This week's post is nothing at all about antiques or design. But you guys like it when I veer off topic. I know this because Mailchimp tells me so.
Mailchimp is the platform I use for sending my newsletter every Friday. Part of the reason I love their service is because of the data they collect. Like this chart (below) that graphs the percentage of you who open and click on my emails. The flat red dotted line is the industry-average "open rate", which is typically about 19%. The light green line at the top is my open rate. You guys open between 48% - 52% of my emails, (thank you!) and I work hard at my content to keep that number high.
But do you see that dip? It represents the worst response I ever got from an email campaign. It was the only time my percentage was lower than, say, Pottery Barn's. And why, you ask?
I sent you a Black Friday offer.
This tells me one very obvious truth: you are more interested in the stories I tell than in the objects I sell.
Me too. We are on the same page. I love my blog. I love the name of my blog. I pour most of my time and effort into the blog, and it is such a pleasure. Even the deadlines. Actually, I thrive on the regularity. The topics come easily and I see no end in sight as long as there are interesting people with interesting things to write about.
The shop, on the other hand, feels like a monkey on my back. I have to force myself to update it. I enjoy the customer service aspect and of course April Fool's. But I am at heart more of a writer than a vendor.
At this point, the costs associated with the blog are covered by the shop. This financial arrangement is the opposite of most business-blog relationships. At a blog conference, a consultant told me, "There are a lot of small businesses with a blog. You are a blogger with a small business."
Eventually, I hope that the blog will support itself financially. How, you ask? By reaching a wide enough audience. Google and Mailchimp track my page views and my email open rates. As these numbers increase, other doors will open for me to be paid for my writing and art direction.
So, please know, every time you open an email from me or click on a story, it helps. Every time you forward an email to a friend or share a post on Facebook, it helps. Of course it is wonderful when you purchase something from my shop. But your clicks and shares, which don't cost you anything but time, are just as valuable to me. Truly.
Photo by Mike Petrucci
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