Posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 by
Michael •
The simple message below appeared in all 38 of the Burlington neighborhood forums in the few days before this fun event…
Burlington Bocce Social July 22, 5 PM
Come join Burlington Parks and Recreation to learn about the game of bocce and how to use the brand new bocce courts at Oakledge Park. This free event is open to all ages and abilities. Reminder – park users can always bike or walk into the parks for free, however there is a $5 resident fee for parking.
I just heard this evening from someone at Parks and Rec that they had 50 people show up! When quizzed, 35 said that they had heard about it from Front Porch Forum (and perhaps other sources too). That’s about 1.2% of those who received the message via FPF showing up on a Sunday evening for a game they’ve likely never played… a great response.
In another case, a sponsor reported 70 new subscribers within a few days after their message went out to the Burlington neighborhood forums… about 2.4% conversion.
I know some catalog retailers expect that 1 to 2% of those receiving their catalog by bulk mail will respond. Others have reported a 0.2% conversion from bulk emailing to past customers (different than spamming strangers).
This is a promising start as Front Porch Forum works to develop its sponsorship options.