From Blackbaud's 2011 conference, Michael Snusz offers examples of not for profit email campaigns and tips for increasing conversion rates.

1. Higher Conversions:
The Anatomy of Engaging
Email Campaigns
PRESENTED BY MIKE SNUSZ
TWITTER: @MIKESNUSZ #BBCON
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2. ABOUT ME
• 8 yrs working for or with nonprofits
• Sr. Internet Marketing Consultant
• Ride For Roswell: $330k to $1.2 million
• Pro bono consulting for Compass
• NetWitsThinkTank.com
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3. YOUR INBOX: A CLUTTERED, COMPETITIVE PLACE
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4. SESSION AGENDA
• What nonprofits can learn from sophisticated retail email programs
• How to deliver compelling email campaigns
• How to start email testing tomorrow
• Higher conversions: Campaign best practices
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5. WHAT NONPROFITS CAN LEARN FROM
SOPHISTICATED RETAIL EMAIL PROGRAMS
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6. ABOUT RETAIL EMAIL PROGRAMS
• Large budgets, staff, work with agencies
• Sophisticated programs that provide value
• Top programs: Most important value drivers
- 71% - build in targeting capabilities*
- 82% - test and measure everything*
*2011 Gleanster survey on Email Marketing
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7. PERSONALIZING YOUR EMAIL CAMPAIGN
THEN NOW
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8. CROCS
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9. WHOLE FOODS
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10. AMAZON
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11. HOW CAN NONPROFITS DELIVER COMPELLING
EMAIL CAMPAIGNS?
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12. DELIVER TARGETED CONTENT
• Click-through rates 2x as high first 30 days*
• Open rates (7%) and click-through rates (80%) increased**
• Provide value
• Connection
• Without relevant content, risk:
- Level of engagement
- Lack of attention
- Decreased response
- Weakened relationship
*MarketingSherpa "Email Marketing Benchmark Guide 2008”
**MailerMailer 2010 Email Marketing Metrics Report
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13. SPCA ERIE COUNTY
2010 participants
2009 participants
2008 participants
2007 participants
Campaign Emails Click-through rate
Email #1 1.68%
Email #2 1.98%
Email #3 (personalized) 3.50%
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14. RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF KC
Past attendees
Attended similar event
Audience Click-through rate
Past attendees 25.1%
Attended similar event 14.6%
Everyone else 8.6%
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15. UDM ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
School of Architecture
Engineering Grads
Audience Open rate
School of Architecture 23.5%
Engineering Grads 18.9%
Non-Personalized 1st Paragraph 11.9%
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16. TARGETED CONTENT CHECKLIST
 Divide email list into segments
 Discuss relevant content possibilities for segments
 Prioritize top 3-5 segments
 Content placement
 Create and insert personalized content
 Send email
 Analyze results
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17. FIND OUT INTERESTS
www.KayYow.com
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18. HIDDEN WAYS TO PERSONALIZE ANY EMAIL
Cultivate
• Thank recent donors
• Tell how donations were used
• Thank recent event attendees
• Show photos
• Thank recent volunteers
Provide value
• Deliver relevant content
• Reminders (membership, event fees)
• eReceipts
• Pay pledges
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19. HIDDEN WAYS TO PERSONALIZE ANY EMAIL
Solicit
• Funding need matches area of interest
• Provide past gift info
• Planned giving prospects
Data Integrity
• Missing information
• Verify information
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20. HOW TO START EMAIL TESTING TOMORROW
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21. WHAT TO TEST?
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22. TEST SUBJECT LINES
• Great starting point
Subject line Open rate
Did you forget to do something? 25.7%
Get the Fall season started on the right paw 15.4%
Subject line Click-through rate
Grab Your Red Shoes and Join Us at Hangar 10 5.45%
Red Shoe Shindig Celebration of 30 Years Helping Families 1.75%
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23. TEST TIME OF DAY
• 6:00-7:00am (MailChimp)
• 6:00-11:00am (MailerMailer)
• 9:00am (Marketing Sherpa)
• 9:00am (eROI)
TEST DAY OF WEEK
Best? Worst?
• Monday (eROI) • Wednesday (eROI)
• Mon/Sun (MailerMailer) • Tues/Wed (MailerMailer)
• Thurs (AWeber)
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24. TEST CONTENT
• Headline
• Positive vs. Negative
• Reward
• Images/caption
• Video screen shot
• Signature
• PS
• Landing page
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25. TEST CALL TO ACTION
• The largest difference between high and low performing email
programs was in email click-through rates*
• Where
• Language
• Images vs. Styled text
• What color
• Incentive
*2010 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study, NTEN & M+R
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26. HOW TO TEST?
• Start simple
• Send 2 tests: Each to ~10%
• Wait 1-2 days
• Review metrics & check statistical significance
eMarketingDynamics.com
• Send “winning” message to 80%
• Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
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27. HIGHER CONVERSIONS: CAMPAIGN BEST PRACTICES
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28. PLAN YOUR EMAIL CAMPAIGN
• Start earlier!
• Identify specific goal(s) and date(s)
• Discuss segments & relevant content
• Test?
• Incentives?
• Channels: Offline? Social media?
• Review email internally
• Send & review metrics
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29. SUBJECT LINES
• Pique curiosity & generate intrigue
Not Intriguing Intriguing
Help Maine wildlife 5 things you can do right now for Maine wildlife
April 2010 Alumni eNewsletter Newsletter: Who’s coming to Homecoming and more
• Front-load first 30 characters
• Check spam folder
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30. AVOID LARGE OR MANY IMAGES
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31. SUMMARIZE PURPOSE IN HEADER IMAGE’S ALT TEXT
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32. CALLS TO ACTION
• Answer What + Why + Where (or When)
Not Compelling Compelling
Speak up now Speak up now to stop the bloodshed in Syria
Donate now Donate now to feed those starving in Somalia
Register Register to ride in honor of cancer patients
• Instead of images, use table cells with background color
• Include it early, then again
• Track where clicks occur (www.nonprofit.org/donate#intro)
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33. USES INCENTIVES TO PROVIDE VALUE
• Gift doubled
• Drawing
• Tax-deductible
• Send an eCard
• Recognition
• Purchase a specific item (Wish List)
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34. SCANNABLE CONTENT
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35. AVOID NONPROFIT JARGON
Support the annual campaign
Support those who are homeless this holiday season
Email not displaying? View it in your browser.
Can’t see images? Find them here.
Make a tribute gift
Make a gift in honor or memory of someone you love
Opt out
Remove me from future emails
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36. CREATE A WEB-BASED VERSION
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37. ASK FOR A SPECIFIC NEED
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38. CREATE A COMPELLING LANDING PAGE
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39. SEND A FOLLOW-UP EMAIL
• Identify who
• Did not open?
• Did not click-through?
• Did not respond?
• Use an alternate approach
2011 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study
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40. ADDITIONAL CAMPAIGN TIPS
• Survey recipients
• Screen shots of video: 2-3x higher clicks*
• Say thank you!
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41. IMPACT TIPS
• If you’re not personalizing every email, you’re missing an
opportunity for better results
• Use email testing to validate assumptions and allow you
to make data-driven decisions
• Become mobile-friendly by simplifying email
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42. #BBCON TWEET TAKE-AWAY:
Personalizing content and testing messages
are keys to better #nonprofit email results
#BBCON
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