An Email Marketing Cause to Sign Up For

by Scott Cohen on August 30, 2010

in Email Marketing

Since we live in Utah (and not Salt Lake City specifically), if we’re out on a Sunday afternoon and want to get lunch, my wife and I are pretty much relegated to the national chain restaurants. As a result, we tend to frequent (probably once a month at most) Chili’s. Yesterday, my wife saw the below by our table, and told me “You have to blog about this.”

If you look at the bottom of the “table tent,” you’ll notice that there’s a call to action to join Chili’s email list. The copy there says “Join and we’ll send you cool offers — and donate $1 to St. Jude’s.” So from the looks of it, Chili’s can accomplish two things with this idea:

  • 1. They can donate up to $1 million to St. Jude’s to fight childhood cancer. (The small print said up to $1 million.)
  • 2. They can get potentially up to a million new email subscribers at a low cost and positive PR.

The Power of a Cause

Why is a cause like this a good entry point for email subscribers? Because everyone is passionate about something. Whether it’s cancer, Alzheimer’s, or MS (my personal cause), you will always find someone who wants to help out in some way.

Joining an email list is a relatively simple way for someone to contribute to a cause, and even better when it’s a free way to make a small difference.

In fact, my wife (who ever since I jumped into email marketing has become much more stingy in terms of subscribing to email newsletters and the like) said she would sign up for Chili’s email list because of the St. Jude’s cause.

Making a Difference While Earning Business

From a business perspective, Chili’s is spending $1 per customer to send coupons that could bring in thousands in repeat business. The $1 million potential “expense” goes to a great cause. The potential revenue gains don’t have a number specified.

Being Sensitive to the Cause

All that said, it’s important as email marketers to not ask for the email address in a way that’s detrimental to the cause you’re trying to promote. The cause must come first. That’s necessary for authenticity.

That’s why I’m pointing out the Chili’s example. I feel they did this properly. If you notice in the picture above, the email list request is the last option Chili’s presents. In a case like this, that level of priority seems appropriate.

Anyway, at the end of the day, I’ll be interested to see how many new email subscribers Chili’s gets out of this (and more importantly, how big of a donation is made to St. Jude’s as a result).

Just another idea to keep in mind as you think of ways to build your list.

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Ground Zero Mosque is Not the Real Issue

by Scott Cohen on August 27, 2010

in Politics

Forgive me for a moment.

I’ve been trying to stay out of this issue, but I need to get something off my chest.

All the hullabaloo over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” is a complete and total waste of time.

Before I get into the larger issues, the facts are the (again) so-called “Mosque” is not at Ground Zero but rather about 10 blocks away. The goal of the “Mosque” is actually to be an interfaith community center that, yes, has a Muslim prayer facility on the top two floors.

The bottom line? Who cares. The folks own the space. Let them build whatever they want.

Just because all of the 9/11 terrorists happened to be Muslim (extremists) doesn’t mean all Muslims are terrorists. Far from it.

If you use that logic (as others have), then that means since Timothy McVeigh is a terrorist and happens to be Christian, then all Christians are terrorist. (Sorry folks, the transitive property would apply.)

Yet, somehow, no one is making that argument.

But with all that said, the big issue to me? The fact that we’re two weeks away from the 9th anniversary of 9/11, and there’s still a hole in the ground at Ground Zero.

Issues with bureaucracy or not, the fact that there’s still a hole in the ground at Ground Zero means the terrorists have won (so far). There’s no progress. It’s not like we’re in the process of building something awesome. We’ve seen drawings and that’s it. And that was over five years ago.

Where’s the big monument? The giant “Eff You, Al Qaeda” tower?

Where’s the statement to the terrorists that we’re better than them? That our power and grace come not from sacrificing our ideals, but from shouting from the mountaintops that freedom will always reign in America.

As long as there’s still a hole in the ground, we haven’t won anything. And the increasing divisiveness in this country only makes that victory less attainable. After all, freedom isn’t free. And the First Amendment makes us earn it.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you can tell me the “Ground Zero Mosque” is a big deal. But I dare you to try to convince me it’s bigger than the Ground Zero Hole.

End rant.

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