Online Communications On A Shoestring October 2008

Logistics You’re on a muted phone line - we can’t hear you if you speak. Enter questions into the Chat with Presenter box We have great folks standing by for your questions!

Logistics After the session, I’ll send out: The slides (in fact, they’re at www.idealware.org/slides) Any links we’ve discussed

After the session, I’ll send out:

The slides (in fact, they’re at www.idealware.org/slides)

Any links we’ve discussed

Introductions Me!

Introductions Eric Leland Leland Design Colin Delany epolitics.com

What We’ll Cover Your Website Email Online Outreach Strategies and Tools for the three components of Online Strategy:

Your Website

Email

Online Outreach

Strategies and Tools for the three components of Online Strategy:

The Three Components of Online Communications

Three Components of Internet Communication

Your Website

Your Website is You, Online For many online friends, your website is your organization. Does it say what you want it to say?

For many online friends, your website is your organization.

Does It Say What You Do? Don’t make people hunt to find out what your organization does. www.kiva.org

Don’t make people hunt to find out what your organization does.

Does It Show What You Do? Make sure your website compellingly shows your activities and the difference you’re making www.rippleeffect.net

Make sure your website compellingly shows your activities and the difference you’re making

Why Should People Care? Give stories, numbers, examples – to make a connection www.robinhood.org

Give stories, numbers, examples – to make a connection

How Can They Get Involved? Give people lots of opportunities to help out, if they’ve been moved www.freshair.org

Give people lots of opportunities to help out, if they’ve been moved

On a Shoestring Budget, Prioritize Wisely Make sure your content speaks to your constituents Invest in a solid graphic design Make it friendly, clear, and useful Ensure you can update it over time Look for a tool that will grow with you Don’t be seduced by nifty features

Make sure your content speaks to your constituents

Invest in a solid graphic design

Make it friendly, clear, and useful

Ensure you can update it over time

Look for a tool that will grow with you

Don’t be seduced by nifty features

The Minimal Website If your budget is exceedingly minimal, consider alternative websites But an investment pays off A blog A Facebook Page A piece of another site

If your budget is exceedingly minimal, consider alternative websites

But an investment pays off

Website Tools for a Shoestring Budget Very easy but very generic website-in-a-box. $5-$50 per month depending on number of pages and more . www.homestead.com www.squarespace.com More complex to set up, but offers more options for those publishing articles, news, or content on an ongoing basis. $7 - $12/month www.wildapricot.com Website editing, blast emailing, payment processing, and membership management for small nonprofits. $25-$200 per month.

More Advanced Shoestring Tools Much more advanced than previous, with sophisticated and expandable features. Will require at least someone with a sense of technical adventure, if not a consultant, to get setup. Free to download. www.joomla.org www.drupal.org Even more advanced than Joomla, especially for multi-site organizations or sophisticated user-generated content, but more complex to setup. Free to download.

Email

Repeat After Me…

Emails are Very Cost Effective Reach out to your constituents to let them know what you’re doing Or ask them to take action

Reach out to your constituents to let them know what you’re doing

But the Details are Critical Who is the email from? Is the graphic design clean? Does it depend on images? Are there spam-like words in the text? Are any calls to action clear? Does it seem like they know who I am? Is there an unsubscribe link and physical address? What’s the subject line?

Who is the email from?

Does Anyone Open Email Anymore? Yes. Especially from organizations they know and like. These vary widely based on organization and email 12-30% Open 2-15% Click 5-10% Act .05-2% Give

Yes. Especially from organizations they know and like.

Where Do The Addresses Come From? Start with your friends… And then build your list through Online Outreach … Ask for emails in direct mail appeals Have an email sign-up sheet at events Consider an email appending service Ask website visitors to sign up for compelling emails

Start with your friends…

Shoestring Blast Email Tool for 501c3s 10,000 emails per month free for 501c3s (after that, on the expensive side). Reliable and sophisticated, though complex in areas. Strong in deliverability and integration – particularly with Salesforce. Outlook is not a blast email tool! www.verticalresponse.com Now using the Emma platform. Very affordable for large lists, at $29.95/ month for up to 20,000 emails, and $2/thousand after. Great template options – they’ll design you a custom one for $199. Feature rich, but complex in areas. Strong nonprofit support in a sustainable product. Email Now www.networkforgood.org

10,000 emails per month free for 501c3s (after that, on the expensive side). Reliable and sophisticated, though complex in areas. Strong in deliverability and integration – particularly with Salesforce.

www.verticalresponse.com

Now using the Emma platform. Very affordable for large lists, at $29.95/ month for up to 20,000 emails, and $2/thousand after. Great template options – they’ll design you a custom one for $199. Feature rich, but complex in areas. Strong nonprofit support in a sustainable product.

Other Shoestring Options Electric Embers ( www.electricembers.net ) Similar to Google or Yahoo Groups without the ads and a bit more control. Doesn’t easily support HMTL emails. Starts at $5/month. CampaignMonitor ( www.campaignmonitor.com ) No templates, but solid custom fields and deliverability. Inexpensive if you’re not sending many emails , at $5 per campaign + $0.01 per email. Constant Contact ( www.constantcontact.com ) Solid and commonly used. Starts at $15/month. However, many report deliverability problems. Outlook is not a blast email tool!

Electric Embers ( www.electricembers.net )

Similar to Google or Yahoo Groups without the ads and a bit more control. Doesn’t easily support HMTL emails. Starts at $5/month.

CampaignMonitor ( www.campaignmonitor.com )

No templates, but solid custom fields and deliverability. Inexpensive if you’re not sending many emails , at $5 per campaign + $0.01 per email.

Constant Contact ( www.constantcontact.com )

Look for Tools That… Have a track record of getting emails to people’s Inbox Allow you to track opens and click throughs Help you to segment your list

Have a track record of getting emails to people’s Inbox

Allow you to track opens and click throughs

Help you to segment your list

Online Outreach

A Powerful Part of Your Marketing Mix Online outreach can be a powerful method to reach new people… as part of your overall marketing strategy Online methods tend to be inexpensive but time-consuming

It Starts with a Story and an Audience No marketing technique will work without… A compelling story about your organization and the good you do in the world And a clear vision of your audience

Search Engine Optimization Pay attention to words, headings, and page titles, and try to get others to link to you. Consider Google Ad Grants

Reach Out to Existing Communities Join a niche conversation via email Outreach (gently!) about things important to you

Make Connections with Relevant Blogs Join the conversation by reading and commenting Community and niche bloggers are often eager for interesting things to post about

“Viral” Resources Create something – a report, message, action, video, image, or functionality - so compelling that people share it with others “ Going viral” is more of an aspiration than a strategy

Social Networking Sites Reach out to the (largely younger) audience who spend a lot of time on Facebook, MySpace, niche sites Create a Group, Fan Page, or sophisticated applications to interest current and new supporters

Ask Supporters to Participate Solicit stories, photos, or other content from a wide audience

Distributed Campaigns http://www.storewars.org Ask your staff and friends to fundraise – or solicit other things Personal fundraising pages also allow your friends to link from their own blogs or profiles

Spreading the Word Through Other Sites

What Works for You? Most outreach methods are inexpensive but time-consuming Start with your goals, not the tools Can you gamble with your time? What’s familiar? Leverage what you already have Choose one or two, try them out – and then evaluate

Most outreach methods are inexpensive but time-consuming

Start with your goals, not the tools

Can you gamble with your time?

What’s familiar?

Leverage what you already have

Choose one or two, try them out – and then evaluate

Three Components of Internet Communication

Assessing Methods Effective and function computers and networks At least a basic website presence Well thought out email strategy Enlist people in spreading the word/ creating content Search engine optimization, outreach to existing communities Start with the most proven strategies first

Learning More

Online Communications for Nonprofits Beth’s Blog beth.typepad.com e.politics www.epolitics.com Idealware www.idealware.org Progressive Exchange list www.progressiveexchange.org

Beth’s Blog beth.typepad.com

e.politics www.epolitics.com

Idealware www.idealware.org

Progressive Exchange list www.progressiveexchange.org

Idealware Online Seminars Always high quality information, carefully presented Tactical, practical information to save you time and money Capped at 22 participants – for effective discussion and Q&A $40 per seminar – or $20 for a recording www.idealware.org/online_seminars/

Always high quality information, carefully presented

Tactical, practical information to save you time and money

Capped at 22 participants – for effective discussion and Q&A

$40 per seminar – or $20 for a recording

www.idealware.org/online_seminars/

Idealware Online Seminars Tools to Manage a Website Without Technical Skills Building an Effective Email List Understanding Search Engine Optimization Getting Started with Online Donations Tomorrow! Introduction to Website Analytics Thurs, Dec 11th Choosing eNewsletter Software Wed, Nov 12th Choosing a Low Cost Constituent Database Thurs, Nov 6th Getting Started with Online Conferencing and Seminar Tools Thurs, Nov 13th Considering Social Media for Your Organization Wed, Dec 10th And coming up:

Tools to Manage a Website Without Technical Skills

Building an Effective Email List

Understanding Search Engine Optimization

Questions?