DMA Nonprofit Digital Day NY June 11, 2014 Digital 201 - Email Marketing Heather Marsh, ABD Direct

1. Email Marketing
Tips, Tricks and Results

2. Heather Marsh
Director of Digital Marketing, ABD Direct

3. Email Planning
 Create Your Plan
◦ Messaging Mix
 Balance of Advocacy, Stewardship and Solicitation
◦ Build in Testing
◦ Control Messaging Quantity
◦ Create a Production Schedule

5. Email Planning
 Sample Production Schedule
Send
out date
Message
Draft copy
due
Copy review
due
Final copy
due
Materials
Sent For
Production
Email Tests
Due
Email Edits
Due
Final Tests
Due
Approval
Needed
15-Jan January Appeal 1 – Prospects 12/28/2012 12/30/2012 1/1/2013 1/3/2013 1/5/2013 1/7/2013 1/9/2013 1/11/2013
15-Jan January Appeal 1 - Members 12/28/2012 12/30/2012 1/1/2013 1/3/2013 1/5/2013 1/7/2013 1/9/2013 1/11/2013
15-Jan January Appeal 1 - Stewards 12/28/2012 12/30/2012 1/1/2013 1/3/2013 1/5/2013 1/7/2013 1/9/2013 1/11/2013
22-Jan Wild Alert 1/4/2013 1/6/2013 1/8/2013 1/10/2013 1/12/2013 1/14/2013 1/16/2013 1/18/2013
30-Jan January Appeal 2 - Prospects 1/12/2013 1/14/2013 1/16/2013 1/18/2013 1/20/2013 1/22/2013 1/24/2013 1/26/2013
30-Jan January Appeal 2 - Members 1/12/2013 1/14/2013 1/16/2013 1/18/2013 1/20/2013 1/22/2013 1/24/2013 1/26/2013

6. Develop Best Practices
 Email Testing
◦ What to Test
◦ How to Test
◦ Why to Test

7. Develop Best Practices
 Testing Goals
◦ Improve Open Rate
 From Line
 Subject Line
 Unique Characters
 Day and Time

8. Best Time to Send Emails

9. Best Time to Send Emails
When They Are Not.

10. Develop Best Practices
 Testing Goals
◦ Click Through Rate
 Call To Action
 Buttons
 Copy
 Pictures, Graphics

11. Develop Best Practices
 Testing Goals
◦ Response Rate, Average Gift, Revenue
 Ask String
◦ Descending vs. Ascending
◦ Dynamic vs. Static
◦ Open Text Box
 Copy
◦ Short Form vs. Long Form
 Graphics, Photos
◦ Square/Horizontal
◦ None
◦ Very Little Copy/Large Image CTA

12. From Lines – What Won?
 The Wilderness Society
 Jamie Williams, The Wilderness Society +7%

13. From Lines – What Won?
 Jamie Williams, The Wilderness Society
 Jamie Williams +4%
However, revenue declined by 37%

14. Call to Action – What Won?
CTR +12%, Revenue -22%

15. Call to Action – What Won?
CTR +34%, Revenue +141%

16. Email Management
 Test in “Real Life”
◦ Be a Donor, Prospect, Activist
◦ Challenge Your System’s Boundaries
◦ Track Results
◦ Monitor Competitors, Industry Leaders

17. Sustainers!

18. Website Conversion
5%

19. Email Conversion
4%

20. Email Invite
+3%

21. Intercept
2%

22. Intercept
 Intercept Details
◦ Low and High Dollar Thresholds
◦ What’s the Ask?
◦ Where and How Will the Upgrade be Displayed?
◦ What Happens When the User Tries to
Close the Popup?
◦ Focus on Reducing Form Abandonment

23. Upgrades
3% RR
+$3.40 Avg Gift

24. Current Sustainers
 Communications?
◦ Advocacy
◦ Stewardship/Cultivation
◦ Surveys
◦ Monthly Transaction Acknowledgements
◦ Additional One-Time Asks

25. Lapsed Sustainers
 Lapsed Recapture
◦ Monthly Declined Transaction Emails
◦ TM Calling
◦ Additional Email Invites
 Pre-Lapsed Program

26. Questions