit less than a year, the number of newsletter subscribers doubled and the opening rate is well above industry average (36.4% vs. 18.9%).

Result

The monthly newsletter has helped gain more engagement (i.e., likes, comments and shares) on social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram.


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