E-marketing: It’s worth the learning curve

Most small to medium-sized nonprofits are not realizing their full e-marketing potential. And this is a huge mistake.

It’s understandable why these nonprofits haven’t taken the leap yet. There’s a steep learning curve. An initial investment of time and money is required. And the less tech-savvy organizations have most likely not built up a substantial collection of donors’ email addresses. Yes, it’s understandable. But it’s still a huge mistake.

Sending appeals through email costs a fraction of sending appeals through the post. In fact, the cost to send an e-appeal is about 1/100 of the cost per piece when compared to a traditional mail appeal.  The key, of course, lies in doing it right.

So how do you do it right? Good question.

According to Dave Chaffey, one of the leading e-marketers, you have 4 points to worry about for a successful e-campaign:

1. Targeting: You need to make sure you send the email to the most appropriate audience.

2. Timing: You want to send your email when people are going to read it and act on it.

3. Offer: You must have a compelling incentive, or reason to act. For commercial companies, this is often a discount or giveaway. For nonprofits, it’s a little more complicated, but no less important.

4. Creative: Your e-campaign must be aesthetically pleasing and filled with relevant, compelling content.

An e-campaign costs a lot less than a traditional direct mail campaign. But it’s not any less work. And it won’t replace your other methods of fundraising. It will boost your results and bring in more money so you can help more people.

Want to learn more about creating an effective e-fundraising program that complements the rest of your fundraising tools? Contact Turnbull Marketing Group at 919-741-5072 or info@tbullgroup.com. We help you help others.