Analytics: What to Track

1. Analytics: What to Track NTEN Conference March 20, 2008

2. About emotive • Full service agency approach: online direct marketing, design and advertising • Exclusively serving non-profit and political clients • Over 50 years experience in offline direct response and over a decade in online development • Provide easy to use tools that empower clients with everything they need to run a successful online campaign • Emotive has successfully built communities, cultivated donors and raised millions of dollars online for nonprofits and political candidates and campaigns • Our long term relationships are a result of our service focus • Our tools and service offerings: • E-mail management with full tracking • CRM database • Analytics • Online advocacy • Online donation solutions • And much more…

3. The Traditional Model Appeal is returned with money Send an Appeal Non delivery? Circular filing cabinet? Vacation?

4. Online E-mail Metrics Send an Appeal Message was Read Message was Delivered Links were Clicked Online Donation • Additional Data • Delay in reading • Time of day • # of Times read • Additional Data • Hard bounce • Soft bounce • Additional Data • How often links clicked • Which links were clicked

5. Website Metrics • Visitors • Hits • Pageviews • Time on site • Bounce rate • Pages / visit • New vs. returning • Referring sites • Keywords • Demographics • Location (Country, Region, State, City) • To name a few…

6. Online Metrics Overwhelmed Yet?

7. First Things First: Know Yourself – Have a Plan • Start with a Goal: What do you want? • Money • Sign-ups • Who is your audience: ripe target • Demographics • Macro/Micro Targeting • Message • Why does your issue matter? • Why do you matter? • Brand awareness • Who are you? • Who knows you now? Who should?

8. Myths About Online Fundraising • The Internet is a giant ATM • Online fundraising doesn’t cost anything • Anyone can create a Ron Paul money bomb • The message I use in my offline messages will work online

9. How Do I Get Started? Database • A connected database enables your campaign to run more effective fundraising campaigns • Essential in tracking all of your marketing outreaches • Offers real-time reporting ability • Allows personalization of appeals and the ability to communicate on a more individual level to your supporters • A platform for running reports, tracking source codes and appeals in a centralized location

10. Sifting Through the Data • Linking your database with an analytics package can help visually make sense of the data • Many advertisers offer free analytics tools as part of their offering • Google Analytics is a free service that offers a complete tracking package that can integrate into most database systems • Get it free at http://www.google.com/analytics/

11. I’m Ready for Data! How do I track now? • Open Tracking • Link Tracking • Track which links were clicked • Compare and test efficiency of linked elements • Effective for analyzing email alone • Source Coding • Mates link tracking to a user • Lets you analyze behavior relative to demographic info • Effective for analyzing email to conversion process • Hierarchy • Campaign • Series • Appeal • Individual Codes

12. Breaking Down the E-mail: Elements to test • From Name • Human beings are better • Consistency breeds familiarity • Subject Line • Short • Familiar • Interesting • Preview Pane • Sum it up at the top • Above the fold • Graphics – Good and Bad • Full content • Messaging

13. Messaging • Communications should not always be fundraising focused • News updates, follow-ups, newsletters are a great way to build affinity with your supporters to make them feel “connected” • Volunteer requests, polls and surveys can help “prep” your file for a fundraising appeal • Urgency is key • Recipe for Success • Urgency • Enticement • Personalization • Follow-up

14. Examples of Alternative Messaging

15. Best Practices: Sequential E-mail • Average person receives roughly 60 e-mails a day • Lots of competition for attention • Power in threes • Caveat: sequencing can have a negative effect if you do not recognize past action E-mail 2Sent 10-7 days from deadline Average response rate: ~20% E-mail 1Sent 20-30 days from deadline Average response rate: ~45% E-mail 3Sent 72-24 hours from deadline Average response rate: ~20%

16. Testing Models: When, How Much, and Why? • Test Ratio: 50/50 • Best for eliminating statistical irregularities • Spot trends over multiple tests • Establish successful control/baseline • Test Ratio: 80/20 • Use against a successful control • Insulate against risk by only gambling 20% • Test Ratio: 10/10/80 • Rapid response message testing • Split test to 20% of list first, analyze short term results • Use winning message for the remaining 80% Email Response Times Source: Jupiter ResearchEmail Automation Best Practices Report (Retail Focused)

17. Taking it to the Next Level • Video e-mails • Compelling personality • Personalization • Profile information merge • Dynamic content • Activities • Donation levels • Segmentation by demographic • Integrating past action acknowledgement • Intelligent follow ups • Cater to known interests • Viral marketing • “Emotiv”e content • Sharing Tools

18. Jumpstart: E-mail Append • Easiest and often lowest cost way to acquire e-mail addresses • Matches e-mail addresses to files from major credit agencies • Typical match rates 18-22% • Mandatory permission with a 7 day opt-out process prior to mailing

19. Best Practices: Direct Mail Coordination • Packages can include: • Pre-mail: E-mail reminders to check your mailbox • Post-mail: Direct mail follow-up appeals through e-mail • Post-phone: “We tried to call you” • Messages should be e-mail specific, not just a cut and paste of the direct mail message • Analytics can determine if you can cut costs by converting someone to an online-only donor • Offers another “touch point” for brand-awareness • Leveraging USPS Planet Codes you can deliver e-mail the same day it goes out for residential delivery

20. National Non-Profit: Background • New memorial which had no brand or constituency • Great major donor fundraising, no individual fundraising • Needed to build awareness and fundraise • Integrated rebranding campaign • Focused on “BuildTheDream.org” • Goal: recruit donors, brand organization, increase awareness • Worked together to establish messaging across all media • Brought donors online through educational process (ticket RSVP, newsletters, educational e-mails, non monetary asks) • Repurposed PSAs for use on the web as recruitment videos

21. National Non-Profit: Analysis • Working with direct mail vendor encouraged opt-ins on all reply forms • Used website as primary news outlet for updates on Memorial construction • Released rich media on website for live coverage of events • Worked with media buyers to ensure web was ready for major media events • April 4 • Groundbreaking • Dr. King’s Birthday • Black History Month • Appended email and carried out acquisition campaigns online and in direct mail at a profit • Used online channel to connect with a different part of the audience • Used online channel to generate donors we could solicit through multiple channels

22. National Non-Profit: Conclusion • In 12 months we generated over 100,000 email addresses online and 30,000 e-donors • Nearly 30,000 donors came to us from our direct mail program and about 7,500 supplied an email address • We have had great success in capitalizing on landmark achievements in the civil rights area and creating urgencies around these events • The tailoring of content and segmentation has been a central part of our success • We are now in a position to recruit significant numbers of online activists and donors

23. Open Discussion