Breakthrough Nonprofit E-Newsletters

Breakthrough E-Newsletters 5 Steps to Shaping E-Communications that Connect

I’m so pleased to be here with you today… I’m Nancy Schwartz • Publisher, Getting Attention Blog & E-Update • President, Nancy Schwartz & Company

Today’s Learning Objectives 1. Increasing impact—Opens, click- throughs, response rate 2. Building and maintaining a good email list 3. Evaluating and revising 4. How to fit it in w/everything else

You’ll Leave Today Knowing How to… 1. Define realistic goals 2. Shape the right approach 3. Design the most effective delivery 4. Master the mechanics 5. Promote your e-newsletter to get the most from your effort.

…And with Your E-News Plan 1. Directs your focus 2. Forces you to articulate objectives 3. Baseline for making the right decisions 4. Generates better results

Credit: Kivi Leroux Miller, Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com

Effective e-News = Engagement + Action Photo: Julia F

Baseline— What E-news Success Looks Like Personal Stories that engage Clear, visible calls Useful info to action whether readers give or not Accessible Credit: Lori contact Jacobwith info

E-news Plan Template 1. Goals 2. Measurable objectives 3. Target audience 4. Roles & responsibilities 5. Content 6. Personality-Image & tone 7. Format, design & timing 8. List building & maintenance 9. E-News service provider (ESP) 10. Work plan 11. Evaluation & revision

Evaluation—Planning’s Other Half Only 37% of orgs know what’s working. 63% don’t.

Focus & Goals

Measurable Objectives • Open rate = # messages opened / # messages delivered • Click‐through rate = # clicks / # messages delivered • Response Rate = # actions taken / # messages delivered • Unsubscribe rate = # unsubscribes / # messages delivered

Evaluate to Increase Impact 1. What’s working 2. Who’s engaged and who’s not 3. Your base’s habits 4. What content is most compelling

How did it do?

Know Your Audience • Segments • Wants • Needs • Preferences • Habits

Point of Connection— Powerful Messaging—Where Org Needs Meet Audience Wants Org Needs Meet Audience Wants

Roles & Responsibilities – Editor‐in‐Chief – Writer – Proofreader – Formatter – Technologist – Review – Analyst

Content – Classic E-News or…

Content – Action Alert

Editorial Calendar

Content Formula • Maximum of 4 elements, aka standing heads • One call to action per element/story • Be consistent

Your Subject Line is Critical! • Flag waving is not a rebellion • Friday is the last day to test your ocean IQ! • Phenomenal • Short: 50‐60 characters max • Specific about what’s inside • Show what’s in it for the reader (in 1st 2 words) • Piggyback on hot topics

Content: Style • Keep paragraphs short. • Line breaks between paragraphs. • Use bullets and white space • Headlines and sub-heads • Highlight links in a color

Make it personal!

Give Your E-news Personality!

Design—Keep It Simple

Building Your Mailing List • Make sure it’s very easy to sign up • Include sign‐up everywhere online, and links offline • Feature elements that increase registration rates • Convey the value to readers

Maintaining Your Subscribers

Email Service Providers

Your E-News Work Plan 1. Collect article ideas 2. Turn ideas into rough drafts 3. Drop draft copy into e‐news template, edit 4. Write final article titles, draft subject line 5. Test by sending to internal "newsletter approval" group and every e‐mail client 6. Check every link 7. Print out to do a final proof 8. Sharpen the subject line one last time before you publish

Evaluation and Improvement Open rate = # messages opened / # messages delivered • Average is 15‐25% • Declining due to image issue • Increase by: – Writing for the preview pane – Test changes in subject line, format, time, day Stats: NTEN/M&R: 2010 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study

Evaluation and Improvement Click‐through rate = # clicks / # messages delivered • Average is 1‐10% • Increase by: – Make content and descriptions compelling – Ensure subject line is accurate – Test changes in format – Highlight what you want readers to click on (box)

Evaluation and Improvement Response Rate = # actions taken / # messages delivered • Average for fundraising emails .75‐2% • Average for advocacy emails 3‐15% • Increase by: – Providing a compelling reason to act – Optimize your landing page

Evaluation and Improvement Unsubscribe rate = # unsubscribes / # messages delivered • Average is .3%‐1% for a single email • Decrease by: – Providing a compelling reason to act – Optimize your landing page

Other Useful Resources http://delicious.com/gettingattention/e-news Flickr: accentoneclectic

Contact Me! Email: nancy@nancyschwartz.com Twitter: @NancySchwartz Phone: 973-762-0079 Blog: http://GettingAttention.org Website: http://NancySchwartz.com Facebook: http://Facebook.com/gettingattention Getting Attention Resources • Subscribe to the E-Update • Read the Blog – GettingAttention.org • Read recent e-update articles (over 70)

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Breakthrough Nonprofit E-Newsletters

by GettingAttention.org on May 26, 2010

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Breakthrough Nonprofit E-Newsletters — Presentation Transcript