Nonprofits struggle with many of the same questions that small business and big brands face: Which communication channel is the most effective?How do I connect with all my supporters? How do I know what our supporters are even interested in hearing about?
Email marketing is the first thing that comes to mind when answering these questions – and for good reason. Although social media is a great tool for promoting, raising awareness, and building relationships, an email from your organization is still necessary in today’s world of constant status updates, tweets, and videos. It shows you’re willing to put in the time and effort to build that perfectly crafted message full of information, links, photos, stories, and whatever else you think will be enticing to your readers.
So what do you do when no one reads your email? Many nonprofits struggle with this very question – you’re not alone. In general, non-profits have the lowest open and click rates across all industries according to recent data. Kind of a problem, right? Now, don’t be disheartened. There are tons of small things you can do to improve your readership – so follow along with these 5 easy tips for improving your email marketing.
1. Get Past Overzealous Spam Filters
Avoid using spammy keywords and phrases (i.e. “Send money!”, “Urgent matter!”), too many exclamation points, or ALL CAPS. These are easy things you can do to get past most people’s spam filters. If you want to really dive in, research how spam filters work.
2. Build Enticing Subject Lines
People often sort through email by subject lines. You’ve got to learn how to capture your reader’s attention in just 10 words or less. What does this email have to offer? Answer that question in your subject line. Instead of “April Newsletter” why not try “Get Your Undies in a Bunch This Spring with Volunteer Opportunities”? A creative subject line can really take you far.
3. Send it When it’s Most Likely to be Read
There are numerous studies that I could bore you with, but I won’t because it’s simple. After years of research it’s been proven that Monday and Tuesday mornings are the best time to reach email recipients. And the exact time matters too. Make sure to schedule your email distribution for early morning to early afternoon — those times are proven to have the most open and click rates.
4. Make it More Social
You can incorporate social media into your email marketing campaign in many different ways — and the more seamless your relationship is between email and social media, the better. Ask your social media supporters to join your newsletter (not too often though, and be sure to give them reason!), put social media sharing functionality in your email, and incorporate a social media story that will get people involved (i.e. “We just launched a YouTube Page – watch our first ever video and make a video response with what you’d like us to vlog about!“).
5. Focus on What You’ve Promised
When people join your e-newsletter or mailing list they should have a general sense of what they’re signing themselves up for – and you should be able to deliver on those expectations! Make your copy and message concise, compelling, and to the point. It’s easy for people to unsubscribe or delete your email, so focus on making your content worthwhile.
What other tips would you add to this mix? Do you have any success stories with email marketing with a nonprofit you’d like to share? Email us, leave a comment, or talk to us on Twitter.
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Tags: building communities, Email Marketing, email marketing tips, social media, social media strategy
