A Proven Formula To Optimize Your Nonprofit Fundraising Email Campaigns

A PROVEN FORMULA TO OPTIMIZE
(AND REVOLUTIONIZE)
YOUR EMAIL CAMPAIGNS

Which Email Performed Best?

(1)

(2)

(3)

Are Best Practices Enough?

-52%

-19%

-34%

MECLABS is the largest optimization institution in the world.

Copyright © MECLABS

1,500+ major experiments
Over 1 billion emails tested
10,000 sales-paths tested
500,000 “decision-maker”
interviews
5 million phone calls
100+ conferences/clinics


Email Messaging Theory

F

Key Principles

1.

Email is a relational medium. People do not buy from
emails, people buy from people. We must
conceptualize an email as part of a sequenced
conversation containing a series of micro-yes(es)
leading to an ultimate macro yes.



2. The funnel analogy distorts
reality. People are not falling into
your funnel, they are falling out.
The funnel must be inverted.
3. People don’t travel down the
center of the funnel. People are
climbing up the sides.


g = 9.81 m/s2

1. The funnel is often presented as
one potentially useful analogy for
marketing. It is in fact, the
primary analogy. All marketing
should influence a decision.

(Ma)YES

(Mi)YES

Donation Experience

(Mi)YES
(Mi)YES
Landing Page

(Mi)YES
(Mi)YES
Email

(Mi)YES

Y


F

Key Principles

1.

Email is a relational medium. People do not buy from
emails, people buy from people. We must
conceptualize an email as part of a sequenced
conversation containing a series of micro-yes(es)
leading to an ultimate macro yes.

2.

The essence of marketing is the message. You cannot
control a prospect, but you can control the message.
And it is the message that attracts the prospect
towards the macro-yes.


(Ma)YES

(Mi)YES

Donation Experience

(Mi)YES
Landing Page

(Mi)YES
(Mi)YES
Email


(Mi)YES

The Message

(Mi)YES

Y


F

Key Principles

1.

Email is a relational medium. People do not buy from emails,
people buy from people. We must conceptualize an email as
part of a sequenced conversation containing a series of
micro-yes(es) leading to an ultimate macro yes.

2.

The essence of marketing is the message. You cannot
control a prospect, but you can control the message. And it
is the message that attracts the prospect towards the macroyes.

3.

The essence of the message is the value proposition. At
each stage of the conversation, you are attempting to
optimize the message in such a way as to tip the balance of
cognitive perception from negative (cost) to positive (value).



Value
Force

Cost
Force

VfAc - CfAc = Nf

(Ma)YES

Cost
Force
(Mi)YES
(Mi)YES
(Mi)YES


Value Proposition

(Mi)YES

The Message

(Mi)YES

Value Proposition

Value
Force

Y

(Ma)YES

Cost
Force

Value
Force

(Mi)YES
(Mi)YES


The Message

(Mi)YES

Value Proposition

(Mi)YES

Value Proposition

(Mi)YES

Y

PRECEPT #1
“BEST PRACTICES ARE NOT
ENOUGH, YOU NEED A
RIGOROUS METHODOLOGY.”

Optimization Methodology
eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©
eme = email marketing effectiveness index
rv = relevance to the constituent
of = offer value
i = incentive to take action
f = friction elements of the process
a = anxiety elements of the process

Optimization Methodology

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©
Value Factors (of + i)

Inhibitors (f + a)

Relevance (rv)
Offer (of)
Incentive (i)

Friction (f)
Anxiety (a)


Optimizing Email Appeals
Version A - Control

Version B - Test

139% Increase in Clickthrough Rate
42% Increase in Revenue

Version A - Control

Version B - Test


Version A - Test
118% Increase in Donations
50% Increase in Petition Signers

Version B - Control

Version A - Control

Version B - Test


PRECEPT #2
“OPTIMIZATION DOESN’T
HAPPEN ON THE PAGE, IT
HAPPENS IN THE MIND.”

Email Messaging Sequence
ec < op < ct < lp©
ec = email capture
op = open
ct = clickthrough
lp = landing page

Optimizing Email Thought Sequences

ec < op < ct < lp
eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a)
of = offer value

OPTIMIZING EMAIL CAPTURE
EC < OP < CT < LP


Optimizing Email Capture
ec < op < ct < lp

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a)
of = offer value

Marketing Experiments
Email Value Proposition Assessment


Tipping the Value Exchange

Value of
Contact Info
Value
of Offer

Optimizing Email Capture
eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©
of = offer value

Optimizing Email Registration
Version A - Control

Version B - Test

42% Increase in Registration Rate

Reducing the Cost Force
What is the cost of submitting an email to this form?

Reducing the Cost Force
Nature of Information Cost Scale
Low Cost

Name
Email
Phone Number
Company
Title
Address
Social Security #

High Cost

Reducing Cost Force
Not this
But this

Reducing Cost Force
Not this

But this

OPTIMIZING OPEN AND
CLICKTHROUGH
EC < OP < CT < LP


Optimizing Email Opens
ec < op < ct < lp

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a)
of = offer value

Improving Email Open
Focus on Envelope:
– The “To” Line
– The “From” Line
– The “Subject” Line

Optimizing Email Clickthrough
ec < op < ct < lp

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a)
of = offer value
Copyright 2011 MECLABS

Improving Clickthrough Rates
Focus on Email Message:

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Know the goal
Internal Subject line
Personalized Salutation
Headline
Value Proposition
Call-to-Action
Testimonials
Relevance is the
multiplier

Relevance
Internal Relevance:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Personal interests
Demographics
Personality
Communication Styles
Level of Engagement
Donor Lifecycle

External Relevance:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Seasonality
Special Events
News
Limited Time Offers
Holidays
Weather

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©
of = offer value


Original

Optimized

139% Increase in Clickthrough

OPTIMIZING LANDING PAGES
EC < OP < CT < LP


How Do We Measure Success?
Conversion Rate:
– Total number of goal completions / Total Unique Visits
– A measure of the effectiveness of complete thought
sequence
– NPO Avg: 2.72%

Optimizing Landing Pages
Focus on the Offer:
– The Ask (Offer) is the impact that is promised in exchange
for a donation

Focus on the Incentive:
– An Incentive is an appealing element introduced on the
landing page to achieve the desired action

Focus on Eliminating Friction:
– Friction is anything that causes psychological resistance to
a given element on a web page

Top Offender: Online Giving Workflow

Top Offender: Online Giving Workflow Click Count:
1

2

3

4

5

6

Top Offender: Online Giving Workflow

Click Count:
7

8

9

10

Optimized Online Giving Experience

Version A

Version B

137.8% Increase
in Donor Conversion

Version A

Version B

67% Increase
in Donor Conversion

Version A

74% Increase
in Donor
Conversion
274% Increase
in Revenue

Version B

PRECEPT #3
“TESTING TRUMPS MARKETING
INTUITION.”

Testing Against Best Practices

The “One Thing”

“Adequacy is the
Enemy of Excellence”

Three Key Principles
1. Best Practices Are Not Enough– You Need a
Rigorous Methodology.
2. Optimization Doesn’t Happen On The Page, It
Happens In The Mind.
3. Testing Trumps Best Practices.

Thank You!

Tim Kachuriak
Tim@Kimbia.com
@DigitalDonor
linkedin.com/in/TimKachuriak
Blog: www.DigitalDonor.com

A Proven Formula To Optimize Your Nonprofit Fundraising Email Campaigns

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