Using 4 Online Tools to Inspire Volunteers and Donors, Part 3

Why is e-mail so important? Two reasons, Mintz said:

1. Almost everyone your organization needs to reach reads e-mail. According to eMarketer, 91 percent of Internet users ages 18-64 send or read e-mail, an even higher number of users ages 65 or older do the same, and 147 million people across the country use e-mail — most of them every day.
2. It’s more cost-effective compared to direct mail. According to Forrester Research, for the same response, direct mail costs 20 times as much as e-mail, and according to the Direct Marketing Association, e-mail return on investment is the highest when compared to other Internet marketing mediums.

The key to effective e-mail marketing is delivering professional e-mail communications to an interested audience containing information it finds valuable. To help you do that, e-mail marketing services automate these best practices:

• Provide easy-to-use templates.
• Address e-mail to recipients only.
• Manage lists.
• Include social share tools.
• Include Join My Mailing List.
• Include social-media sign-up icons.
• Improve e-mail delivery and tracking.

Before you embark on an e-mail marketing campaign, Mintz suggested asking yourself these questions:

• Do repeat and referral donors help your organization?
• Do you have a plan for delivering multiple communications?
• Is your audience interested in your message, and is it valuable to your audience?
• Can you make your e-mails look professional and reflect your brand?
• Do you have an e-mail service provider to help manage your strategy?

From there, it’s important to be able to track your e-mail communications. Important metrics include bounce rate, spam reports, opt-outs, opens, clicks, forwards, as well as social stats and tracking the calls to action. E-mail marketing is a vital cog in nonprofit communications, so make sure you do it right and track it, Mintz said.