Feedback Requested: Homeowner Newsletter

#1

Hey everyone,

We’re developing a homeowner newsletter for our members’ use. The idea is that you’ll fill out a basic form with information about your client, and we’ll send them an email on your behalf, once a month, with new content about home maintenance/etc. The newsletters will include your name, email address, website, and ID card photo (if you have one), and will ultimately steer clients towards re-inspections and referrals.

We’re hoping to make at least some of the letters customized to the client/client’s home. One piece of information we’re going to include is the home’s air filter size & location. A newsletter may include something along the lines of:
Reminder: it’s time to change your air filter. Doing so will ensure that your heating and cooling systems operate efficiently (thus saving you money) and improve the quality of the air in your home. You’ll need a 16" by 24" by 1" filter (we recommend MERV-8 or higher) to replace the one located on the wall above your TV.
I think this is a great way to make sure these newsletters feel helpful and personal. Does anyone have a good idea for other similar items we could include? They have to be fairly common (so they apply for most clients) and easy to work into an automated system.

Cheers,

#2

Hi Chris,

I think this is a great idea. When do you think this will be ready for member use?

Thanks

#3

Chris, that would be a great benefit. Im wonder if you could develop a database that would combine some of the user option from FechReport and Online Agreement. Example, ability to enter customer email and and ability to track/log the news letters sent. The ability to create a custom letter head with logo, tag line and signature with link back to our site. Member interface to customize and track the month letter will separate interNACHI news letter from all others.

#4

Chris I do think it is a great idea however I do have some criticism in this area regarding InterNACHI follow-through.
Here are some past ideas that InterNACHI had. I ask where is the follow through?
Not to pick on any one particular item, this is a short list of areas that I think InterNACHI has forgotten about, yet still promotes as a member benefit.
While I enjoy being a member of InterNACHI I think there is sometimes too much focus on bringing us new stuff, and a loss of focus on what is already offered.

**1. **Real Property Times
http://www.nachi.org/boom.htm
When was this started? How many have gone out? Is it still operational?
**2. **Real Matcher
http://www.nachi.org/realmatcher-invite.htm
This was supposed to have Realtors begging for us to join.
**3. **Inspectors Quarterly
http://www.nachi.org/inspectors-quarterly.htm
I receive monthly inspector newsletter in my email. I have never seen this publication in the format or size that it is advertised as.
**4. **InterNACHI Google, and FindAnInspector.us
http://www.nachi.org/google.htm
While doing google searches I can find the findaninspector webresults but they are not where this states they will be.
**5. **Public Service Announcements
http://www.nachi.org/psa.htm
How often are public service announcements made? Was this the only one? How old is it and how is it still a benefit to current members?
**6. **InterNACHI Real Estate Newsletter
http://www.nachi.org/newsletter.htm
I have never seen this newsletter operate, I have downloaded emails for local realtors in my area over half of them are bad.

#5

I describe InterNACHI’s benefit page as sort of a 1,000-lane bridge attempting to handle a growing stream of traffic. There are always some lanes being closed, some under construction, some being re-paved, and new ones being added.

On top of that we have to switch resources from one lane to another depending on potholes, fender benders, traffic jams, financial collapses, and the Vice President of the United States having us to gear up to do 5 million energy inspections.

Put it altogether, and we can never really have all 1,000 lanes open at the same time… and never will be able to.

#6

Nick you seem to like to talk in analogies at times. and feedback was asked for in this topic.
I agree that some things just do not turn out the way they were planned. At times a new direction needs to be taken.
In my hometown there was one particular building that was home to 5 bars and then 3 resturants. On average a bar would last about 2 years and a resturant 7 years.
It got to the point with the bars that although each one had a different name it was always called by the same name. Nobody wanted to take the time to learn or acknowledge the new name because the bar was just going to close in a year or two.

While InterNACHI and its representatives do a great job of offering us many benifits and options.
Will this new newsletter be your new bar in town, or is it the new resturant.

How is this newsletter option going to be different from the past newsletter options?

#7

That’s the “under construction” part. It’s not uncommon for us to create a benefit that no one wants or uses… at first. FetchReport (one of our most popular services) comes to mind… it was a dud initially. So they go back under construction and re-released later after they are improved (I don’t often completely give up).

Then when it does become popular (almost overnight sometimes), we end up with a whole new set of I.T. problems trying to keep it robust enough to handle the traffic.

Also, many benefits lead to others. For example: our inspection article library (which took us 3 years to complete) came about because our members wanted to create their own custom eNewsletters (instead of relying on us) and needed content.

Managing our membership benefits really is like trying to maintain a 1,000-lane bridge.

#8

It gets really scary for me. While I’m trying to keep as many lanes open as possible, I periodically look over the sides of the bridge and see that staffers are down there busily building huge new piers in preparation of adding many more lanes. Ugh! :eek:

Scrolling down the member benefits page makes me break out in a cold sweat.

#9

Nick,

Thanks for all that you and your staff do to help us out, I really appreciate all the benefits that I have access to though NACHI.

I am looking forward to the World Tour in Phx, AZ on Aug 28th, is the location set yet?

#10

I’ll have the details of the venue next week, but I’ll definitely be in Phoenix on the 28th.

www.InspectorBoost.com

I’ll see you there.

#11

Chris, great idea, I’m always trying to stay top of mind present with clients. Other suggestions are:

fall gutter cleaning, change smoke detector batteries, check your wood decks for mold and power wash, clean dryer vent, start up your snow blower in late fall before the snow, put our salt bucket before icy season in your area, change water filter,

any item a home owner can do themselves should be good.

I do suggest annual service like boiler cleaning, chimeny sweep, too but thats more of a referal type thing and I dont want to come off like I’m selling someone elses service.

#12

like the idea

#13

Chris,

Love the idea would really help out in marketing prior and current clients as it gives us more time to establish new ones.

#14

This is awesome

#15

I’ve been minimally following this newsletter since its announcement,
and ever since I signed up an email address to let me know what is received,
I got some client feedback that I thought I’d mention.
The latest iteration doesn’t seem to display appropriately,
(at least on my LCD screen either) and I"m using FireFox version 19.0.2

There certainly is a lot dead space in both the left and right margins…
i.e. I have to do a lot of scrolling for little content information.

Is this something our customers need to make adjustments to in their settings,
or maybe it’s something in my settings, that will display a little better?

Newsletter for March.jpg
Newsletter for March.jpg800×458 28.2 KB

#16

Steven, I do not have that problem on my end. Everything looks fine.
Widescreen Laptop, , WIN7Pro, IE9.

#17

Hi Steven -

We’ve intentionally made the content column small like that, so it will display well across many sizes of computers and devices.

Tim

#18

Thanks for your return info.

The folks that fed back their info to me were, its somewhat blah…
And just today, I was comparing a recent newsletter that I get, and found it to be somewhat more “efficient” with it’s use of space.
I will forward the latest newsletter that I get,
and you can see the difference right away.
My thoughts,

1st… there’s a lot of color…
2nd…It fits on about one screen, without a lot of scrolling down.

Other than that, thanks!

#19

It needs to be broken up into two or three columns.

Its just a bunch of technical information being catapulted at the consumer. How about a cartoon of the month, a quick tip of the month, one or two articles and that’s it.

#20

Hi -

Thanks for the design suggestions. I’ll talk with the staff here and see what we can come up with.

Tim