We loved this post from Chris Barlow last week! ?? So often, we measure email success by clicks—but what if we’re missing a better goal? Chris makes a compelling case for shifting our focus from clicks to conversations. A simple reply can turn a subscriber from a stranger into someone you actually know—and that kind of relationship can lead to deeper engagement (and yes, more giving). Plus, his approach is just FUN. Who doesn’t love getting a personal response to an email? Check out his full post below—definitely worth the read!
Nonprofit marketing for new and recurring donors | Helping orgs with $1M - $10M revenue
The goal you’re measuring with your emails is probably wrong. If you’re like most, you’re hoping donors will click in your emails . . . A high click rate means they’re probably clicking through to the donation page, right? But clicks in your emails are only a small step on the 'donor mountain' (to borrow a great analogy from NextAfter). If you focus on clicks, you’re missing the fact that there is a gondola right in front of your subscriber that could take them near the top of that donor mountain . . . One simple action that makes your subscriber no longer a stranger, but someone you’d like to get to know, someone real . . . (and in turn, if you respond, can do the same for you!) That action? A reply. In the last 4.5 years, of the many thousands of emails I’ve sent to my subscribers, ONE email stands far above all the rest, in terms of getting replies. It’s been sent to nearly 2,000 people in the last two years. And in those two years, 82 people have chosen to reply. 82 people I’ve gotten to respond to, have a 1-1 conversation with, and for some have a face-to-face (virtual) meeting. Guess what’s in that email, which still gets a high response from people? (I got a reply to it just last week!) – I share three personal things about me: 1. I’m the Dad of 7 kids (8 in July! and if you read this far, you among the first in Linkedin to hear it!) 2. My hometown is Fort Collins, but both of my parents are from NOLA (great memories and good food spending every summer there as kid) 3. My wife is from Germany, and we’re trying to maintain both languages at home (English has the upper hand, but all of the kids do speak German at least!) That’s it! I share something personal, and I invite my subscriber to share something about themselves. It’s honestly one of the most fun emails to get replies to. Do you get to have fun with the emails you send to donors? When do they reply the most to you? What if we shift your emails goal from clicks, to replies, so that we can have 1-1 conversations with people? If we do, I think that means we get to ride with them on the gondola, straight to a guest house near the top of that “donor mountain”! If you’d like some more ideas to help you have conversations with your donors and more success with your email, check out my article, linked below! #nonprofits #emailmarketing #nonprofitmarketing #digitalfundraising