Put Your Website to Work for You and Your Direct Response Program

Debbie YoungSean Powell

Goals:1)Building web traffic2)Converting online registrations and activists to donors3)Integrating web, communications, and direct response departments to build stronger donor programs

CONTENTBetter content -> ↑ web traffic -

>↑conversions

CONVERSIONSBetter strategies -> ↑ conversions

↑ volume of conversions

↑ percentage of conversions

Your organization’s website

- who are your web visitors?- who is your site built for?- who do you want to attract?- is it a good reflection of the org and its mission?- do you know your site’s web traffic?- are you receiving any web analytics?- do you know why people visit your site?- do you know the most visited pages?

Web visitor -> DonorEmail subscriber -> Donor

Types of online conversions

Non-Web Visitor -> Web Visitor Web visitor -> Repeat Web visitor

Web visitor -> Email SubscriberWeb visitor -> Online Advocate/Action Taker

Online Advocate/Action Taker -> Online DonorDonor -> Email Subscriber

Web visitor -> Offline Donor

Non-Web Visitor -> Web Visitor

↑ Web Traffic

Offline: TelemarketingDirect mailEvents

Online: SEOSEM Google AdWords/Grant Facebook

Online/Offline Donor -> Email SubscriberBest practice: Opt-in as a contributor benefitExample: USHMM Privacy Policy

“Donors who have contacted the USHMM via email and/or provided the USHMM with an email address will receive the USHMM general news e-newsletter. If you wish to decline this benefit, please follow the opt-out options noted below.”

“Donors whose email addresses we have on record…”

Best practice: Thank you email- “contributors receive our e-newsletter”- “please add us to your address book”- learn more, connect, take action, etc.- unsubscribe/change email address

Web visitor -> Email subscriber

Best practices: - Connect to most visited actions on the site

Examples: Heifer InternationalUSHMM Survey

USHMM Plan a VisitBy providing your e-mail address, you will also receive the Museum's e-newsletter, e-Community News, which brings you regular e-mail updates from the Museum. If you wish to unsubscribe, you can do so at any time.

- Include in global navigation

- Thank you/Welcome message that connects to the way they signed up.

Web Visitor -> Advocate/Action taker

Best practice:- Offer actions at varying levels of commitment- Follow-up with action takers about the action they took. Thank them, tell what happened, share feedback.

Examples: WWF Photo Caption Contest CBF Action Campaign

Web visitor -> Shop Purchaser

Best practices:- Drive internal traffic - Drive external traffic- Offer purchaser incentives to move up in commitment- Offer email opt-in at time of purchase- Include purchasers in next direct mail or e-appeal acquisition

Online Web visitor -> Offline Donor

Best practices:- Make it easy- Have a printer-friendly option- Include mailing address specific for accepting donations- Include phone number to call

Email Subscriber -> DonorAdvocate/Action Taker -> Donor

Web visitor -> Donor

Email subscriber -> DonorBest practices:

- Give the web visitor what they want. (relevancy)

- Include a variety of “offerings” along with it.

- Steer individuals into more targeted messaging. (relevancy)

- Create a routine and expectations.

- Stewardship prior to the ask.

Example: USHMM E-Community News

Content

Email, Web, Social media content:

Think in terms of small bites.(fact of the month, tip of the month, this day/week/month in history)

Plan for the unplanned.Tie it to the news.Focus on storytelling.

What content is most important for converting to donors?

1. Your organization’s mission, goals, and objectives. (#1 is 4X more important than #2)

2. The organization’s presence in the constituent’s own “community”.

3. How your organization uses donations.

Do an audit of your site. Ask web visitors how easily they find content 1-3.

Jakob Nielsen, March 30, 2009

Converting to donors

1. Make your cause and goal clear and obvious.2. Make donating simple and easy.3. Maintain contact by email after the original

donation.

Web visitors -> Donors

Best Practices1. Site visitors should be easily prompted to

make a donation.2. Test placement of donation.3. Include donation option in global

navigation.

Example: USHMM Banner

□ A 5-10 second statement of who you are and what you do □ Easy navigation based on user intent or perspective

(not the org chart) □ Link to a case for why yours is THE organization that matters □ Emotion – accomplished through imagery □ A way to capture people who are interested (email signup)□ A way to make a donation (one in the nav, one as a big button)□ Any third-party endorsements □ A link to illustrate how your donations are spent □ Engagement opportunities (share, tell us, act)□ Links to social media □ Personal fundraising options □ Postal address and phone number

Home Page Checklist

□ Easy navigation based on user intent or perspective (not the org chart)

□ Logo that goes to the home page□ A site search function that is easy to find (test it!)

□ Make all images clickable to something□ Donate on every page□ Email sign-up on every page□ Postal address/phone on every page□ Contact us on every page□ FB and other social media links on every page□ Skimmable – pretend it’s a billboard

Webpage Checklist

Website Design

Printer-friendlyAbove/below the scrollPie chartsCharity sealsButtonized linksF-pattern

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, April 17, 2006

Testing on Websites

Test:1.Different web browsers2.Autofill landing pages with real data3.Repeat actions and visits/cookies4. Plan web pages for life beyond the campaign

Integration

Integrating with the program, marketing, web units to become involved with content.

What does the website offer that you can give to donors as a “benefit”? (online recognition?, “insider” view?)

What does the direct response unit have offline that you can create an online version of? (calendar, annual report)

Web traffic

When web traffic goes up, so do all conversions.

Example: USHMM SS album

Think about your next…Collaboration on web content

Appeal that could be a good fit for having a web component

An idea you have for offline that you could test online

Summary

Build web trafficIntegrate web, communications, and direct response to build stronger donor programs

Value of contentTypes of conversions

Thank you