Context
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is the professional body for Human Resource personnel and others involved in the management and development of people. cScape has been involved in developing an engagement strategy to connect members and non-members into a regular relationship with CIPD through digital channels.
Challenge
CIPD conducted a membership satisfaction survey which indicated that members wanted to receive more information electronically. They are busy professionals and students who appreciate digests that keep them abreast with up-to-date information in their areas of work. There was also a growing interest across CIPD departments to communicate more effectively with existing and future members as well as to touch a broader audience through e-mail.
Solution
The weekly e-update newsletter was created in response to these demands. After the initial email encouraging members to subscribe, 17,000 members signed up. At the end of the promotion drive, the subscription rates reached 100,000. The e-update is a digest of current CIPD activities and products as well as research and news from the HR field. The newsletters highlight all areas of CIPD’s work and web content. Each week, there are thousands of click-throughs from the newsletter to the community discussion boards and other areas of the site. cScape is now building a new system that will allow CIPD to segment its audience, creating personalised messages relevant to different members’ needs and interests.
Outcome
The e-update has become CIPD’s main e-mail communication service and it allows CIPD to engage with members on a regular basis. It is open to non-members too and is a key vehicle for providing thought leadership, making sure that practitioners are up-to-date with the latest thinking within their fields, selling CIPD products and services, generating traffic to the CIPD website and making information easily accessible to members. The e-update is a prime channel for highlighting and promoting the wealth of information, products and services that CIPD produces and for generating traffic to the website. It helps maintain the integrity of the CIPD brand and to maximise the impact of all the business units.