1. How to Write Earth-Changing Emails July 17, 2014

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3. This seminar will be available on the TechSoup website along with past webinar presentations: www.techsoup.org/community/events- webinars You will receive a link to this presentation, recording, and links. Twitter hashtag: #techsoup You are being recorded…

4. How to Write Earth-Changing Emails With Alison Carlman, GlobalGiving July 17, 2014

5. Presenters Becky Wiegand Webinar Program Manager TechSoup Assisting with chat: Ale Bezdikian, TechSoup Alison Carlman Senior Unmarketing Manager GlobalGiving

6. Introduction to TechSoup Participant Polls – where are you now? GlobalGiving’s Secret Sauce Users Peers Theory Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat. Q&A Today’s Agenda:

7. TechSoup is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a clear focus: connecting fellow nonprofits, charities, public libraries, and foundations with tech products and services, plus learning resources to make informed decisions about technology. Who Is TechSoup?

8. Since 1987, TechSoup donation programs have served more than 210,000 charitable organizations. We’ve distributed more than 11 million software and hardware donations and enabled recipients to save more than US$3.75 billion in IT expenses in 60+ countries around the world. We reach more than 400,000 nonprofit, library, and philanthropy subscribers in the United States with our newsletters each year.

9. What’s New at TechSoup? Consulting Services Thinking about updating software, investing in new computers, or deploying a network or server? TechSoup now offers consulting services to help! QuickBooks 2014 Want more time in your day? Automate your bookkeeping by using QuickBooks. Windows 8.1 Support for Windows XP has ended so make sure you’re ready to upgrade.

11. What’s the size of your current email list(s)? – 1,000 or less – 10,000 or less – 50,000 or less – 100,000 or less – More than 100,000 Participant Poll

12. Have you done A/B testing on your emails before? – Yes – No – I’m not sure what that means. Participant Poll

13. How to Write Earth- Changing Emails Alison Carlman Senior Unmarketing Manager, GlobalGiving TechSoup

14. In the next hour you will: Learn the most effective way to motivate your audiences Identify your Superfriends Write a hypothesis for an email experiment

15. Find out the recipe to GlobalGiving’s Secret Sauce

16. Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat.

17. Today: We’ll demonstrate how we Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat. …so you’ll be inspired to Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat.

18. Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat. users – peers - theory

19. users – peers - theory

21. This needed improvement. We listened to our users.

22. User feedback no. 1: People don’t really read news.

23. User Feedback no. 2: Humanize. Show me what it means to ME.

24. User feedback no.s 3 & 4: Make it even shorter. Use big images.

25. User Feedback no. 5: Feature one person making eye- contact.

26. User feedback no. 6: Make it clever. Unexpected.

27. User feedback no. 7: Use a CLEAR call-to-action.

28. User feedback no. 8: Personalize!

29. Summary: users – peers - theory 1.Keep it short and focused. 2.Make it about the users, not you. 3.No really. Make it even shorter. 4.Use big, compelling images 5.Picture one person making eye contact. 6.Use humor; do something unexpected. 7.Feature a clear call-to-action. 8.Personalize.

30. Questions?

31. – users – peers - theory

32. Kiva, DonorsChoose.org, Charity:Water

34. Peer learning: charity:water Subject Line: ’Tis the season for a box full of sand beautiful image well laid-out formatted for mobile phones very little text interesting lead text unexpected/humorous (but still large!) call-to-action

35. Peer learning: donorschoose.org Subject line: Urgent classroom request

36. Peer learning: donorschoose.org personalized by state simple, brief urgent Subject line: Urgent classroom request

38. Peer learning: Kiva Personalized Made it look like it was forwarded by a staff member in-person. Less formatting was more effective One trick pony?

39. Summary: users – peers - theory 1.Use beautiful imagery. 2.Format images and text to look good on mobile phones. 3.Keep it brief. 4.Use interesting lead text. 5.Try unexpected/humorous (but still visibly clear) calls-to-action. 6.Try unexpected subject lines and formats – less formatting may be better.

40. Who are your peers? Find your Superfriends! Facebook Groups (DC Social Media) Conferences (NTEN, Social Media for Nonprofits) LinkedIn groups Create your own yahoo or Google groups with people you know

41. – users – peers - theory

42. Theory: what does the research say?

43. Listening to peers and experts: best practice according to research

44. 1.Increase a donor’s emotional proximity; connect them to ONE person (animal or object).

45. Listening to peers and experts: best practice according to research 1.Increase a donor’s emotional proximity; connect them to ONE person (animal or object). 2.Tell a compelling story about that ONE person

46. Listening to peers and experts: best practice according to research 1.Increase a donor’s emotional proximity; connect them to ONE person (animal or object). 2.Tell a compelling story about that ONE person 3.Donors will give if they feel it will bring them closer to people in their network.

47. Listening to peers and experts: best practice according to research 1.Increase a donor’s emotional proximity; connect them to ONE person (animal or object). 2.Tell a compelling story about that ONE person 3.Donors will give if they feel it will bring them closer to people in their network. 4.People give more when it’s easy.

48. Listening to peers and experts: best practice according to research 1.Increase a donor’s emotional proximity; connect them to ONE person (animal or object). 2.Tell a compelling story about that ONE person 3.Donors will give if they feel it will bring them closer to people in their network. 4.People give more when it’s easy. 5.Not all donors are the same.

49. Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat.

50. How do we know what “works”? We look at these metrics: QUESTIONMETRICTOOLS How good is the subject line?Open ratesEmail Provider like MailChimp Does the email content make people want to do more? Click ratesEmail Provider like MailChimp, Bit.ly Does the content of the email and the landing page make people act? Conversion rates (donations, petitions, sign- ups.) Email Provider like MailChimp, Google Analytics

51. Create an Experiment: A/B Testing

52. A/B Testing in Email Version AVersion B

53. Which version do you think got more clicks? – A – B Participant Poll

54. How did it go? Metric Version A: Prices Version B: No Prices Opens Clicks 80175 Conversion (donations) Conversion (donation) amount

55. Time to design your own email experiment

56. What’s your hypothesis? Answer in the chat: “I believe that trying _______ (tactic) will lead to higher __________________ (open rates OR click rates OR donations).”

57. Summary: users – peers - theory 1.Keep it short. 2.Make it about the users, not you. 3.No really, make it even shorter. 4.Use big, compelling images 5.Picture one person making eye contact. 6.Use humor; do something unexpected. 7.Feature a clear call-to-action. 8.Personalize.

58. Summary: users – peers - theory 1.Use beautiful imagery. 2.Format images and text to look good on mobile phones. 3.Keep it brief. 4.Use interesting lead text. 5.Try unexpected/humorous (but still visibly clear) calls-to-action. 6.Try unexpected subject lines and formats.

59. 1.Increase a donor’s emotional proximity; connect them to ONE person (animal or object). 2.Tell a compelling story about that ONE person 3.Donors will give if they feel it will bring them close to people in their network. 4.People give more when it’s easy. 5.Not all donors are the same. Summary: users – peers - theory

60. How do we know what “works”? We look at these metrics: QUESTIONMETRICTOOLS How good is the subject line?Open ratesEmail Provider like MailChimp Does the email content make people want to do more? Click ratesMailChimp, Bit.ly Does the campaign & landing page make people act? Conversion rates (donations, petitions, sign- ups.) MailChimp, GG dashboard

61. What’s your hypothesis? Answer in the chat: “I believe that trying _______ (tactic) will lead to higher __________________ (open rates OR click rates OR donations).”

62. Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat.

63. Goals for this webinar: Learn the most effective way to motivate your audiences: Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat! Identify your Superfriends Write a hypothesis for an email experiment

64. Closing Story:

65. Q & A Please type your questions in the chat window. Follow-up questions can be posted in the community forum: www.techsoup.org/community

66. When to Change Your Broadcast Email Tool 10 Ways Nonprofits Can Send Mobile Friendlier Email 10 Ways Nonprofits Can Send Mobile Friendlier Email One Email Tactic Nonprofits Need to Steal from Brand Marketers One Email Tactic Nonprofits Need to Steal from Brand Marketers Nonprofits Should Make the Most of Email Signatures Nonprofits Should Make the Most of Email Signatures Bulk Email Software for Very Small Nonprofit Resources

67. 7/24: Kickstarter, Uber, Airbnb, Oh My!Kickstarter, Uber, Airbnb, Oh My! 7/30: Adult Library Programs Gone MobileAdult Library Programs Gone Mobile 7/31: How to Captivate and Engage Constituents with Your WebsiteHow to Captivate and Engage Constituents with Your Website Find upcoming and archived events at www.techsoup.org/community/events-webinars www.techsoup.org/community/events-webinars Upcoming Webinars

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