March NewsWaves
Table of Contents
New York Drives Revenue with Email Campaign
By utilizing the strategies and messages used in RBFF’s Fishing License Marketing Program, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) was able to retain current anglers and reactivate lapsed anglers, bringing in more money along the way. The email marketing campaigns saw an above-average response rate, leading to a total of $355,410 in revenue for the agency.
HOW THEY DID IT
While participating in RBFF’s Fishing License Marketing Program in 2015, which included an email to nearly 13,000 lapsed fishing license holders in New York, the state bolstered the outreach with its own email messages. An additional renewal notice was sent to those lapsed anglers who had yet to renew. Additionally, two reminder emails were sent to lapsed anglers of all license types, not just resident annual license holders.
In addition to the lapsed angler emails, the state also started sending a reminder email to resident and non-resident annual license holders whose license was expiring that month. From May 2016 through January 2017, over 42,000 emails were sent, resulting in $74,000 in revenue generated by lift.
WHAT THEY LEARNED
Following their retention and reactivation campaigns, the agency evaluated the results and made recommendations for future efforts, including:
- Continue lapsed angler outreach efforts.
- Focus on distributing communications before holidays in which customers are more likely to renew.
- Renewal reminders should be sent to anglers toward the middle of the month in which their license will expire.
- Collect the greatest number of quality customer emails as this is the most efficient means of communication.
- Automation is the optimal scenario for reducing staff time involved.
For more information on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s retention and reactivation work, please view their presentation from the 2016 State Marketing Workshop or contact Greg Kozlowski, Fisheries Outreach Unit Leader for (NYSDEC) for more details and insight on how you can implement a similar program in your state.
State agencies can get started on their own retention and reactivation efforts by using RBFF’s free toolkits.
Case Study: Freedom Boat Club Engages the Hispanic Audience
Freedom Boat Club is the world’s oldest and largest boat club, but it was missing the mark in recruiting new members from the Hispanic community. Knowing that Hispanics were less likely than the general market to be boaters, education was key in successfully reaching this audience with messages and events centered around training, affordability and ease of use.
INSIGHTS
- You can’t use a one-size-fits-all approach in your marketing.
- Utilize Spanish-language materials and multicultural imagery.
- Consistently attend events where Hispanics are likely to be.
- Educate yourself and your organization about the Hispanic market in general and the potential nuances of your local Hispanic community.
- Freedom Boat Club used research complied by RBFF and its Hispanic marketing firm, Lopez Negrete Communications (see below for more).
- Work with local media to engage this audience both on-the-air and at events.
RESOURCES
Utilize the same resources as Freedom Boat Club with RBFF’s research on the Hispanic audience, Multicultural Photo Library and more!
- Marketing Materials –
- Webinars –
- Research –
This video is part of a series from the Recreational Boating Leadership Council (RBLC) that was produced with the support of RBFF. All videos in the Strategies and Best Practices for Engaging New Markets series, which is part of RBLC’s New Markets Task Force, are available for viewing in the RBFF Resource Center.
60 in 60 Toolkit Launched to Increase Fishing Participation
Reaching the 60 in 60 goal will require a concerted effort by all members of the fishing and boating industry, and with that in mind, RBFF just released its 60 in 60 Toolkit. The Toolkit, which includes research, best-practices and free resources, aims to help fishing and boating stakeholders increase participation from the current 46 million anglers to 60 million anglers by 2021, contributing to gains in boating and conservation.
“State agency and industry response to the 60 in 60 goal has been encouraging so far,” says RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson. “Our focus now is on providing our stakeholders with the necessary resources to facilitate their involvement in the 60 in 60 goal and work with them to increase angler and boater participation throughout the country.”
The 60 in 60 Toolkit is a step-by-step guide that includes:
- Information on why 60 in 60 is important to the future of fishing and boating
- The key messages of 60 in 60 for inclusion in communications
- Comprehensive tools for state agencies and industry stakeholders to help us reach 60 in 60
- What RBFF is doing now to reach 60 in 60
- State-by-state fishing license goals that outline the path to reaching 60 in 60
- Frequently asked questions and more
With participation in fishing remaining relatively flat in recent years, RBFF wants to energize the fishing and boating community with a clear goal the entire industry benefits from. Since announcing the goal in 2016, RBFF has received strong support from key state and industry stakeholders, united under the common goal of increasing angler participation to 60 million per year by 2021.
To learn more about the 60 in 60 goal and the associated Toolkit and all related resources can be accessed at takemefishing.org/60in60.