2013-04-09 Making e-Newsletters Valuable Again

Making E-‐Newsle/ers Valuable Again

James Li Mike Hauser Co-‐founders, Encore

Photo and story of new water project in Ethiopia, 2011 – Charity: Water

www.encorehq.com

We didn’t make this up…

Our learnings today!

What We’re Talking About

@Encore james@encorehq.com

Making It Happen

5. Increasing Opens and Clickthroughs 6. True Engagement 7. Key Takeaways

The Purpose

3. SeOng goals 4. Content is King

The Landscape

1. The case for beSer communicaTons 2. What donors want

A Fair Warning…

We’re moving fast. 52 slides in 45 minutes fast.

It’s full of stats useful to you. We did our homework for you.

AcTonables are marked by a thunderbolt.

DONOR RELATIONS IS

CRUCIAL TO RETENTION

NONPROFITS CAN LOSE

60% OF DONORS

BEFORE A SECOND DONATION

LOSS OF

$100,000s PER YEAR

IN LIFETIME VALUE / NEW FUNDRAISING

The Landscape 1/3: Rela]onship Problems

Nonprofit Times

Many respondents (20 to 30 percent) reported that they had stopped making regular donaTons to an organizaTon in the past three years ci]ng their financial situa]on and lack of transparency on the charity’s part.

Why Are They Leaving?

Blackbaud Donor Perspec]ves (2012)

They’re Not Engaged!

The Landscape 1/3: Rela]onship Problems

Millennial Impact Report (2011)

The Landscape 2/3: Too Many Solicita]ons

59% OF DONORS SAY IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOT BE ASKED FOR MONEY

TOO OFTEN

Money for Good Report (2010)

The Landscape 3/3: Dona]ons Are at End of Year

Network for Good Online Giving Study (2009)

9 @Encore james@encorehq.com

American Marke]ng Associa]on Survey

Newsle/ers take way too long

So… what’s the point of having an e-‐newsle/er?

(Hint: it’s not because you “should”)

1 Stay top of mind un]l year’s end

Let’s write some down…

= more reten]on = more life]me value = $$

Surprising?

Best of all, email marke]ng is easy, fast and measurable. With an es]mated Return on Investment of roughly $42 for every $1 you spend, you can’t afford not to do it.

Ver]cal Response

2 Push content, pull traffic, increase awareness

You.com Donor

3 Drive ac]on throughout the year

Millennial Impact Report (2011)

-‐ Sharing on Facebook and Twi/er to their networks -‐ Forwarding email to friends -‐ A/ending events -‐ In-‐kind dona]ons -‐ Matched dona]ons/small gims -‐ Hold a fundraiser -‐ Share their stories/experiences

…and many more.

If you already have a newsle/er… was there a par]cular issue that stood out as “successful”? Why?

Content is King

Making them Open

Making them Click

Achieving Your Goal Bones

Content is King

65% OF DONORS REPORT GIVING (AND RE-‐GIVING) PRIMARILY

BECAUSE OF BELIEF IN THE CAUSE

NTEN Benchmark Report (2012)

Don’t Start from Scratch: Crowdsource

Sources of stories

Internal

Your own phone or computer

Your staff & volunteers

External

Beneficiaries

Supporters/social media

Events

80% OF ORGS SAY

GENERATING IMPACT CONTENT IS A CHALLENGE

Case Study: The Y Collects 300 Stories in 48 Hours

Case Study: Collec]ng Stories via Email (in Encore)

Case Study: Easy Collec]on of Photos from Social Media

Donors Want 3-‐5 Stories Per Email

Encore Survey

Content is King

Making them Open

Making them Click

Making them Open

Step into your donors’ shoes…

…if they don’t open it, they can’t read it.

Making them Open

20.3% AVERAGE NONPROFIT

OPEN RATE (OPENS/SENDS)

Mailchimp Metrics

Making them Open

From Name: Use a specific person’s name only when recognizable to majority of readers (>80%)

Making them Open

Subject Line: •  under 34 characters •  show the benefit •  describe the candy, not the wrapper •  don’t keep the same •  don’t use “free, reminder, percent off, help” •  use a verb if possible

Making them Open

Preheader text: •  biggest lost opportunity… don’t use filler text •  describe what’s inside

Making them Open

Send ]me: •  generally most opens during the dayTme on weekdays •  generally beSer Tuesday & Thurs at 9am •  Prefer monthly …but it all depends!

Send one the morning of Dec. 31st!

Content is King

Making them Open

Making them Click

Clickthroughs Measure Actual Engagement

“The largest difference between high and low performing

nonprofit email programs was in email clickthrough rates.”

2010 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study by NTEN

Clickthroughs Measure Actual Engagement

3.54% AVERAGE NONPROFIT CLICKTHROUGH RATE

(CLICKS/SENDS) Fundraising emails: 0.47%

Mailchimp, NTEN eBenchmark Metrics

Making them Click (Case Study)

The first impression: •  You have 5 seconds to catch the person’s aSenTon •  Don’t start with: “welcome to our newsleSer…”

The donor is the hero: •  Build the reader into the narraTve •  Use “you,” not “we” •  Have a voice

Use visuals: •  Visuals engage the reader more than any text can •  Clickthrough rates are 2-‐3 Tmes higher when there is a video •  Don’t run on too long •  “Show images”

Making them Click (Encore)

Power ]ps: •  More ways to interact/be engaged other than giving money •  More links = more clickthroughs •  ONE clear call to acTon – specific, relevant, “filmable moment”

The “Filmable” Moment

Encore Survey

Content is King

Making them Open

Making them Click

1 Stay top of mind un]l year’s end

Let’s revisit our goals…

(= more reten]on = more life]me value = $$)

An investment of Tme...

Are you ready?

2 Push content, pull traffic, increase awareness

•  Word of mouth is stronger than FB page posts (16%). Each share = impressions

Where you want them to take the desired acTon

If You Remember Nothing Else…

Start with the goal, plan from there

Find your stories: crowdsource and curate

Come down from the mountain, put away the megaphone: Truly engage, don’t ask, focus on impact

If You Remember Nothing Else…

You’re fighTng cluSer: the details are the edge

What can your donors do now?

Don’t be the needy friend, be pa]ent: the real reward comes at the end of the year

Ques]ons?

James Li Mike Hauser Co-‐founder, Encore

@encore james@encorehq.com

www.encorehq.com

2013-04-09 Making e-Newsletters Valuable Again

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