2012 McPherson Maximizing Email final

MAXIMIZING E ‐MAILMark DavisBlackbaudDirector Enterprise Internet SolutionsFriday, January 13, 2012www.netwitsthinktank.com 1

D O N ’ T C O N F U S E C O M M U N I C AT I O NCHANNEL WITH GIVING CHANNEL 3 3

PREFERRED GIVING CHANNEL direct mail other offline email Source: 2011 donorCentrics Internet & Multichannel Giving Benchmarking Report 4 4

PREFERRED COMMUNICATION CHANNEL prefer email prefer another channel Source: The Cygnus Donor Survey 2011 5 5

4/9/2012 6

4/9/2012 7

WHAT ARE WE DOING?4/9/2012 8

SUCCESSFUL EMAIL MARKETING 9

“Attention is a bit like real estate, inthat theyre not making any more of it. Unlike real estate, though, it keeps going up in value.” Seth Godin, Seth Godin’s Blog 10

FOUR KEY STEPS TO EFFECTIVE EMARKETING Segment Test Develop Send 11

Step One:Segment 12

AS YOU BEGIN…• Think about your overall goals• Reflect on how email enhances your multi-channel marketing strategy• Decide who to target and when - Age - Member / Non-member - Participant/Non-participant - Interests• Get permission (or at least understand what it means to have it) 13

ESTABLISH A PLAN• Start with a calendar• Think about the types of messages you send• Include every office that wants to send messages• How can messages be combined or complement each other?• What data do you need to collect to improve your coordination? 14

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 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% 16

Step Two:Develop 17

VOICE AND TONE“Just as you have a unique set of fingerprints, you also have a unique voice…” Source: Barbara Scott TheRovingEditor.blogspot.com 18

FIND YOUR VOICE Familiar Passionate Honest Authentic Reflective 19

CHOOSE YOUR TONE 20

MARKETING YOUR MISSION 101 • What is • Where/how given in do we let exchange people for participate? support? Product Place Promotion Price • How do we •What do we reach out want from to people? people? 21

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WITH DESIGN…• Design for the preview pane — align content to the left• Avoid calls-to-action within images• Avoid large blocks of text — work toward ―scan-ability‖• Link to a web-based version of your email at the top• Test emails in multiple browsers before sending, including: - Internet Explorer - Firefox - Safari 22

NOT ALL ABOUT THE PICTURES • Only 19% of your newsletter gets fully read • 35% of readers scan only a small part, often just the first two words of the headline • 67% of readers completely skip introductory text at the top • Average amount of time readers spend after opening: 51 seconds 23

DESIGN GUIDELINES■ Consistent, recognizable send- from address & subject■ Look remains consistent from issue to issue■ Tell A Friend and Donate links above the fold■ Excerpt-style newsletter, with monthly headline feature■ Headlines and features change from month to month■ Speaks to reader through clear calls to action 24

DESIGN GUIDELINES TEMPLATE Branding• Top-priority links & branding consistent from In this Issue month to month Personalization First Headline• Headlines & graphics Donate Link change, but general Graphic & Lead dimensions stay the same Story Copy• Color scheme may Feature #1 change, but structure is Second Headline Feature #2 consistent Feature #3 Graphic & Second Story Copy 25

Source: Morgan Stanley http://www.slideshare.net/CMSummit/ms-internet-trends060710final 26

DESIGNING FOR MOBILE DEVICES• 64% of executives read majority of email on mobile devices• Include a compelling call to action in the first 15-25 characters of your subject line• Avoid ―top heavy‖ images in the design• Use ―alt-tags‖ on images blackberry• In addition to testing email browsers, test messages in handheld devices Source: Marketing Sherpa 27

Step Three: Send 28

CREATE COMPELLING MESSAGESRecognizable ―From‖ or―Sender‖ addressCreative, descriptive & invitingsubject lineConcise, relevant contentCompelling call to actionSupporting landing page(s) 29

RECOGNIZABLE “FROM” OR “SENDER” ADDRESSIf readers don’t recognize you, they are likely to flag your message as spam. 30

HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT HEADER?• 80% of respondents decide whether to click on the "Report Spam" or "Junk" button without opening the actual message• 73% based that decision on the "From" name• 69% based the decision on the subject line Source: Email Sender and Provider Coalition (ESPC) study 31

SUBJECT LINE “DO’S”• Limit the subject line to 25-35 characters• Avoid using "$", "!" and ALL CAPS in the subject line• Personalize whenever possible• Colon Power: Use it to place the most important key word first• Remember, ―the best subject lines tell what is inside; the worst subject lines sell what is inside.‖ 32

CONCISE, RELEVANT CONTENT DESIGNED TO BEREAD ONLINEEven though you aren’tpaying printingcosts, you can’t skimpon careful writing.Excellent content isimportant! 33

CREATING A COMPELLING CALL-TO-ACTION• Your call-to-action should compel your readers to do something• Give readers a sense of excitement and urgency• Use specific, action-oriented language• Say it early and repeat often 34

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) 35

USE LANDING PAGES TO BOOST RESPONSE• Keeps email content more concise and interesting• Lets recipients learn more before they must decide to take action• Easier to track interest of recipients• Creates a consistent message across all marketing vehicles• Improves search engine optimization 36

Step Four: Test 37

TEST TO MAKE IT BEST• What are your goals? - More readers - Engagement - Donations• Common metrics - Web traffic - Open rates - Click-throughs - Conversion 38

ELEMENTS TO TEST• Subject Line - Length, call to action, personalization• Call-to-action - Placement, number, urgency of language, font/color• Graphics - Position, complexity, style• Landing pages - Pre-population of forms, length, navigation options 39

PICKING A WINNER• Send all email at the same time: - 10/10 then 80• Make clear notes about what youre testing• Wait at least 48 hours before declaring a winner- 75% of people will open an email in the first 28 hours; the remaining 25% may take several days• The more you test, the more youll learn – be sure to use what you learn! 40

We know what you’re thinking….“easier said than done!” 41

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW• Audit one of your emails for the four Ps. - Is your value proposition clear? - How about Place and Price? (If you want someone to do something, you need these!) 42

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW• Plan a single item to test in your next email. - (Hint: The subject line is easy and sometimes has dramatic results!) 43

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW• Check your next (or last) email in a different browser. Bonus points for a mobile device! 44

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW• Write (or rewrite) your welcome email. - Does it offer something or motivate a next action? 45

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW• Create a new segment to test in your next campaign. - Try a completely unique message to people who have given their email address but never taken action. 46

THANK YOU!Please feel free to contact me:Mark.davis@blackbaud.com@mcdavis7843-654-2575 47

2012 McPherson Maximizing Email final

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