Yesterday we chatted with our friends Jamie Bradley and Jeff Slutz at Emma. They shared some awesome marketing tips that we loved. Here’s a brief summary of what they talked about. If you’d like to hear all the good stuff, click here to download the webinar recording.
Marketers are struggling with conflicting priorities
Based on research gathered at Emma’s Marketing United conference, more marketers feel increased pressure to meet internal expectations instead of the expectations of their audience. Marketers say that gaining new customers or increasing revenue is their ultimate measure of success, as opposed to a focus on customer service.
All the while, marketers know that in order to sell more through email, it needs to meet the needs of their audience – not their bosses.
What does that mean for nonprofit marketers? Engaging with donors in ways that are meaningful to them gives you a better chance of reaching those internal revenue goals.
Marketers are trying to keep up with the biggest brands in the world
The average person gets 150 emails a day. That’s a lot of emails! And your nonprofit emails are competing with big name brands for your donor’s attention.
On top of trying to grab the attention of your audience, 58% of marketers say they have less than five people on their team. And we know in the nonprofit world, sometimes it’s a one-person show.
The reality is that people don’t care about the size of your marketing team. But they do care about the quality of your content. As a nonprofit, you have a great advantage. Your donors give to you because they care about your work. They want to hear what you have to say. Focus on your story. Stay on message. As a small team, you have the ability to be more agile than the big brands.
There are too many channels and not enough return
Marketers agree that sending smart, strategic emails are still one of the most successful channels for bringing in revenue.
Here are three steps to a bulletproof email strategy:
Step 1: Focus on growing your list (it’s your most valuable asset!)
Step 2: Optimize your email design and templates for mobile
Step 3: Have a single, focused call-to-action
Marketers want to get more personal with their audience
While email may feel impersonal, the technology we have available to us can create emails that feel like a one-to-one communication. Almost 40% of marketers wish they could do more targeted marketing. And the good news is, you can! Use your database to segment your audience based on location, gift amount, preferences, etc.
According to the Direct Marketing Association, segmented campaigns can lead to a 760% increase in revenue. Think about that the next time you’re creating an email campaign. We can’t highlight this idea enough – targeted messaging is a huge win for your organization.
Marketers don’t have the resources they need
This is something we’ve all had to deal with before, especially in the nonprofit world. We’re trying to stretch every penny we have to make a difference.
One great tip: marketing is a team sport.
We’re not just talking about your internal team, but your partners as well. Share resources, co-sponsor events, work together with partners who share your same values. By partnering, you’ll not only get your nonprofit in front of a larger audience, but you’ll also get to split the cost.
Lack of resources also means it’s time to embrace automation. Triggered emails drive 624% higher conversion rates (getting people to click through and donate) than generic emails. With automation, you can have a specific email sent when someone takes a specific action.
For example, if someone gives for the first time, you can have a welcome series automatically sent to them. Create 5 great emails that introduce them to your organization, and set them up to send automatically when someone donates for the first time, or when they sign up for your email list. You can set-it-and-forget-it while knowing that your donors are being treated correctly.
Want to learn more?
There are a lot more great tips talked about in this webinar featuring our friends and integration partner, Emma. Download the webinar recording to learn more, and see examples of high performing emails.