1. Optimize! How Human Rights Watch Grew 30+% with Design, Email and Testing Optimization
Matthew Rullo, Human Rights Watch
Joe Mclaughlin, Beaconfire RED
Elise Ledsinger, Engaging Networks

2. Hello!

3. “Do the best you can until you know better
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou

4. Find your Baseline How have you performed in previous years?
How are you performing THIS year?
Website visitors
One-time v. recurring gifts
Bounce rates
Average gift
list size
Retention rates
Open/click-thru rates
Actions taken
Unsubscribe rate
Social media followers
Revenue

5. Enhanced Google Analytics Tracking

6. Revenue Contribution by Digital Channel

7. Build a Collaborative Environment

8. Website “Optimization”

10. Increasing Conversions from Homepage: Test 1
The orange banner increased site-wide unique page views to the donation form by 4.9%.

11. Increasing Conversions from Homepage: Test 2
The image banner increased the percentage of people who navigated from the homepage to a donation form by 12.82%.

12. Page Testing =
Multi-variable page testing that serves up different versions of your landing page to optimize performance.

13. Increasing Landing Page Conversions
control = direct to donation form

14. Landing Page Test - 1
positive splash page
donation form

15. Landing Page Test - 2
negative splash page
donation form

16. Results
The landing pages achieved a 17.9% conversion rate lift over the control
The positive variation achieved a 14.7% engagement rate improvement
The negative variation achieved a 15.5% engagement rate improvement

17. Donation Page Test 1
vs.

18. Donation Page Test 2
vs.

19. Splash Pages are your Friend

20. Splash Pages
The page of a website that the user sees first before being given the option to continue to the main content of the site.

21. Mobile-optimized Email Template
27% increase in revenue
51% higher average gift

22. Engaging Networks Clients 2016

23. Campaign Concepts
The biggest driver of revenue increase had to do with being timely & responsive to news items that we knew HRW supporters would care about (i.e. the refugee crisis). This has continued to affect our strategy with HRW in the months since (e.g. how we were able to shift into ‘rapid response’ mode after Trump election & inauguration).  In FY15, year-end accounted for 89% of all revenue. In FY16, by leveraging more responsive-style campaigns, we were able to raise 46% of revenue outside of year-end campaign.

24. Scaling Up Advertising

25. = 2x CPA compared to “Take a stand…”
Facebook Retargeting
“Help combat…”
= 2x CPA compared to “Take a stand…”

26. Web Retargeting
Run-of-web banner retargeting
CRM and site pixel-based

27. Ad Creative Examples

28. Advertising Donor Acquisition Examples
Facebook lookalike
Upload list to Facebook
Donor ask in ads
Donor acquisition/prospecting first tested during fiscal year-end campaign. After 12 months on file, average donor value has increased appx. 58% (from $44.18 when acquired to $69.90).
o   Cohort was ROI positive within appx. 6 months
o   Provided strong enough upfront return that we invested heavily in this channel this fiscal year (in particular right after Trump election & inauguration)

29. Results! Email revenue increased 237% year-over-year
Paid advertising became a huge revenue driver during this first year of aggressive media. Accounted for 15% of all digital revenue in FY16 (up from 0.37% previous year).
Web optimizations helped to reverse the downward trend in conversion seen immediately after the site redesign. Jan-June we saw a 26% year-over-year increase in number of web gifts.

30. Engaging Networks Client: MS Society UK
29% increase in
conversion
30% increase in
revenue

31. Don’t forget to visit the
Thank You!
Don’t forget to visit the
Solutions Showcase!
Many of the ideas discussed today are on display at the Solutions Showcase!