a proven formula to optimize your nonprofit fundraising email campaigns

A PROVEN FORMULA TO OPTIMIZE

(AND REVOLUTIONIZE)

YOUR EMAIL CAMPAIGNS

Which Email Performed Best?

(1) (2) (3)

Are Best Practices Enough?

-52% -19% -34%

MECLABS is the largest optimization institution in the world.

1,500+ major experiments

Over 1 billion emails tested

10,000 sales-paths tested

500,000 “decision-maker”

interviews

5 million phone calls

100+ conferences/clinics

Fundamental Theory

1. Email is a relational medium. People do not buy from

emails, people buy from people. We must

conceptualize an email as part of a sequenced

conversation containing a series of micro-yes(es)

leading to an ultimate macro yes.

FKey Principles

Email Messaging Theory

1. The funnel is often presented as one potentially useful analogy for marketing. It is in fact, the primary analogy. All marketing should influence a decision.

2. The funnel analogy distorts reality. People are not falling into your funnel, they are falling out. The funnel must be inverted.

3. People don’t travel down the center of the funnel. People are climbing up the sides.

(Mi)YES

(Ma)YES Y

Landing Page

Donation Experience

(Mi)YES

1. Email is a relational medium. People do not buy from

emails, people buy from people. We must

conceptualize an email as part of a sequenced

conversation containing a series of micro-yes(es)

leading to an ultimate macro yes.

2. The essence of marketing is the message. You cannot

control a prospect, but you can control the message.

And it is the message that attracts the prospect

towards the macro-yes.

FKey Principles

(Mi)YES

(Ma)YES Y

Landing Page

(Mi)YES

Donation Experience

1. Email is a relational medium. People do not buy from emails,

people buy from people. We must conceptualize an email as

part of a sequenced conversation containing a series of

micro-yes(es) leading to an ultimate macro yes.

2. The essence of marketing is the message. You cannot

control a prospect, but you can control the message. And it

is the message that attracts the prospect towards the macro-

3. The essence of the message is the value proposition. At

each stage of the conversation, you are attempting to

optimize the message in such a way as to tip the balance of

cognitive perception from negative (cost) to positive (value).

FKey Principles

ValueForce

CostForce

VfAc - CfAc = Nf

(Mi)YES

(Ma)YES Y

(Mi)YES

ositio

CostForce

ValueForce

(Mi)YES

(Ma)YES Y

(Mi)YES

ositio

Value Force

Cost Force

PRECEPT #1

“BEST PRACTICES ARE NOT

ENOUGH, YOU NEED A

RIGOROUS METHODOLOGY.”

Optimization Methodology

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©

eme = email marketing effectiveness index

rv = relevance to the constituent

of = offer value

i = incentive to take action

f = friction elements of the process

a = anxiety elements of the process

Optimization Methodology

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©

Value Factors (of + i)

Relevance (rv)

Offer (of)

Incentive (i)

Inhibitors (f + a)

Friction (f)

Anxiety (a)

Optimizing Email Appeals

Version A - Control

139% Increase in Clickthrough Rate

42% Increase in Revenue

Version B - Test

Version A - Control

Version B - Test

118% Increase in Donations

50% Increase in Petition Signers

Version A - Test Version B - Control

Version A - Control

Version B - Test

PRECEPT #2

“OPTIMIZATION DOESN’T

HAPPEN ON THE PAGE, IT

HAPPENS IN THE MIND.”

Email Messaging Sequence

ec < op < ct < lp©

ec = email capture

op = open

ct = clickthrough

lp = landing page

Optimizing Email Thought Sequences

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a)

of = offer value

ec < op < ct < lp

OPTIMIZING EMAIL CAPTURE

EC < OP < CT < LP

Optimizing Email Capture

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a)

of = offer value

ec < op < ct < lp

Marketing Experiments

Email Value Proposition Assessment

Tipping the Value Exchange

Value of

Contact Info

of Offer

Optimizing Email Capture

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©

of = offer value

Version B - Test

Optimizing Email RegistrationVersion A - Control

42% Increase in Registration Rate

What is the cost of submitting an email to this form?

Reducing the Cost Force

Phone Number

Company

Address

Social Security #

Nature of Information Cost Scale

High CostLow Cost

Reducing the Cost Force

Reducing Cost Force

Not this

But this

Reducing Cost Force

Not this

But this

Reducing Cost Force

Not thisBut this

OPTIMIZING OPEN AND

CLICKTHROUGH

EC < OP < CT < LP

Optimizing Email Opens

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a)

of = offer value

ec < op < ct < lp

Improving Email Open

Focus on Envelope:

– The “To” Line

– The “From” Line

– The “Subject” Line

Optimizing Email Clickthrough

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a)

of = offer value

ec < op < ct < lp

Improving Clickthrough Rates

Focus on Email Message:

– Know the goal

– Internal Subject line

– Personalized Salutation

– Headline

– Value Proposition

– Call-to-Action

– Testimonials

– Relevance is the multiplier

Relevance

Internal Relevance:

– Personal interests

– Demographics

– Personality

– Communication Styles

– Level of Engagement

– Donor Lifecycle

External Relevance:

• Seasonality

• Special Events

• News

• Limited Time Offers

• Holidays

• Weather

February 1, 2011

Using External Relevance

of = offer value

Version A - Control

Version B - Test

Optimized

Original

139% Increase in Clickthrough

118% Increase in Donations

50% Increase in Petition Signers

Version A - Test Version B - Control

Version A - Control

Version B - Test

OPTIMIZING LANDING PAGES

EC < OP < CT < LP

How Do We Measure Success?

Conversion Rate:

– Total number of goal completions / Total Unique Visits

– A measure of the effectiveness of complete thought

sequence

– NPO Avg: 2.72%

Optimizing Landing Pages

Focus on the Offer:– The Ask (Offer) is the impact that is promised in exchange

for a donation

Focus on the Incentive:– An Incentive is an appealing element introduced on the

landing page to achieve the desired action

Focus on Eliminating Friction:– Friction is anything that causes psychological resistance to

a given element on a web page

Top Offender: Online Giving Workflow

Top Offender: Online Giving WorkflowClick Count:

Top Offender: Online Giving Workflow Click Count:

Optimized Online Giving Experience

Optimizing Landing Pages

of = offer value

Version A

137.8% Increase in Donor Conversion

Version B

Version A

67% Increase in Donor Conversion

Version B

Version A

74% Increase in Donor Conversion

Version B

PRECEPT #3

“TESTING TRUMPS MARKETING

INTUITION.”

Testing Against Best Practices

The “One Thing”

“Adequacy is the

Enemy of Excellence”

Three Key Principles

1. Best Practices Are Not Enough– You Need a

Rigorous Methodology.

2. Optimization Doesn’t Happen On The Page, It

Happens In The Mind.

3. Testing Trumps Best Practices.

Thank You!

Tim KachuriakTim@Kimbia.com

@DigitalDonor

linkedin.com/in/TimKachuriak

Blog: www.DigitalDonor.com

a proven formula to optimize your nonprofit fundraising email campaigns

Marketing

the top ways to optimize your pay per call campaigns

6 tips: how to optimize your campaigns on google's display...

nonprofit campaigns carol mckay & biz o’mara

convirza | acquisio webinar - how to optimize your digital...

capital campaigns for nonprofit...

digitalisierung in nonprofit-organisationen ·...

optimize ppc campaigns for voice search

special report on nonprofit fundraising campaigns...special...

how to optimize your campaigns during set-up

nonprofit email campaigns: anatomy 101

jiří malý - how to optimize rtb campaigns – current...

special report on nonprofit fundraising...

how to optimize your nonprofit website like a boss

optimize your digital campaigns by integrating customer...

the top ways to optimize your pay-per-call campaigns

how to optimize your website and online advertising...

[ebook] 5 ways to optimize your digital campaigns

how to optimize (and automate!) your campaigns for mobile

high-octane ad campaigns start and end with visa ... ·...

episerver cmo - optimize and measure your web campaigns