Category Archives: E-Mail Marketing
Is this the best example of e-mail marketing ever?
Eric Harr writing in Social Media Today calls this picture “the most effective e-mail ever sent”.
He outlines the reasons as follows:
1. It’s emotional. It made me feel first and think second.
2. It asked for my input. This was a savvy way move me deeper into their message (marketing speak for: “funnel”).
3. It didn’t make me think. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. This is fewer than 50 expertly-crafted words. I’ll read that every time.
4. It’s from a person, not a company. Not just any person, the person: Dr. Helene Gayle. I don’t want to hear from companies; I want to hear from people, preferably their leaders.
5. It moved me deeper into their funnel with even more emotion. Kids carrying water? Another powerful emotional hook.
6. They close the deal with that big, beautiful Call-to-Action (CTA) button. You have to close the sale–and it has to be compelling.
You can read the article in full here
How to create the best donor experience for your non-profit
Source: Sumac
Nice infographic from Sumac on the cycle of donation and how important it is to acknowledge each and every donation and update donors at timely intervals on how their donations were used.
(1) The Donation
Because you have presented such a good case for support, the donor is convinced that this is a cause worth supporting and decides to donate. The donor writes out a cheque and is filled with a warm, fuzzy feeling thinking about how many people this new, larger facility will help.
(2) The Thank You
The donor receives a thank you letter in the mail from your organization that expresses sincere appreciation for his generous contribution and reaffirms that his donation will go directly to build this new facility. The donor is feeling really good about his decision to give and is excited to hear news about the progress.
The Update
A month later, the donor receives your newsletter with a headline story about how the project is coming along. “Thank you to all the generous supporters…. we have now raised the necessary funds to build the new facility!”
Months down the road there is another update in the newsletter that shows the building being built with another “thanks” to all those who contributed!
A year later, the donor reads another update in your newsletter about how this new storage facility is helping your organization provide food to so many more needy people.
Repeat
So that’s it – one cycle of the perfect donor experience. This is what you should be aiming to deliver with each and every one of your donors each and every time they donate. It’s pretty straight-forward, but not always easy to achieve when you’re dealing with hundreds, even thousands of donors. With the right database, however, it’s entirely possible to plan and schedule everything just right: to run strategic campaigns, to thank donors on time, to deliver planned updates.
Top reasons why people unsubscribe from permission e-mails
Interesting infographic via The Social Break on why people unsubscribe from permission e-mails and certainly worth bearing in mind for your own email marketing efforts.
