Does hitting the send button on an email to donors cause you a moment of panic? If you’re anything like me, the answer is yes, and that’s after many years of writing emails.
Let’s be honest…there’s something to worry about! I recently received an email, which had been sent to a circulation of around 100,000 donors and it had a prominent typo. I know the person who sent that email, and I can tell you… she’s mortified!
However, let’s be honest, while as Marketers we’re so concerned with the odd typo, what if our emails aren’t being opened in the first place to even see it? In this blog we’re going to look at some common beliefs and tips to increase open rates, so all the work you do in fixing the content isn’t in vain.
1. “Everyone is reading our emails”
Really? Are you sure? If you’re like most nonprofits, the real number of people actually opening your email is hovering around 23%. Check for yourself - most email platforms such as Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, etc. provide deliverable stats such as open rate, click-through rate, etc. for each campaign sent.
If your nonprofit is typical of industry standards, 77% of people on your list didn’t even open your email.
Tip: People are selective - often only opening and reading emails with great subject lines, donating to the nonprofits with a compelling call-to-action that inspires them.
2. “Everyone loves hearing from us because we don’t email often”
Nothing could be further from the truth! The less frequently you email your list, the less likely people are to remember you.
Tip: Keep in regular contact with your donors.
3. “Catchy subject lines are picked up as spam”
Not if you have a good reputation for high open rates.
Every email provider has different rules and are constantly updating the way they pick up spam, so it’s impossible to know what is considered spam at any time. Subject lines that shout out “spam” are forever landing in my inbox, whereas emails from the most inoffensive subject line can, at times, be found in my spam filter.
Tip: The best advice to keep you out of the spam filter is: great reputation. The only way to get a great reputation is to get people to open your emails. Avoiding the spam filter is as simple as getting subscribers to open your emails regularly and consistently. To do that you need to write great subject lines and content your readers find worth reading.
4. “What if people unsubscribe?”
This is an interesting one, which I only discovered recently - unsubscribing from the direct unsubscribe link in your email has no effect on your spam vulnerability. It may hurt your ego, but it won’t harm your rating!
Tip: Concentrate on building a strong community of people who love your cause! When someone unsubscribes, they are actually (unwittingly) ensuring that your list is more targeted to people who love what you do.
5. “It’s better to keep inactive people on my list so my list is bigger”
Apart from causing a lower open rate, why would you want to pay to keep people on a list unnecessarily? Most databases charge according to the number of constituents - there’s no reason to keep email addresses there for no reason.
Tip: Give re-engaging them a try with a strong re-engagement campaign. I would send 2-3 emails with strong subject lines, and a short message where you mention that you’ve noticed that they are not opening your emails, and inviting them to re-engage. However, if this doesn’t yield results, purge them from your list and welcome a cleaner list, lower overheads and higher open rates!
Each organization has its own dynamic needs and my goal is to help your organization move to the next level and turn your vision into donations. You can contact me at suzanne@suzannelieberman.com; let’s start a conversation.
Comments