• home
  • sample
  • contact
  • features
  • success stories
  • join
  • faq
  • pricing
  • brokers
  • blog
  • all products
    • facebook service
    • real estate (us)
    • real estate (canada)
    • real estate (toronto)
    • mortgage (US)
    • insurance (US)
    • financial planner (US)
    • accountant (US)
    • general business and consumer
  • log in
Ready to Go Newsletters

How to Use a Newsletter to Prove that a ‘Commodity’ Product Can Be Special

production

April 30, 2009

Country_hen_egg_newsletter Here's a fascinating case study from a company that sends out a newsletter in every box of eggs it produces.

Yes, eggs that come with their own newsletter.

I'll give you what I see as the big takeaway first:

You might think that eggs is eggs. But, as we're told, some eggs are better than others – free range is better than battery, organic better than chemical. But with so many claims (many misleading) about eggs (what does "farm fresh" mean?), how do you make your eggs stand out? One way is by sending out a newsletter with each box of eggs to a) tell the story of the eggs and their producer, and b) build an unshakable bond with your customers.

The Country Hen claims to produce the best eggs in the United States. Here's what Kathy Moran from the sales department told me. (I'm telling the entire story, because it's important.)

Our owner, George Bass, started The Country Hen in 1988. 
It was the first Organic, Omega-3 egg farm in The United States.  The only
product we produce is an Organic, Omega-3 Egg.  However, I probably should
mention, it is the best egg on the market.  I guess if it the only thing
you are going to produce, it better be!
 
George had a unique philosophy, in 1988, with
regards to creating The Country Hen.  He believed only the happiest,
healthiest hens would produce "The World's Best Egg".  George exceeded all
standards for egg farming and organic certification laws.  He was actually
responsible for organic certification with regards to egg farming to become much
stricter in the industry.  The Country Hens enjoy roaming freely through
spacious, sunlit barns with outdoor porches attached.  The outdoor porches
allow for outdoor access, but maintain our ability to completely control the
safety of our hens from predators and any risk of disease.
 
The next thing George did differently was work with
top scientists to develop The Country Hen's proprietary feed formula.  The
over 10 organic ingredients in the feed formula is a very closely guarded
secret.  It is what gives the eggs their exceptional nutritional value,
great taste, and also acts as a probiotic for our Hens.  George, of course,
insisted on milling the feed right here at The Country Hen farm.  Although
it is a very expensive undertaking for a single farm, it gave George the ability
to control every aspect of the quality of the raw ingredients and milling
process.  Only recently, with all the human and animal grade food scares,
do we truly appreciate the value of having our own feed mill.
 
Lastly, George took great care with The Country Hen
packaging.  He only produces a half dozen size carton.  This is the
way it was twenty years ago and it remains this way today.  Also, case
sizes are only 15 dozen eggs.  This was so he could be sure his eggs
remained fresh at store level and even in customer's refrigerators.

Finally, since the first egg carton, George also wanted his customers to feel a
strong connection to The Country Hen Farm.  For this reason, he produced
newsletters for every 6-pack of eggs.  The newsletters are printed every
4-6 weeks and have included many topics including:  nutritional information
regarding the eggs, funny farm stories, backgrounds of Country Hen employees,
hot button farm topics in the news (ie. recently ethanol), farm poetry, customer
letters, etc…
  [Here are some links to the Country Hen's newsletter content.]


Now, if you had a story like that, wouldn't you want to tell the world? Wouldn't that make your product different from every other product?  Wouldn't it make customers warm towards you and develop a bond with your product?

Kathy told me that customers complain if their eggs arrive without the newsletter:

We receive many customer emails, from loyal
customers and new customers.  A high percentage of those are regarding our
newsletters.  Customers love them.  The insert machine that puts the
newsletters into the cartons was specially designed for The Country Hen. 
Occasionally, it will act up, as all machines do.  We know instantly, if
eggs got to the market without newsletters.  When The Country Hen started
in 1988, it supplied only to stores in Massachusetts.  Now we supply stores
from Maine to Florida and as far west as California.  The newsletters have
become increasingly important as we have increased our geographic customer
base.  This is because although we go from Massachusetts to all of these
states, The Country Hen, still feels like the local egg farm to all of our
customers.  This is because the newsletters keep them up to date with all
the information on and about the farm.  Priceless!!

I haven't heard from the company whether they are able to quantify the value of the newsletter in terms of extra sales. But you can bet it contributes thousands of dollars to the bottom line.

[Kathy emailed me later with this information: We often do a cost/benefit analysis of our
marketing programs to evaluate whether they should be continued.  Even
though the newsletters are fairly substantial in cost, in twenty years, the
discontinuation of the newsletters was never a consideration because of its
obvious success and appeal with our customers.
…  When starting at The Country Hen, I would say that the success of
this program was obvious in less than three weeks time.  That is how many
emails, letters, and calls we receive regarding the newsletter.]

When I say that every company needs a newsletter (including funeral homes), this is what I mean. In a world of battery hens and commodity-crappy products, a great, personal story – well told – is going to win out. Don't you think?

How to use newsletters to win more listings

Get free daily emails and free guides.

Your information is safe - see our privacy policy

Recent Posts

  • 4 Tips for Consistently Producing Great Social Media Content for Your Small Business March 25, 2022
  • What Is Linktree? January 17, 2022
  • The Top 3 Social Media Challenges Entrepreneurs Face in 2022 December 10, 2021
  • Get More Exposure By Using Instagram Tagging October 15, 2021
  • Top 5 Business Podcasts Meant to Motivate and Inspire September 28, 2021
  • The Subtle Art of the Subject Line September 28, 2021
  • 4 Common Social Media Marketing Mistakes to Avoid August 12, 2021
  • Facebook Analytics Shut Down On June 30 – Here’s Why That Is (And Isn’t) A Big Deal July 28, 2021
  • Protecting Your Online Brand Reputation June 10, 2021
  • 9 Tips for Successful Real Estate Newsletters June 2, 2021
  • Apps to Build a Great Company Culture with a Remote Team May 26, 2021
  • Great Tips To Increase Your Organic Facebook Reach May 19, 2021
  • How Do I Design a Newsletter for Free With No Experience? May 4, 2021
  • Do You Know the Science Behind Direct Mail Marketing? April 27, 2021
  • 10 Real Estate Drip Email Templates That Convert April 26, 2021
  • 5 Tips To Use LinkedIn Video to Get Great Organic Reach April 14, 2021
  • 7 Ways How to Grow Your Email List with Opt-in Links April 1, 2021
  • 8 Best Practice Tips for Designing Feedback Surveys March 28, 2021
  • The Do’s and Don’ts of Webinar Etiquette March 23, 2021
  • How to whitelist an email address with Gmail, Outlook.com or Yahoo! Mail March 18, 2021
  • The Best Real Estate Website Builders March 15, 2021
  • Don’t Miss These Top 9 Posts February 24, 2021
  • How to Improve Your Facebook and Instagram Marketing Results February 18, 2021
  • How to Gain Subscribers for Your Real Estate Email Newsletter February 10, 2021
  • Email Marketing Statistics 101 February 8, 2021
  • Don’t Forget These Top 9 Articles January 26, 2021
  • 5 Social Media Trends to Keep Your Eyes On January 26, 2021
  • How to Create a Real Estate Newsletter January 19, 2021
  • Are your open rates this high? January 8, 2021
  • 4 Ways to Get Closer to 80% Open Rate December 30, 2020
  • Top Marketing Trends for 2021 December 24, 2020
  • How To Get Great Reviews On Social Media December 14, 2020
  • 5 Easy Real Estate Marketing Ideas That Don’t Break the Bank December 7, 2020
  • Bringing Empathy into Your 2021 Marketing Efforts November 24, 2020
  • 5 Easy Ways to Turn Social Media Followers Into Customers November 24, 2020
  • Principles of Good Website Design November 6, 2020
  • Words that Sell Cheatsheet October 28, 2020
  • 3 Clever Ways to Use Facebook Groups for Retaining Clients October 28, 2020
  • Using Tech to Find the Best Real Estate Leads October 22, 2020
  • Do you know what Google is saying about you? October 8, 2020
  • What is content marketing and why do I need to do it? September 29, 2020
  • 5 Reasons You Should Care about Social Media Marketing September 22, 2020
  • A Home Buyers’ Checklist for Your New Clients September 12, 2020
  • How to Educate New Home Buyers September 3, 2020
  • Direct Mail Marketing Campaigns: What are they and do they work? August 25, 2020
  • 9 Ways To Get and Use Testimonials August 20, 2020
  • Best Practices in Finding New Real Estate Leads August 17, 2020
  • Blogging 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Set Up & Rolling August 13, 2020
  • 7 Ways to Find More Home Buyers August 1, 2020
  • 5 Biggest Marketing Mistakes You Can Make July 29, 2020

Archives

  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • December 2017
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • April 2013
  • July 2012
  • February 2012
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • January 2011
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006

Copyright © 2014 · Ready to Go Newsletters

  • home
  • sample
  • join
  • features
  • case studies
  • faq
  • pricing
  • about
  • contact
  • blog
  • terms of service
  • refund policy
  • privacy policy
  • log in
  • real estate articles
  • how to choose a real estate newsletter