What are you doing this weekend?

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The Covington (Ga.) News is monetizing its email marketing database and helping to solve the problem that many readers in Newton County had been complaining about:  there's nothing to do on the weekends!

About two and a half months ago, the paper launched East Atlanta Entertainment, which focuses on fun things for families to do in Newton County and the surrounding Atlanta area.

Every Thursday at 8 a.m., about 25,000 local residents receive an email (view PDF version here) that highlights weekend events with a fun, family focus.

While advertising started out slow, President and Publisher Pat Cavanaugh says the last few weeks' emails have had about $1,000 worth of advertising in them.

The email also includes a link to a calendar of events, powered by SpinGo.

The emails are distributed through MailChimp.  Former publisher Charles Hill Morris said using a third-party platform for this is important.  Now regional manager for Morris Newspaper Corporation, he noted that the paper didn't want to use its own system in case someone blacklisted the email.

The paper also uses this emailed product to drive traffic back to the daily.  In addition to links back to the paper, on Friday mornings, the editor of The Covington News runs five things happening in the community – pulled from East Atlanta Entertainment.

Additional information: Pat Cavanaugh, president and publisher, pcavanaugh@covnews.com.

Covington, Cavanaugh, Morris, SpinGo, email marketing
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