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Email Marketing Report 2012 - Sage7 Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012 11. Which...
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
In December 2011, an email was sent to nonprofit development leaders inviting them to take an online survey designed to discover how nonprofits are using email to improve their fundraising and outreach activities. The topics covered include:
• Topemailmarketingobjectivesandmeasurablegoals.
• Mostsignificantchallengesandmainbarrierstoovercomingthem.
• Tracking,analyzing,andreportingofemailmetrics.
• Tacticsforimprovinglistgrowth,deliverability,andengagement.
• Testingandoptimizationmethodologyforcampaignelements.
• Typesofcampaignspromotedbyemail.
Key Findings • Nearlyhalfofthesurveyedrespondents(45%)indicatedthattheirorganizationdidnot
conductanyemailmarketing.
• Topemailmarketingobjectiveswere:keepingsupportersinformed(80%),attracting andretainingdonors(64%),anddrivingonlinedonations(61%).
• Alargepercentageofrespondents(91%)indicatedthattheyhavemeasurablegoals inplace.
• Respondentsreportedthattheirmostsignificantemailmarketingchallengesweregrowing andretainingcontactsaswellasintegratingemailwithothersystemsandtactics.
• Byfar,themainbarrierstoovercomingemailmarketingchallengeswereinadequate resourcesandexpertise(71%).
• Theunsubscriberatewassurprisinglyhigh,averaging4%againstanindustrystandard of<1%.
• Althoughmostorganizations(83%)respondedthattheyactivelyworktogroww retainemailcontacts,74%indicatedthattheirlistwasgrowingataslowpaceoverthe past12months.
• Overthree-quartersoftheorganizations(76%)trackclick-throughrates;otheremailperformancemetricstrackedwereopenrates(73%)andtotalcontacts(69%).
• Thetoptacticsforgrowingtheemaillistwerewebsiteregistration(62%),newsletterregistration(60%),andemailtoafriend(55%).
• Events(galas,auctions)andyear-endcampaignswereselectedasthetopcampaigns/appealsthatrespondentspromotebyemail.
• Alargenumberoforganizationsaretakingmeasurestoimproveemaildeliverabilitybyremovinghardbounces(49%),followedbyregulardatacleansing(44%)andremoving inactivecontacts(38%).
• Overhalftherespondentsselectedsubjectlineasoneofthetopcampaignelements theytestandoptimize.
• 43%ofrespondentsindicatedthattheyevaluateemailperformanceonceamonth.
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
1. Does your organization conduct email marketing?
2. What are your organization’s top three email marketing objectives?
Other:
• Attendfundraisingevents
• Advertiseeventsandprograms
• Onlinesales
• Reachclientswhohavebeensuccessfulto keepthemcomingbackformoreprograms
• Increaseprogramparticipation
• Selltickets
• Introducenewphilanthropicprograms
• Selltrainingsandeducationalmaterials
• Increaseenrollment
• Sales
• Expandinternshipsites
• Enrollment
• In-kinddonations
• Selleventtickets
• DrivetheGate
No
Yes
55%
45%
No
Yes
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
80%
64%
61%
31%
26%
12%
12%
1%
Keep supporters informed
Attract and retain donors
Drive online donations
Engage advocates
Increase membership
Enlist volunteers
Other (specify)
Have not defined our objectives
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
3. What are your organization’s top three measureable goals for email marketing?
Other:
• Increaseopenpercentage
•Openrateandlinkclick-throughs
4. What are your organization’s three most significant challenges with regard to email marketing?
Other:
• Gettingthemtoconverttodonors
• Timeandpeopletomaintainconsistencyofcontentanddeliverability
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Growing and retaining contacts
Delivering relevant content
Increasing percentage of active contacts
Integrating email with donor database, online fundraising, and other systems
Integrating email with other on- and offline tactics (such as social media, blogs, events)
Increasing campaign ROI
Segmentation of email database
Improving email deliverability
Have not established measured goals
Increase contact profile completeness
Improve database hygiene
Other (specify)
53%
48%
37%
32%
30%
29%
12%
10%
9%
9%
4%
2%
Increasing percentage of active contacts
Integrating email with other on- and offline tactics (such as social media, blogs, events)
Integrating email with donor database, online fundraising, and other systems
0 10 20 30 40
Growing and retaining contacts
Delivering relevant content
Increasing campaign ROI
Segmentation of email database
Improving email deliverability
Increase contact profile completeness
Improve database hygiene
Other (specify)
None
38%
38%
38%
30%
29%
26%
28%
21%
17%
13%
2%
2%
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
5. What are the main barriers to overcoming your organization’s most significant email marketing challenges?
Other:
• Bandwidth,inotherwordsnotenoughtimeinstaff’sworkprograms
• Lackoftotalcontrolofemailappeals
• Nonprofitsareunwillingtolookatemployingmethodologieswheredonorcanattainphilanthropicgoalswithnoout-of-pocketcostsandstillgetataxdeductionfortheamountdonated
• Otherpriorities
• Ourwebsiteneedstoberevampedsowedon’talwayswanttosendthemtherebutinordertoconverttoonlinedonorstheyhavetogothere
• SmallROI
• Understandinghowe-marketingcanworkforbringingindonations
6. Are you involved with tracking, analyzing, and reporting of email metrics?
7. Does your organization benchmark email performance?
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Inadequate resources/expertise
Difficulty integrating email data with other data systems
Lack of clearly defined objectives
Unclear or constantly changing objectives
Difficulty integrating email marketing with other tactics
Goals are not measurable
Lack of buy-in from senior management
Other (specify)
None
71%
42%
26%
25%
24%
17%
16%
8%
5%
55%
45%
No
No
Yes
Yes
54%
46%
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
8. What email performance metrics does your organization track?
Other:
• Actionrate
9. What is your unsubscribe rate?
10. Does your organization actively work to grow and retain email contacts?
Click-through rate
Open rate
Total contacts
Unsubscribe rate
Bounceback rate
Total new contacts
Total emails sent
Conversion rate
Percentage active emailable contacts
Campaign ROI
Contact profile completeness
Don’t know
Sender score
Other (specify)
76%
73%
69%
61%
54%
52%
49%
35%
28%
20%
7%
7%
3%
1%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
83%
17%
Average: 4%
No
Yes
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
11. Which statement best describes your organization’s email list growth trend for the past 12 months?
12. What tactics do you use to grow your email list?
Other:
• Eventandprogramattendance
• Eventregistrationandaskforemailaddress onalldonationenvelopes
• Events,raffles
• Eventsign-ups
• Listrental
• Partnerships(bannersonpartnerwebsites)
• Periodiccontact
• Petitions
• Phonathon
• Telemarketing
• Volunteerregistration
Increasing slowly
Remaining flat
Increasing rapidly
Don’t know
Decreasing slowly
74%
15%
6%
3%
2%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Website registration
Newsletter registration
Email to a friend
Social media sharing icons
Facebook registration page
Direct mail
Other (specify)
Blog registration
62%
60%
55%
54%
52%
48%
17%
11%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
13. What tactics do you use to improve email deliverability?
Other:
• Testing
14. What tactics do you use to improve the relevance of emails to drive engagement?
Other:
• Contestsandsurveys
Remove hard bounces
Regular data cleansing
Remove inactive contacts
Evaluate soft balances
Reactivation campaigns
None
Monitor inbox placement
Other (specify)
49%
44%
38%
33%
20%
10%
10%
2%
0 10 20 30 40 50
51% Integration with offline tactics
41% Personalization
33% Video
33% Segment campaigns based on
attributes and behavior
24% Allow subscribers to select communications they
want to receive through a preference center
21% None
19% Automated, trigger-based emails
3% Other (specify)
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
15. What email marketing campaign elements does your organization test and optimize on a regular basis?
Other:
• Salesclick-through
16. About how frequently does your organization evaluate email performance?
Subject line
Day/time sent
Content
Layout, images
Donation form
Call to action
Personalization
Target audience
None
From line
Other (specify)
49%
46%
44%
41%
39%
31%
30%
23%
23%
18%
2%
0 10 20 30 40 50
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
Semiannually
Annually
4%
7%
43%
21%
16%
9%
0 10 20 30 40 50
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
17. What types of campaigns/appeals do you promote by email?
Other:
• Activities/programs
• Annualcampaign
• Annualfund
• Annualfundappeals
• Coursestartdates
• Education,elections
• Generalnews
• Holidays
• Marketingforourattractions
• Membershipactivities
• Newsletters
• Promotions
• Singleticketsales
• Storiesofimpact
• Thankyousupporter
• Ticketsales
• Trainingannouncements,curriculasales
• Updatereports
18. What systems are integrated with your organization’s email marketing system?
Other:
• Membership/salesdatabase
Events (galas, auctions)
Year-end campaigns
Special project appeals
Giving challenges
Advocacy
Volunteer
Capital campaigns
Membership drives
Emergency appeals
Pledge drives
Other (specify)
Races
None
Money bombs
81%
72%
42%
37%
36%
34%
25%
24%
21%
14%
12%
8%
1%
1%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Donor database
Online fundraising
Social media
Web analytics
59%
51%
43%
39%
Other (specify) 3%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
None 20%
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
19. How satisfied are you with your email service provider?
20. What is the size of your email database?
21% Very satisfied
42% Satisfied
28% Neutral
8% Dissatisfied 1% Very dissatisfied
Less than 1,000
1,000 – 4,999
5,000 – 9,999
10,000 – 24,999
25,000 – 49,999
50,000 – 99,999
100,000 plus
13%
26%
18%
14%
6%
13%
9%
0 10 20 30
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Sage Nonprofit Solutions Email Marketing Report 2012
21. Which one of the following categories best describes your organization?
Other:
• Childandfamilytreatment
• Donorprogramdevelopment
• Goodgovernment
• Housing
• Jewishfederation
• Microcredit
• Multifacetedhealth,human,andsocialservicebase
• Publicinterestlaw
• Seminary
• Veteranservice
• YMCA
22. What is your job function/title?
Other:
• AssociateDirector,Research
• Board/edequivalent/communications,developmentandprogrammanager
• BoardChair
• BoardMember
• CommunicationsManager
• Consultant
• EmailMarketingOfficer
• GrantsManager
• InternetMarketingManager
• Marketing
• Marketingand CommunicationsDirector
• MarketingCoordinator
• MarketingDirector
• Membership
• ProspectResearcher
• PublicRelations
• VP,ExternalAffairs
• VP,FinanceandAdmin
23% Human and Social Services
10% Health and Hospitals
10% Education (Higher)
9% Arts, Culture and Humanities
8% Other (specify)
6% Education (K–12)
5% Environmental and Conservation
5% Museum/Zoo
3% International
3% Science
3% Faith-Based
3% Membership
3% Advocacy
2% Education (Other)
2% Community Development/Organizer
1% United Way1% Foundation
1% Animal Welfare
1% Library
Development Director/Manager
Executive Management (C-Level)
Other (specify)
Finance Director/Manager
Development
Program Director/Manager
Accounting/Finance
IT
Volunteer
34%
21%
13%
11%
11%
5%
3%
1%
1%
0 10 20 30 40
©2012SageSoftware,Inc.Allrightsreserved.Sage,theSagelogos,andtheSageproductandservice names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software,Inc., or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 12-01956SPK02/12
Sage Nonprofit SolutionsI800-811-0961
12301ResearchBlvd.IBuildingIV,Suite350IAustin,TX78759
Sage has been serving nonprofit and governmental organizationsthroughout North America for more than 30 years. The companycurrently helpsmore than32,000uniquenot-for-profit organizationsincreaseefficiencyandmoreeasilymanagetheiroperationsthroughtheuseoftechnology.Fromfundaccounting,donorandfundraisingmanagement, and fixed asset management, to online donationprocessing, human resources (HR), payroll, and health care, Sageoffersasoftwareproductorservicetomeettheorganization’sneed.Formoreinformation,call800–811-0961orvisitwww.SageNonprofit.com.FollowSageNonprofitSolutionsonTwitterandFacebook.
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