Case Study: BioInnovation Breakthroughs Through NOBIC’s Enhanced Newsletter

Challenge

The New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC) is a private, not-for-profit business incubator dedicated to the development of bioscience innovation in Louisiana. NOBIC began working with Online Optimism’s Social Media department in 2021. In 2022, they reached out to our Search + Content department for an improved email marketing strategy for 2023.

Previously, NOBIC had a newsletter focused on events, but they did not have the bandwidth to send a comprehensive newsletter on a consistent schedule. NOBIC wanted an updated template that included NOBIC news, BioInnovation news, funding opportunities, NOBIC events, and social media posts.

Insights

Previously, NOBIC’s newsletters were flyers for specific events, a list of resources, or reception emails, but there was no established cadence. Although the newsletters relayed important information, they were not comprehensive and inconsistent.

Our approach included setting a regular cadence so subscribers would know when to expect their NOBIC newsletter, which began with creating a general newsletter announcement to increase awareness and excitement. We also created a newsletter structure that included the following sections:

NOBIC News: This section updates readers on what NOBIC and its partner companies have been up to, such as securing new funding, speaking at events, attending conferences, etc.
NOBIC Events: This section provides information on upcoming NOBIC events to inform people of various networking opportunities and get excited to meet new people in the city!
Bio Community News & Notes: Going beyond NOBIC, this section is more high-level and focused on significant events within the BioInnovation industry.
Funding: Similar to the above, this section is broader and informs subscribers of funding opportunities, deadlines, and other necessary information.
Announcements: The announcements section varies each month but has become a place for any open positions to help those in the community secure employment.
Connect with Us: NOBIC wanted to direct subscribers to their social media accounts, so this section featured three recent posts on the company’s LinkedIn page.

Solution

We published ten monthly newsletters but decided to revamp the template for September, which was our ninth email. We wanted the template to have less white space and be more mobile-friendly, so we restructured the columns, changed the width of images, and incorporated more of the NOBIC branding to optimize continuously.

We also tested various days of the week early on to determine which was the best for the specific audience and gauge when they were most likely to open and click.

With a consistent schedule, branded template, and comprehensive information, the NOBIC newsletter became a resource for things happening at NOBIC and within the BioInnovation community.

Our team’s time, dedication, and consistent optimizations proved valuable in helping NOBIC reach its goals of establishing consistent email communication.

Results

Due to the testing to increase engagement, maintaining a schedule, and providing readers with exciting information, we increased the open rate, click rate, and overall number of subscribers.

In the first ten months of the email marketing campaign, we achieved the following results:

35%

Industry Average Open Rate

35%

Average Client Open Rate

1%

Industry Average Click Rate

1%

Average Client Click Rate

We also began incorporating other audience lists into our emails to spread the information further.

From the Client

Collaborating with the Online Optimism team has been a great experience. Their creativity, expertise, and dedication are unmatched, and they have consistently delivered outstanding results. The team has kept us consistently on schedule and is very accommodating to the needs of our team.

Kris Khalil

Executive Director

NOBIC

Launch Website