By Owen Jones–https://learning.candid.org/resources/blog/six-email-marketing-tips-for-nonprofits/
It is now easier to make a difference thanks to today’s digital solutions. For example, nonprofits can advertise their cause to a massive audience of subscribers, raise awareness, distribute information, and solicit funds with just one click.
You can communicate with your audience through a variety of means. One of the most effective marketing platforms is email. For nonprofits, it is a very effective avenue. Take a look at the numbers. The open rate for nonprofit emails is 20.39 percent, while the click-through-rate (CTR) is 2.66 percent.
According to “The Chronicle of Philanthropy”, up to 12% of nonprofit emails are classified as spam. Thousands of opportunities to connect with subscribers could be lost as a result. Here are a few email marketing techniques to help you stay out of the spam folder and communicate with your readers.
- Build a strong email list.
If you don’t have a solid email list to send it to, it doesn’t matter how great your email content is. As a nonprofit, you want your emails to reach out to your most devoted supporters, volunteers, and, in most cases, donations. Therefore, the quality of your subscriber list is crucial; you need to have a list of people who are interested in getting your information.
The first step is to make it as simple as possible for supporters to join your email list.
During fundraising events, you can incorporate a registration form on your website and gather emails. In your printed promotional materials, such as flyers, brochures, and business cards, you can add an email opt-in.
Be careful to explain why people should join your mailing list. Your conversion rate will likely be higher if you are more precise about the benefits. This entails outlining key issues/pain points that your business addresses and relating them to your target audience.
Invalid email addresses should be updated and removed from your list on a regular basis. This can help you save money and reduce the number of emails that aren’t delivered.
- Create content that highlights your impact.
You may send a variety of nonprofit email material to your mailing list. Emails are an effective way to greet new supporters, publicize events, send out information, and solicit funds or volunteers.
Make sure that whatever email content you send out provides readers with value and a deeper understanding of your cause.
The concept is vital to more than just the words. It’s also the visuals.
Knowing who your target audience is can be really beneficial. You’ll need access to demographic data as well as information about their location. The better you know your target, the more likely you are to create marketing material that people enjoy. This will help you keep them on board for future campaigns.
Remember to start your email with a catchy subject line. According to a survey by Convince & Convert, 35% of individuals decide whether or not to read an email solely based on the subject line. So keep your subject line short and sweet, no more than 60 characters.
- Keep it short and simple.
There are some more email marketing content recommendations to keep in mind. For example, you should make your content short and simple to change. People prefer to scan information instead to read it in its entirety.
Only 16% of consumers read information word-for-word, according to a “Nielsen Norman Group” survey. Why not make it quicker and more pleasurable for people to read and skim through your email if they are going to do so anyway?
For example, use a minimal quantity of words to captivate readers. To display facts, use single-point paragraphs, subheadings, timelines, or bullet points. Avoid employing terms that take up more room than they need to. Instead, be concise and to-the-point.
- Use drip sequences.
A drip campaign is a series of automated emails sent at certain times and dates to a newly added email address. Drip-marketing companies create 80% more sales at a 33% reduced cost. These emails are sent in response to a user’s activities, allowing your company to nurture leads.
You can begin your drip campaign by sending new supporters a welcome email. You can give them an overview of your company and set clear expectations for what they can expect in the days ahead.
You can then give them relevant materials, such as a popular blog post or research undertaken by your company. After you’ve sent all of the welcome emails, you can start giving them information about forthcoming events and fundraising drives.
Users that have opted out of your email list can also be re-engaged via drip marketing. For example, recipients of re-engagement emails are 45% more likely to read the following emails. You can also use these campaigns to entice former donors to give again.
It’s critical to track the effectiveness of your drip emails. Set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based) campaign goals. If the email campaign fails to get the desired results, you will need to make adjustments. Changing the subject line, generating new material for your campaign, or starting again from the beginning are all possibilities.
- Create a calendar, and be consistent.
One of the reasons this made it onto this list of email marketing advice is because: An effective email marketing campaign requires a constant connection with your subscribers. Making a calendar can assist you in maintaining consistency. After all, having a calendar can assist you in creating timely email content that highlights important information about your cause.
Planning your material a few days ahead of time will speed up the creative process and allow you more time to modify it. However, be careful not to send out too many emails at once. This can set off spam filters or, worse, drive away subscribers.
Also, because writing multiple emails in a row can be time-consuming, use scheduling tools like “ZoomShift” to lay out the activities that need to be completed by your team.
- Be mobile-friendly.
The majority of online material is viewed on mobile devices, which outnumber all other devices. For example, mobile devices are used to read 54% of all nonprofit emails. If your email design isn’t responsive, your subscribers are more likely to ignore your content. According to a ‘Constant Contact’ survey, 75% of smartphone users said they were “very inclined” to discard an email if it couldn’t be read on their device.
Many individuals will not read your organization’s emails if they are not mobile-friendly. Unfortunately, that means you’re missing out on the message’s promotional potential.
As a result, avoid utilizing highly detailed photos and small writing on mobile devices, as they may be difficult to read. Mobile screens are similarly prone to quickly becoming crowded. As a result, some people may inadvertently click on the incorrect link.
Avoid stacking links and provide enough room for your email’s call-to-action (CTA) to stand out.
Before sending out your email messages, make sure to test the layout on a variety of devices. It’s also useful to know which email provider your target audience prefers. Apple iPhones, Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook, and Yahoo! Mail are some of the most popular mobile email programs.
In Summary
For organizations, maintaining a strong human connection is critical. This is especially true because charity work relies on the support of contributors to succeed. Email marketing can assist you in spreading the news about your nonprofit and engaging with possible donors.
Email marketing may be a very effective technique if done correctly. Display information that focuses on your cause and its impact. Once that’s done, you’ll need to create a powerful mailing list to send your emails to. Examine these emails on a regular basis in order to create content that resonates.
An email campaign requires constant communication with users, so using automated emails or a drip sequence can help you send relevant materials to new supporters and re-engage former subscribers. It also helps to have a well-planned email calendar of timely content. Finally, make sure the emails you’re sending out are mobile-friendly and contain concise yet captivating content.
Learn more about marketing in the Marketing & Special Events class on Monday, April 25 at 5:30 pm as part of the Sunshine Certificate in Nonprofit Management.