Recommending a Strategy

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Effective Online Communications
Author John Kenyon
Flickr Photos Cesarharada.com
theparadigmshifter Dia
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Agenda

• Online Engagement
• Planning to Succeed
• Effective Web Presence
• 4 Cs of Effective Websites
• Top 9 Ways to Catch Supporters
• 12 Basics of Driving Traffic
• Tracking Results
• Effective Examples
• Effective Email
• Discussion

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Online EngagementSame Paradigm, Different Tools
Personalized web content/email contact
Retain
Committed Supporters
Online Action(Donation/Petition)
Commit
Supporters
Interact by web and email
Engage
Involved Prospects
Drive Traffic, Collect Email addresses
Prospects
Attract
Source Information The NonProfit Handbook,
James Greenfield, 2002 Supplement, 3rd Edition,
(AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series)
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Planning to Succeed

• Mission-based Communications Vision
• Organizational Goals
• Departmental Goals
• Strategic
• Operational
• Plans to achieve goals

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Planning to Succeed

• Strategic GoalProvide regular updates to
  stakeholders
• Operational Offline GoalProduce quarterly print
  newsletter
• Operational Online GoalsWeekly website content
  updatesMonthly enewsletterAction Alerts as
  appropriate
• Include Who, When, How

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What is Your Organizational Capacity?
Database
Operations (Staff Technology)
Established Strategies
Time
Money
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Snapshot of Capacity
Database
Strategies
Operations
Time
Money




Your Organizational Communications Capacity

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Internet Tools Evolution Example
Phase 5
Phase 4
Integrated Systems
Phase 3
Interactive Website
Email Messaging Program
Phase 2
Phase 1
Online Donation Processing
Web Site
Organizational Resources and Capacity Must Also
Increase
Source Information The NonProfit Handbook,
James Greenfield, 2002 Supplement, 3rd Edition,
(AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series)
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Are Goals in balance with Capacity?
Phase 5
Phase 4
Integrated Systems
Phase 3
Interactive Website
Email Messaging Program
Phase 2
Phase 1
Online Donation Processing
Web Site
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Reflection

• Have we articulatedour vision and goals?
• Where do we needto improve our organizations
  capacity?
• What are short- and long-term changes we might
  consider?
• What ideas does this generate for me?

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Creating an Effective Website

• The four Cs
• Credibility,
• Cultivation,
• Clickability
• Content
• Top 9 ways to catch supporters in your web
  (site)

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Four Key Website Attributes

• Credibility
• The public face of your organization
• Cultivation
• Outreach and building relationships
• Clickability
• Interactive user experience with clear navigation
• Content
• Most important element - requires regular input

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The 4 Cs in more depth

• Websites provide multiple levels of information
  about your work (Content)
• Visitors come to your site to learn, then to act
  (Cultivation)
• Your job is provide clear paths and lots of
  interaction to increase the visitors depth of
  understanding and confidence in your
  organization (Credibility and Clickability)

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Consider Audiences
- Who visits our site? - Who do we want to
visit our site? Your audience may consist of

• Donors
• Prospects
• Media
• Program participants
• Your Staff and Board

• Funders
• Volunteers
• Activists
• Community Leaders

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Layout - Outside In not Inside Out

• Ask yourself
• Can our visitors find what they want on our site?

• Ask your visitors
• Can you easily find what you are looking for on
  our site?

Find Out - Usability testing Bang away at the
site - Focus Group Volunteers, Board -
Surveys SurveyMonkey, Zoomerang, SurveyGizmo
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Bring Content Online

• What does your organization publish ?
• Who do you serve ?
• What do you do ? How do you do it ?

• When you print reports, flyers, invitations,
  forms, etc. ask yourself
• How will I put this on the web site?
• How will it be different (editing, graphics,
  etc.)?
• Consider Statistics, Data, Downloadable Papers,
  Biographical Information

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Collect Email Addresses
Your New Mantra

• I will collect email addresses - everywhere
• I will ask permission to email
• I will make regular contact

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Write for the Web

• People rarely READ web sites word for word.

They SCAN web sites.
They GLANCE at emails.
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5 Top Tips

• 1. Highlight Keywords

2. Use Bulleted Lists
3. One Idea Per Paragraph
4. Cut Your Text in Half (Then in half again)
5. Offer Links
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Get Content

• You are not alone!
• You can get free content from
• Partners, collaborators
• Jointogether.org
• Alternet.org
• Care2.com
• Enature.com
• Yahoo
• News feeds
• Your constituents

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Content Tips

• Identify important revolving content
• Coordinate the team think about program content
  and content management tools
• Prioritize
• Systematize
• Develop a schedule
• Delegate

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Ask and Make it Easy

• Give a Donation
• Take an Action
• Learn About You
• Contribute in Other Ways
• How?
• Ask for Support or to Take Action
• Give Compelling Reasons to Help or Give
• Provide Secure Donation Page
• Tag Line Mission Statement
• Contact Information on Every Page

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Privacy Policy

• A privacy policy is a statement that describes
  how your organization handles information
• Your Privacy policy

• Informs visitors about how you will handle
• Name/Personal Information
• Credit Card/Donor Information
• Email addresses
• Cookies

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Interactivity

• Clicking is a kinesthetic experience that mimics
  a conversation
• The more your visitor can talk to you, the
  closer they will feel to your mission
• The closer a visitor feels, the more they want to
  support you

Dont be afraid to have fun!
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Web Management

• To update content easily, you will need someone
  on board with web skills
• Your options
• Consultant
• Train your Staff
• Invest in a Content Management Solution
• All of the above

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Effective Websites

• Credibility, Cultivation, Clickability Content
• Consider Your Audience
• Get Content Bring Content Online
• Write for the Web
• ASK for Support, Make it Easy to Help
• Add a Privacy Policy Interactivity

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• Effective Website Example
• Easy to Navigate Find Information
• Easy to Donate Online
• Regular Content Updates
• Automated Email Addresses Collection
• Variety Click-ability

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(No Transcript)
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Eco-Grinch

• Online Campaign
• Virtual lump of coal to winners
• Emails on campaign
• Online poll

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Eco-Grinch

• 12,000 people took the poll - an EJ record
• 400x the traffic thanfrom other campaigns
• Visitors commented, donated
• Showed connection between advocacy, awareness
  and fundraising campaigns

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Reflection

• How is this differentfrom our website?
• Which of these elements could we try?
• What ideas does this generate for me?

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Effective Email

• Email Communications are more important than a
  website
• - Michael Gilbert, Gilbert Manifesto
• Exceptions - Initial list building/application-foc
  used sites
• Websites dont raise money - emails do
• Email, like an effective website, is a
  cornerstone ofeffective online communications

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Email Strategy

• Regular Email Communication is a relationship
  cultivation activity
• Combining email and web activities allows you to
  reach and re-reach donors/prospects through
  iterative contact
• Combining email and direct mail builds personal
  relationships
• Personal relationships are the heart of
  fundraising

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Four Email Cornerstones

• Personal
• Personalize messages with data
• Targeted
• Segment lists and target emails
• Integrated
• Email integrated with web content, direct mail,
  etc.
• Trackable
• Seek out and use data about your emails

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Six Considerations

• Respect Your Subscriber
• Email Privacy Policy
• Build the List the Right Way
• Make a Compelling Envelope
• HTML vs. Text
• Test in different programs, services

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Three Types of Emails

• Update
• Informs and builds a friendly relationship
• Occasional frequency
• Succinct can have soft asks (link to website
  DonateNow)
• Fundraising Appeal
• Targeted around an annual campaign, capital
  campaign or other giving strategy
• Frequency matches fundraising calendar
• Direct Ask link to website, campaign page and
  DonateNow
• Newsletter
• Consistent in look and feel
• Frequency generally monthly or quarterly
• Soft Ask with links

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Email Techniques

• Hypertext linksClick here to read more See the
  pictures here
• Word of Mouse marketing (viral)Email this
  article to a friend Spread the word
• Personalized greetings and referencesDear
  Susan, salmon cant write to their senator but
  you can
• IncentivesMembers receive a 10 discount on all
  books and classes!
• List segmentation - Lets email only non-member
  donors who gave 50 or less
• Click-through trackingHow many people clicked
  on that link?

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Enewsletter Techniques

• Create Table of Contents - glance-able, enticing
• Establish the Brand
• Content
• Write for readers to scan
• Create links to longer items on the Web
• Establish Timing for newsletter
• Keep to regular schedule quarterly, monthly,
  weekly
• Provide ability to pass the eNewsletter to a
  friend

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Enewsletter Techniques

• Subject Line
• Short Items
• Visual
• Teasers

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Avoiding the SPAM label

• ASK for and DOCUMENT permission to emailOnline
  and Offline
• Postal Address and Unsubscribe option in every
  email
• NO renting or buying lists - Cross-pollenate
• Manage Data - Do Not Email, Do Not Send
  Enewsletterfields in your database, honor
  unsubscribes
• Accurate Subject and From lines - no sensational
  language
• Email Privacy Policy
• Ask stakeholders desired frequency of
  communications

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Review Email

• Use your web site to gather email addresses
• Build your email list everywhere to increase
  prospects
• Gather emails at events, phone calls
• All print materials
• Locate and use a bulk email messaging vendor
• Start emailing updates, then a campaign, then a
  regular e-newsletter
• Assign a staff person to handle email campaigns
  and administration
• Test approaches, respond to data and track results

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Basics of Driving Traffic

• Distinct and Succinct URL
• Your URL Everywhere
• Use Word-of -Mouth
• Links to Partners and Content
• Fundraising Campaigns and Special Events
• Email Enewsletters
• Paid Key Words/ Google Grants
• Newsgroups and Listservs

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Tracking Metrics

• Accurately benchmarks what people really care
  about
• Helps you create and evaluate campaigns
• Future You reach the sectors you really want
  and serve up programs that keep people coming
  back

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Website Metrics

• Evaluation and metrics
• Unique Visitors
• Most Popular Pages/Stories
• Time on Site/on Page
• Document Downloads
• Keywords
• Website Traffic Sources

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Email/Enews Metrics

• Evaluation and metrics
• Open Rate
• Click-through Rate
• Response Rate for Requested Action
• eNewsletter Subscribes /Unsubscribes

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Track Metrics - Website
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Track Metrics - Email
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Review Drive Traffic, Track Results

• Take Actions to Drive Traffic
• Create Systems to Keep Traffic Coming
• Regularly Review Metrics/Statistics
• Set Benchmarks
• Use Statistics to Improve and EvaluateCollect,
  Analyze, Adjust (Repeat)

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Reflection

• How is this differentfrom our strategiesfor
  driving traffic?
• How do we track metrics?How might we do it
  differently moving forward?
• What ideas does this generate for me?

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Aids.gov
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Aids.gov
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DC Central Kitchen

• Online Fundraising Revenue2006 13,0002007
  70,0002008 163,000

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DC Central Kitchen Thanksgiving 2007

• Coordinated - Website- Email- Enewsletter-
  Stories connected
• 10,000 in one week, almost the totalfrom the
  entire previous year
• 500 increase in online fundraising revenue

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DC Central Kitchen Summer 2008 Email

• Summer Email
• Focused on Food Costs
• Goal of 10K in 2 months
• Got sponsor match
• 1st email June 19
• 2nd email July 10
• Subject Line
• Help Us Fight Rising Food Costs

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DC Central Kitchen Summer 2008 Email
Final email July 31stSubject Line Two days
left to help us met our goal Email is message
from CEO
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DC Central Kitchen Summer 2008 Email

• Summer Email
• Raised 6500 by July 30
• Final email July 31st7,000 in 2 days
• Total 13,500
• Email Mail Thank Youfrom CEO

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DC Central Kitchen 2009
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DC Central Kitchen

• Management Buy-In
• Plan It Out
• Jump In, Learn As You Go
• Donor-centric website
• Test Approaches
• Relevant, Concrete Content
• Consistent, Coordinated Content

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Reflection and Discussion

• Your Experience
• 4 Cs
• Engaging Content
• Driving Traffic Tracking Results
• Your Email Strategy
• This makes me think about.

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Thank you!
All Images www.johnkenyon.org Flick
r - Creative Commons License