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A street in Gros-Islet town.

A Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) funded project is set to uplift the northern town of Gros-Islet.

The newly constructed Municipal Building and Community Market was financed under the Basic Needs Trust Fund sixth programme (BNTF 6) of 2009. The BNTF is a programme of the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF) to ameliorate the conditions of vulnerable segments of society.

The $1.4 million building comprises three floors – a ground floor market, mid-level local government office, and rooftop activity deck.

Minister for Social Transformation Harold Dalson says the 2,970-square foot market area will provide overdue relief for 12 recognized vendors who previously operated ad-hoc on the roadside.

While recognizing former Gros-Islet MP, Senator Lenard “Spider” Montoute for his initiative in getting the project off the ground, Dalson commended the current MP Emma Hippolyte for her dedication.

“I’m so proud of your parliamentary representative for the energy she demonstrated in ensuring that the SSDF continued the project and brought it to completion,” Dalson said.

SSDF Executive Director Joachim Henry noted that his organization will continue to monitor the progress of the project to evaluate whether the set outcomes are being achieved and the community is positively impacted.

Officials and patrons commended the quality of workmanship and aesthetic appeal of the facility conceptualized by architect Harold Beausoleil and built by Integrated Development and Construction Limited.

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Dr. Kenny Anthony, who was responsible for securing 20 percent of the building’s funding on behalf of the Government of Saint Lucia, expressed his satisfaction with the structure. He noted however that the facility was only the threshold to abundance.

Dr. Anthony urged vendors and residents to create a “cultural magnet,” that excites the customer to return, just as much to shop, as for the experience.

“Here you have a distinctive opportunity to create a niche market…a traditional market which will take the shopper back to a grand market of the past. Therefore you must look the part, wear your traditional dress – the market becomes your stage…make this market a place that a Derek Walcott or a Kendal Hippolyte will write of,” the prime minister said, also citing the accolades bestowed upon the Castries Market by National Geographic in recent times.

He also echoed thanks to the CDB, the SSDF and all contributors to the fruition of the project.

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Clik here to view.The Stratosphere Muzic Christmas Cock Riddim was officially released on Wednesday November 13 and Tuesday November 19.

Produced by Courtney “Curty” Louis, the riddim features music from Stratosphere Muzic artistes Ricky T, Mongstar, Marie-Anne and Jay Budz as well as Kakal and Soca Mafia.

The first three releases were Ricky T “Christmas Day”, Mongstar “Christmas Pie and “On De Counter” by Jay Budz. Soca Mafia “Chiffonen Noel La”, Marie-Anne “Change” and “Comfort” from Kakal were released one week later.

This is the second consecutive year Stratosphere Muzic has produced a Christmas Riddim. In 2012, the  Ginger Beer Riddim and an accompanying video medley by ACID Kreationz featuring Ricky T, Mongstar and Ambi was released. Mighty and Subance also appeared on the Ginger Beer Riddim.

Additional music on the Christmas Cock Riddim was provided by Soufriere musician Yannick “Fresh Prince” Plante. The songs were written by various artistes including all the featured singers and producer Courtney Louis, an award winning songwriter.

Louis, who is also the CEO of Stratosphere Muzic, says the Christmas Riddim is a present to Saint Lucians for an incredible 2013.

“The label had a really good year winning three titles in this year’s Carnival, signing Ricky T, Mongstar being crowned the winner of the very first All 4 One Caribbean competition in Martinique, and our Believe Digital distribution deal. None of that would have happened without our fans who have always provided unwavering support of our music. The Christmas Cock Riddim is our way of saying thanks and have a truly festive season,” he said.

Stratosphere Muzic is a Saint Lucia-based music label. Based in Bois D’Orange, Gros-Islet it is home to six Saint Lucian artistes.

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Clik here to view.The Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) exists in a competitive world and competes daily for people’s time and attention, for funding, sponsorship and recognition.

The new brand and new structure have been designed to re-align the work of CDF with the contemporary needs of Saint Lucia’s emerging arts and culture sector in a world where the creative industries are becoming major contributors to economies and societies.

The road to the re-branding and re-structuring of the CDF began with a ‘public value’ exercise that engaged customers in the development of a new strategy that would refine, redefine and better articulate core values. The result has been a new identity, new management structure and redirection of focus for the work of the organisation. This new visual image, management structure and direction were unveiled at the National Cultural Centre last Wednesday.

“A key consideration for CDF in the design of its new visual image was to identify and communicate more effectively CDF’s distinctive business model,” said Kennedy Samuel, CDF executive director.

In addition to managing the visual image change and creating an identity, CDF worked with its stakeholders and Darwin Guard of BOLD Ink to produce a tagline to better state the benefit of the company’s unique structure and proposition: ‘Creativity, Culture, Community’, which now accompanies the institution’s name.

“The Saint Lucian personality is the sum of inescapable aspects — a sense of community emerging out of different and distinctly unique cultural communities; exuberant festivals and celebrations given potency by our inbred creativity; a thriving culture flavoured by a multiplicity of influences,” said Guard.

In the coming months, the organisation will be actively reaching out and inviting all stakeholders to re-engage with the CDF and help build a new era for arts and culture in Saint Lucia.

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Clik here to view.The St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture held its 129th annual general meeting on November 20, where Gordon Charles of JQ Charles Group of Companies was elected president, while Esther Browne-Weeks of East Caribbean Financial Holding was elected to serve as first vice president. The meeting was held at the Royal St. Lucian Conference Room

The complete Board of Directors is:

President: Gordon Charles J.Q. Charles Group of Companies

1St Vice President: Esther Browne Eastern Caribbean Financial Holdings Ltd

2nd Vice President: Lanfraze Chrubin Windward and Leeward Brewery Ltd

Immediate Past President: Gerard Bergasse Tropical Shipping

Member: Martin Dorville Consolidated Foods Ltd.

Member: Margaret Monplaisir St. Lucia Distillers Ltd

Member: Trevor Louisy St. Lucia Electricity Services Ltd

Member: Cheryl Renwick Renwick and Company

Member: Karen Peter Caribbean Metals Ltd

Member: Sue Monplaisir The Wave St. Lucia Limited

Member: Brenda Duncan BDO

The feature address was delivered by Dr. Warren Smith, president of Caribbean Development Bank, who spoke to the “Short to medium term prospects for the St. Lucia economy.

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Tony Rice, chief executive of LIME parent company, Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC)

Regional telecommunications provider LIME, through its parent company Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), is now a part of Transparency International’s (TI) Business Integrity Forum, a group of companies committed to ensuring that their operations and business dealings are corruption free.

TI was established in 1993 to monitor and publicise political and business corruption. It now has representation in 100 countries.

The Business Integrity Forum is a group of over 30 leading companies. Member companies must pass a due diligence procedure which ensures that their overall ethos and policies are consistent with TI’s approach and values.

Members commit to uphold the following principles:

• Operating to high standards of integrity and transparency

• Having, or putting into place within a stated period, a detailed anti-bribery & corruption policy

• Commitment to implementing the anti-bribery & corruption policy throughout their operations, and having, or putting into place, a monitoring and evaluation process to ensure effective compliance with the company’s policy.

CWC’s Code of Conduct and Anti-Bribery policies are regularly reviewed and updated by its board and are published on the company’s web site.

“By joining the Business Integrity Forum, CWC is demonstrating that it has a serious commitment to act in an ethical manner in all of its markets,” said Dr Robert Barrington, executive director, Transparency International UK.

“Corruption damages economies, the free market and the fabric of society; it is a major factor in perpetuating poverty and creating unfair competition for clean companies. We are delighted to welcome CWC into our Business Integrity Forum, a coalition of companies that are willing to help us in the fight against corruption.”

Said Tony Rice, chief executive of Cable & Wireless Communications:

“We are pleased to become a partner of Transparency International as we share the organisation’s views about corrupt and unethical business practices. We are committed to operating fairly and with integrity in all our markets and believe that corruption and bribery hurt economies, by deterring inward investment, and impact our customers, by increasing business costs.”

CWC is also a member of the FTSE4Good Index, and in Panama is an active member of the UN Global Compact (renamed locally as Surmase).

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Digicel’s Head of Operations Siobhan James-Alexander pictured with Sanyu Lewis and Family with Digicel’s Country Manager Mr. Holly Hughes-McNamara

Team Digicel will brighten the lives of less fortunate families in various communities across St Lucia, bearing gifts of food hampers and glad tidings during the Christmas season.

The Digicel team will make deliveries of over $25,000 worth of food hampers to families who were nominated by Digicel staff, with a final selection made by a panel which also comprises staff members. The hampers will be filled with essential food items, toiletries and other necessities needed for a better quality of life.

“We are happy to bring some cheer which will brighten the lives of families in these communities during this Christmas season,” said Kerchelle Jn Charles, marketing manager.

Meanwhile, Digicel’s Brighten Someone’s Christmas promotion has benefitted three families.

The promotion, which brings together the traditional sense of community which is synonymous with a St. Lucian Christmas, encouraged a spirit of giving in the air.

Three young families got an emotional surprise with assistance given to them by Digicel and supporting partners at the launch of this promotion.

Harron Hippolyte, after losing his home to fire last year, received support from Digicel to aid himself and his family of four. He received an initial donation from Digicel of $10,000 cash last year as part of the Share a SMILE Christmas promotion, which went towards his rebuilding efforts.

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From Left to right. Digicel female Santa, Digicel’s Patricia Calderon, Harron Hippolyte and Courts OECS Senior Marketing Manager Anita Phillips

A year later, Digicel again reached out to Harron, who is a member of the Digicel family, assisting him even further by bringing on board Courts St Lucia Limited and Integrated Development and Construction as partners in helping him with his rebuilding efforts. A brand new gas stove, $1,000 worth of building supplies and a Digicel DL 600 plus a food hamper were all presented to him in the hope of a brightening his Christmas and his family’s life.

Continuing to spread good cheer and in an effort to provide much needed relief, Sanyu Lewis, resident of the community of Gros Islet, received a pleasant surprise for herself and her five children.

Lewis, who is now a single mother having recently become a widow, received a $1,000 clothing voucher for her children, plus a food hamper and a DL 600 handset compliments of Digicel. Partner Courts St Lucia Ltd also gave the young mother a brand new dining set for her family.

And through Digicel’s Caring Connections programme, young Tevin from La Clery who is a visually impaired student received a state of the art Dell laptop equipped with specialised Zoom Text software. The software installed on his new laptop contains a magnifier and reader which will help in his daily usage of the device.

“This Christmas, Digicel will have a strong presence in the communities of St Lucia,” said Jn Charles. “For the holidays, many families will have a brighter holiday season as our social responsibility to give back to our customers will continue for the next few weeks.”

And on Wednesday night, Digicel was named a winner at the 2012/13 Corporate Citizens of the Americas (CCA) Awards at a gala in Washington, DC.

The CCA Awards are an initiative of The Trust for the Americas with support from the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank, and AES Corporation.

Digicel was named the winner in the “Vulnerable Communities” category for its Digicel Foundation education programme in Haiti, which sees it on track to build 150 schools by 2014 and deliver training to over 600 teachers who each receive more than 450 hours of training, mentorship and professional development.

The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit organisation affiliated with the OAS. It was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Its initiatives, implemented through local partner organisations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities for vulnerable communities in the hemisphere.

Commenting on the Digicel Foundation’s work in Haiti, Digicel chairman and founder Denis O’Brien said the company is deeply committed to helping the people of Haiti to build a brighter future for themselves.

“Our education programme in Haiti sees between 80,000 and 90,000 children being given the opportunity to receive a much-needed education and teachers receiving proper training and support. We would like to thank the Trust of the Americas and its partner organisations for this kind recognition of our efforts.”

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Clik here to view.Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony has clarified the LIAT loan guarantee issue after concerns were raised by Castries Central MP Richard Frederick at Tuesday’s House sitting.

Last week in a show of support to the airline, the Government had announced that it agreed to guarantee an EC$3M loan to the cash strapped airline.

Addressing Parliament, Dr. Anthony said the guarantee has been agreed upon but requires Parliamentary approval in order to be effected. “A government can decide they going to give a guarantee but no guarantee takes effect until you come to the House. All I indicated was that the government of St Lucia agrees to give LIAT a guarantee. Obviously, it must mean that you have to come to the House at the right time provided that LIAT can raise the loan for the government to agree the guarantee.”

Dr. Anthony noted that the government would not agree to any loan guarantee without giving careful consideration its terms and interest rates. Additionally, the prime minister condemned the animosity levelled at LIAT as he said this affected Saint Lucians employed with the airline.

“I think it is very unfortunate the animosity towards LIAT that has been expressed by some. There are Saint Lucian workers employed at LIAT and they are hurting from the animosity that is expressed about LIAT.”

Dr. Anthony said the public is free to question the service offered by the LIAT and that he too was guilty of that.

“By all means criticise management decisions of LIAT, but also too we have St Lucians working there and they ought not to be victims of animosity towards the airline.”

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Netshop representative Kersharma Alexander (right) with happy customers Jorge Gonzalez Dominquez (left) and Luis Gabriel Oviedo Bonilla.

Motivated by the need to provide a stress-free online shopping experience to clients that is second to none, Netshop (St. Lucia) Ltd was established on July 10, 2010.

The introduction of Netshop — with two offices in Castries and Vieux Fort — saw the birth of a fast and reliable service committed to providing the complete online shopping experience. The company works to eliminate all purchasing and shipping issues by providing clients with their own physical address in the United States free of charge and the ease of clearance of packages.

“For us we achieve wealth because we believe in what we are doing and inject personal core values in the services provided to our customers,” says Glenn Charlemagne, managing director.

Netshop provides the complete online shopping experience from purchase to speedy clearance of packages with the availability of in-house bonded facilities.  Clients can buy anywhere in the US and receive it at their doorstep.

When Netshop was launched there were a few companies providing online shopping services on island. The company has distinguished itself by providing a fast, reliable and cost-effective service.

With the advantage of using its network of agents affiliated with its shipping agents to oversee the speedy receiving and handling or packages within the USA, Netshop is proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the online business.

Netshop offers the best online shopping rates — the most competitive on the island; free US mail box; free registration; and facilitates purchases for clients who do not own credit cards.

“With Netshop you can now easily buy from any US store with your own street address.  We make it easy: simply buy what you want from anywhere in the US, have it shipped to your US address, and we ship, clear and upon request, deliver it to you anywhere in Saint Lucia,” Charlemagne adds.

Netshop St. Lucia is complemented by the shipping and handling services made available from other associated companies including Superior Shipping Services Ltd (SSSL) and Freight Services & Distributors Ltd (FSDL).

“SSSL specializes in regional and international shipping arrangements by air, land and sea and from anywhere in the world. SSSL deals with the movement of cargo, and offers a wide variety of expert export and import services to suit the needs of companies and individuals worldwide,” Charlemagne says.

“FSDL is a freight forwarding expert and specializes in cargo-related services ranging from cargo packaging and handling to delivery of shipments.  As a freight forwarder, FSDL’s overriding function is to facilitate the handling and transportation of cargo shipments on behalf of exporters and importers. FSDL offers a range of services that span over local to international terrain.”

Netshop makes its business the building of trust, by being there continuously for its customers.

The company admits to challenges — online reputation management; increased competition; finding the right staff; addressing the technology gap — but continuously looks for ways to improve users’ experience, like offering clients great online promotions and opportunities to win fantastic prices.

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Tourism Director Louis Lewis

Saint Lucia continues to capture prestigious awards after five of the island’s hotels received recognition at the Virgin Holiday Awards.

The five winning hotels from Saint Lucia are St James Club, Morgan Bay Resort and Spa; The Body Holiday; East Winds Inn; Sandals; and Coconut Bay Resort & Spa.

“This award has capped off a good year for Saint Lucia with a number of significant highlights,” Louis Lewis, Saint Lucia’s tourism director said.

“It is a great honour that many of our hotels have been recognised by one of the largest tour operators to the Caribbean, in what is a very competitive industry.”

Launched in 2004, the prestigious awards are run during World Travel Market and pay tribute to some of the world’s leading hotels.

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Clik here to view.The National Workers Union (NWU) has submitted proposals to the Government of Saint Lucia on behalf of hourly and daily paid Town and Village Council and non-established workers of Government.

The NWU’s letter to Government states that the last industrial agreement between Government and the NWU ended in March 2013.

“In keeping with accepted industrial relations practice and the provision enshrined in the industrial agreement between the parties, it is obligatory on the part of the NWU so to do,” the union said.

The NWU is also requesting an early meeting between Government and the NWU to determine and plot the way forward.

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Allyne and Tania show off the iPhone 5s and 5c available NOW from LIME!

LIME this week announced that the iPhone 5s, the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, and iPhone 5c, the most colourful iPhone yet, are available to customers at all full service retail outlets with immediate effect.

The handset launch comes as a part of the company’s Christmas Share The Cheer campaign which kicked off last week.

As part of the Share The Cheer promotion, customers have the opportunity to get the iPhone 5s with double data for up to six months when they sign up for a mobile data plan on Saint Lucia’s first 4G network, the fastest mobile data network on island.

iPhone 5s redefines the best smartphone experience in the world with amazing new features all packed into a remarkable thin and light design, including the Apple-designed A7 64-bit chip, all-new 8 megapixel iSight® camera with True Tone flash and introducing Touch ID™, an innovative way to simply and securely unlock your phone with just the touch of a finger.

iPhone 5c features an all-new design, packed with features people know and love like the beautiful 4-inch Retina® display, blazing fast performance of the A6 chip, and the 8 megapixel iSight camera — all while delivering great battery life.

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Clik here to view.The National Workers Union (NWU) will as of Monday introduce and add a new dimension to its overall operations.

The NWU will roll out its new Industrial Relations Grievance Form in six of its branches in the northern part of the island, with the ultimate aim to implement the new thrust in all its branches.

The form, when put into practice, will give shop stewards and management the opportunity to handle all grievances on a step by step basis, with a time limit placed on each stage so as to have the matters settled within the shortest possible period.

This new process will enable both sides to determine the status of the grievance at each stage and provide a more effective and efficient approach at resolving many conflicts. A referral process is also included.

Currently, the NWU has over 97 branches to deal with.

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Clik here to view.JQ Rodney Bay Mall presents Christmas Fashion Fusion on November 27 at 6 pm.

This annual event is known to kick-start the shopping season by showcasing the latest in fashion from JQ Mall’s finest stores. This year’s fashion show will feature local designer Taribba do Nascimento of Meme bête… Meme bête… is St. Lucia’s only manufacturer of luxury handbags.

This year Meme bête… will be showcasing a new line of high-end full leather work and travel bags all made in St. Lucia.

The line will still include Meme bête’s signature African Print for those loyal customers who are a fan of the prints. A trunk show will be held after the Fashion Show at JQ Rodney Mall where all items seen on the runway and more can be purchased.

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Beetham presented Merlinda got a brand-new Samsung Galaxy S4 at LIME Baywalk!

LIME is sharing the cheer with yet another amazing winner this week.

Merlinda Alexander was feeling like a winner in any case. After all, she was already getting Double Data on her MyPlan postpaid plan in the Share The Cheer promotion launched by LIME for Christmas 2013.

But LIME had more in store for the 30 year old. Alexander was the winner of a brand-new Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone.

‪The promotion was announced earlier this month, and hundreds of customers had signed up for the flexible, personalised MyPlan, with customised allocations of talk, text and data starting at just $49.99 per month, with available discounts on a wide range of phones. But out of them all, it was Alexander who emerged winner. Originally from Choiseul, but now resident in Rodney Bay, Alexander is a vacation specialist at Bay Gardens Beach Resort, and she could not be more overjoyed.‬

‪”I’ve actually never won anything in my life,” she said. “My co-workers are so excited for me, and I can tell you I’m most excited of all! I signed up for my 1GB data plan, and I’ve been enjoying it, because the network is so fast! I can do my downloads, watch video on the go, upload photos and video to my favourite social networks, plus I get double data. And now I have a brand new, top-of-the-line handset to go with my top-of-the-line network. LIME is the best!”‬

‪”We’re thrilled that we could Share The Cheer with customers like Merlinda,” said Laurencia Cadette, LIME Saint Lucia Head of Communications & Marketing. “With our Christmas promotion, we’ve had thousands of customers enjoying Double Data on Saint Lucia’s fastest network, plus nearly two dozen customers have won prizes including hams, turkeys, Samsung Galaxy tablet computers and more. Rewarding our customers is what we are all about at LIME.”‬

‪The Galaxy S4 is the first device to enable consumers to control the device with touch-less features including scrolling or turning a page and viewing documents within a file folder or a link on a web page. With a 13-megapixel camera, the S4 enhances the user’s ability to capture memorable moments with innovative features that document progressive action and easily remove unwanted people from the photo.‬

‪The Samsung Galaxy S4 is available postpaid and prepaid from LIME, with a range of affordable plans for talk, text and data.

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LIME General Manager, Chris Williams with NTRC Chairman, Jerome Jules

Public access to affordable telecommunications services is to increase substantially in the town of Soufriere thanks to the signing of a contract between the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) and LIME.

As part of its mandate, the NTRC is responsible for managing a Universal Service Fund aimed at supporting the social, educational and economic development of Saint Lucia through the provision of efficient and affordable telecommunications services at community, household and individual levels, particularly in rural and under-served communities and in maritime areas.

LIME was contracted to provide the services after it was successful in winning the tender for the project. The company is now responsible for the provision and expansion of telecommunications services, particularly broadband Internet access, and providing the supporting infrastructure to the Soufriere community. The contract is for $439,110.91.

LIME will build a wireless Internet (WiFi) Network, based on industry-leading Meriki architecture, in Soufriere. The company will also provide 8MBps Direct Internet Access (DIA) a premium managed Internet service, to the Soufriere Access Centre for five years. The provision of WiFi to Soufriere coupled with LIME’s introduction of new and innovative technologies will go a long way in reducing the digital divide in the town and ensure its residents don’t lag behind.

The network is managed by the National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre.

NTRC Chairman Jerome Jules Chaiman, said the project is designed to provide education enhancement through ICT, by the provision of affordable broadband services to the Soufriere community in furtherance of the mandate of the Universal Service Fund.

“We are delighted to have LIME as a partner for the implementation of this extremely important project. The goal of Universal Service is to ensure equitable access to all citizens by eliminating the barriers that impede that access, such as our challenging topography, distance, disability and affordability,” he said.

“The Universal Service project will also help to improve the quality of life for vulnerable members of the society and put them on par with the rest of the world.”

Over the years, LIME has been working steadfastly to provide communities in the island’s southwest with increased access to its services in order to keep homes and businesses connected 24/7, especially in the more isolated areas. Following the passage of Hurricane Tomas in 2010 and its subsequent devastation of Soufriere, the company became even more focused on overcoming topographical and other challenges to provide improved connectivity to the district.

As part of its continuing commitment to keeping Saint Lucia’s rural communities connected, LIME introduced landline and Internet services to the community of Bouton in 2009, one of the most isolated villages on the island. In recent years the company also expanded and improved access to its services in Choiseul, Saint Lucia’s largest district.

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St. Lucia Cancer Society and Faces of Cancer Representatives with cheque

CIBC FirstCaribbean continued its support of the fight against cancer this year with its second annual Walk for the Cure held October 6.

The annual walk was just one component of the bank’s month-long fundraising activities to benefit local cancer societies.

Country Manager Mauricia Thomas-Francis said the hosting of the walk reflected the importance the bank continues to place on participating and showing support for persons and families currently battling the disease, highlighting that they are not in the fight alone.

“This year we not only raised money during the Walk for a Cure but through fundraising activities of which our employees and customers participated,” she said.

Employees engaged in special dress days where they contributed funds and donned pink attire in order to raise awareness. Other activities included book sales and cupcake sales.

Customers were also encouraged to participate and show their support by donating through pink piggy banks located in all branches.

Through these activities a total of EC $11,990.00 was raised and on Friday November 22, was presented to representatives of the St. Lucia Cancer Society and Faces of Cancer. Representatives of the cancer societies expressed gratitude towards CIBC FirstCaribbean employees and customers who participated in fundraising efforts and noted that the funds will go a long way in assisting persons undergoing cancer treatment as well as assisting in education and sensitization efforts.

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Leslie Collymore

In this article, you’ll learn…

• Six ways to elevate subscriber engagement in your email programs

• The rapid changes in email that could affect your campaigns

Subscriber engagement refers to the level of engagement or interaction an email subscriber maintains with a brand’s email communications. The lack of subscriber engagement has become a critical topic for email marketers in recent years.

Engaged subscribers, generally defined as recipients who have opened, clicked on, or otherwise interacted with an email message in the previous 3-6 months, often make up only 30-40% of an email marketer’s database.

It is truly a sad state of affairs when marketers are immune to the fact that at least 60% of email recipients ignore communications.

To make matters worse, email is undergoing rapid change at the subscriber level:

• The inbox is morphing. Solutions like Gmail’s Priority Inbox and Xobni take control away from the email marketer and make it more difficult to guarantee meaningful placement in the inbox.

• The proliferation of daily-deal sites (e.g., Rue La La, Groupon) has raised consumer expectations around discounting and offer variety.

• Perhaps most important, Internet service providers are beginning to use engagement as a gauge to determine where emails appear in the consumer’s inbox—or whether they should be delivered at all. Confronting such a headwind, email marketers must understand how to maximize subscriber engagement.

Below is a short engagement strategy checklist to help elevate engagement in your email programs.

The Basics

1. The Welcome Series

The welcome series is perhaps the most underused program in the subscriber lifecycle. As subscribers enter your program, setting their expectations—about frequency of communication, content, etc.—is critical.

Brands should be transparent about what the subscribers will receive and when. Brands should also use the welcome stream to educate subscribers on the value of the program.

Consider the welcome series your subscribers’ crash-course intro to your email program and content. The more they understand and believe in the value of your program, the better their engagement with it will be.

2. Triggers

Subscribers are nearly immune to the daily promotional emails they receive. Many use mobile devices to triage email communications, and only the most relevant and compelling messages make the cut and avoid immediate deletion.

Email marketers should look for triggers in the subscriber’s relationship with the brand and automate as many programs as possible.
Purchases, browser behavior, life events, and alerts/reminders are all examples of ways marketers can trigger email communications.

3. Re-engagement and Winback

No matter how strong a welcome program is or how automated email communications become, you will always have a percentage of subscribers (most likely, a large segment) that will become disengaged from your email program. To mitigate that unavoidable problem, make re-engagement a part of your email marketing lifecycle.

Many brands track engagement and trigger a re-engagement effort as soon as disengagement occurs. Re-engagement strategies include time-based offers (e.g., “Last chance for free shipping”), subscription confirmation (e.g., “Please confirm your subscription to continue receiving…”), profile update requests (e.g. “Please update your profile, so we can provide more relevant content and offers…”), and the like.

Regardless of which tactic you choose, creating an automated re-engagement stream and removing or suppressing unengaged subscribers will help boost your brand reputation and improve delivery and program performance.

More Advanced

4. Cause Marketing

The Gap recently launched a program called Give & Get, which offered consumers a 30% discount on purchases and the opportunity to donate 5% of their purchase price to a charity of their choice. This Cause Marketing tactic is catching on nationwide, and several new technology startups are attempting to capitalize on the trend.

Cause Marketing accesses a common passion shared by subscribers and allows the brand to offer its support to causes that are important to its consumers.

5. Loyalty and Email

Companies, such as GameStop and Southwest Airlines, have decided to reward engagement within the email channel. When subscribers open, click on, and share emails, brands track their activity and reward it.

6. Social and Applications

Finally, we email marketers should by now understand that emerging technology has driven our subscribers to opt in to other communications channels with the brand. Though the term “subscriber” has become synonymous with permission in the email channel, “Like” and “Follow” have become the same thing for Facebook and Twitter, respectively.

Those who “Like” your brand on Facebook and “Follow” you on Twitter have given you permission to communicate with them via those channels. Create programs for these segments and give them the opportunity to hear from your brand in the channels they choose.

The result could be an email opt-out in favor of Facebook or mobile application engagement, but that’s OK. Attaining increased engagement (via any channel) and enhanced brand reputation justifies the culling of inactives from your file.

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Laurencia Cadette of LIME and Deborah Edward of SOL, Sharing The Cheer for Christmas!

The Christmas deals at LIME keep getting better as the company continues to give customers more chances to share in the winnings in its “Share the Cheer’ Christmas promotion.

From now until December 16, all LIME prepaid mobile customers topping up $20 or more will automatically qualify for a chance to win $25 SOL-approved vouchers which can be redeemed for the purchase of cooking gas or vehicle fuel at any SOL / Shell service station. LIME is partnering with SOL for this special Christmas offer.

There are over 250 vouchers to be won, valued at some $6,000.

“We are extremely proud to be partnering with SOL for this special Christmas offer. It is a practical gift designed to help our customers save money which they can then use for other important aspects of their lives,” said LIME head of marketing & communications Laurencia Cadette. “Our goal is to make Christmas at LIME an even more satisfying experience by offering our customers fantastic deals and top-class products and services at unbeatable prices, while helping them save,” she added.

SOL EC Sales & Marketing Manager Deborah Edward said it’s great to partner with LIME on this initiative. “We wish to join in encouraging as many as possible to top up with LIME to take advantage of a great opportunity to win free $25 vouchers for cooking gas and fuel at any SOL/Shell service station,” she said.

In addition to the special partnership with SOL, LIME is also offering amazing weekly prizes in the Share the Cheer promotion, including hams, turkeys and Samsung Galaxy tablet computers.

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Digicel’s Louise Victor making sure the kids got their meals

Digicel last Friday gave back to the Anse La Raye community and brightened the lives of 150 individuals.

A delicious breakfast compliments Digicel was served to the underprivileged families in an effort to share the holiday spirit.

The team had the opportunity to set up at the Anse La Raye community centre to commence its feeding programme.

Digicel team members were geared up and excited to greet kids and adults at the community centre.

The feeding stations were loaded with delicious eats, made up of hot and cold drinks, fruit and many other breakfast favourites.

The sounds of sweet steel pan music welcomed everyone to the location as Digicel began to cater to the patrons. The kids especially enjoyed the music as they sang along with the renditions played.

Celebrating the feast of musicians, “St Cecelia’s Day”, the Harmonities steel band entertained both Digicel team members and the Anse La Ray people. All gave bright smiles and gratitude.

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Clik here to view.The management of Karib Cable and officials from the National Workers Union (NWU) met during this week for the first time since the NWU was granted official trade union recognition on behalf of technical workers employed with the company.

The parties agreed to an industrial protocol that is driven by natural justice in the absence of a concluded industrial agreement.

All disciplinary matters will receive full union and management consideration with the objective of establishing an honest and fair approach in dealing with all industrial issues, the NWU said.

The NWU will be holding another general meeting with employees at which approval will be sought on a 36-point memorandum of proposals to be submitted to the company.

It is expected that negotiations will commence shortly.