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© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 1

Writing for

Digital Web, mobile, email, Facebook

Tom Ahern

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 2

Writing for

Digital Web, mobile, email, Facebook

Tom Ahern

Making Money on

Digital

3 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

The Book Loft,

Great Barrington, MA

4 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

5 © 2016 Tom Ahern

Agents of Good, 2016

IS digital all that different?

• for clickers, not readers

• sound and movement possible

• eyeballs (“friends,” email addresses)

• “hooks” (capture my attention)

• frequency (tenacity pays off)

• content (journey stuff)

• offers (action stuff)

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 6

Web + Mobile + Email + Facebook?

NOT 4 things. ONE thing.

7 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

The first gift you ask

for is my attention.

8 © 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com

The average attention

span of an adult human in

2013 was 8 seconds.

We’re #1!

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 9

The best hook you have

is the word “you.”

You is glue.

10 © 2016 Tom Ahern

© 2016 Tom Ahern 11

NAMES are good, too.

THIS GOAT COST ME

$120. AND I WAS A

LAPSED DONOR...

Leonard

Coyne

Thought

of this. Lifted wholly from

Sean Triner

© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com 13

In

the

Big

Type!

Source: WiredImpact, 2016

I pay attention to what

interests me.

And what interests me

most is me. Ask anyone.

© 2016 Tom Ahern 15

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 16

It’s hard to punch

through. “The

average adult

receives 147 emails

a day.” ~ Digital Marketer, 2016

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 17

“For every 1,000

fundraising [emails]

delivered to

supporters, groups in

our study raised $40.”

New metrics for a new channel.

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 18

If you have a 30% opening

rate, they like hearing from

you.

If you have a 15% opening

rate, you have work to do

on your attitude, content,

and subject lines.

Email Job #1: Get opened

Your subject lines don’t

suck enough

19 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

“Ugly works. Tacky

works. Corny,

embarrassing, and

messy all work. In

print, or in digital.”

© 2016 Tom Ahern 20

Source: Jeff Brooks, Future Fundraising Now, 2014

President Obama’s Top 15 Moneymaking Subject Lines

($690 million raised)

1. I am just so happy

2. I want to do this again

3. My uncle Teddy

4. This isn’t already illegal?

5. My place, June 14th

6. Karl Rove sent you a message

7. Hey

8. Me again

9. Saturday night

10. Up late

11. I love you back

12. Hell yeah, I like Obamacare

13. I tried.

14. Wow

15. Clutch

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 21

PURPOSE OF

SUBJECT

LINE: TO GET

OPENED

Email Job #2: Click-through

Give me something

interesting to DO

22 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

23

One interesting

photo...

Micro-story: the

conflict....

Micro-story: the

happy ending....

Something to click

on (i.e., an offer)

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

24

“...the minimal email

copy resulted in a 6.5%

click through rate.

Average is 2-4% so

definitely had a positive

effect.” Andrew G, 3/5/15

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 25

The purpose of email

and Facebook? To drive

people to your website

or giving page.

...Where they GO

to make their gift!

26 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

“65% of all emails are

read on mobile”

Constant Contact March 2015

Which means the next

thing they see is your

website

27 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 28

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 29

Ready for

2006

Ready for

2016

http://mobiletest.me/

Job #1 for home pages and

giving pages?

Deliver a good donor

experience

30 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

Does YOUR home

page say “We

need you?”

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 31

Unintentionally, many

charities come across

as egotistical maniacs.

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 32

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US ABOUT US

ABOUT US ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US ABOUT US ABOUT US

33 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US ABOUT US

ABOUT US ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

ABOUT US ABOUT US ABOUT US

ABOUT

THE

DONOR

34 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

COLD

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 35

WHERE

ARE YOU?

WARM

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

36

eye contact

something

unexpected

the promise

real life

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

37

COLD

ZERO “YOU”

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

38

CHILLY

DONORS GO ON TOP, NOT THE BOTTOM

ONE “YOU” ON

THE BOTTOM

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

39

WARMER

ZERO “YOU” BUT AT LEAST

DONORS ARE EQUAL

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

40

HOT & TOP

There's an enormous amount of

pleasure associated with the giving

experience. We don't exploit that

enough. We make it dry. It's more

about credit cards than feelings.

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 41

Case study re:

“anchoring,” a.k.a.,

“priming”

42 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

Source: Leah Eustace

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 43

A concept worth knowing about

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 44

Greenpeace began as a handful

of audacious people in a rented

fishing boat challenging the US

government over nuclear testing.

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 45

Go to Greenpeace USA online.

What’s the FIRST thing you see?

What does that tell you?

Greenpeace, founded in the US, 1971. Current US “members”: 250,000; 2.8 million worldwide. “Members” = money.

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

46

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 47

What’s my SMIT?

SMIT = Single Most Important Thing

I have to tell you today

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 48

GREENPEACE KNOWS

WHAT IT WANTS MOST.

DO YOU?

Offers, the supreme

importance of

49 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

© 2016 Tom Ahern 50

The offer

© 2016 Tom Ahern 51

[this appears on the bottom of page 2...]

Second offer...

© 2016 Tom Ahern 52

[this appears on the bottom of page 4...]

The matching

gift offer

again...

Digital is no different

than print.

It’s just another messaging channel,

aimed at certain ears and eyes.

53 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

54

URGENCY HELPS!

Your offer is simply

your call to action

55 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 56

Source: Jeff Brooks, 2014

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 57

2.6 million

responded;

about a third died

You just have to ask.

Incredible generosity

and sacrifice follow.

The story’s about the donor

...every time someone donates to a good cause, they're buying a

story, a story that's worth more than the amount they donated.

It might be the story of doing the right thing, or fitting in, or

pleasing a friend or honoring a memory, but the story has value.

For many, it's the story of what it means to be part of a

community.

Source: Seth Godin

58 © 2016 Tom Ahern

Charities, listen up:

You’re helping me with

my life story. That’s all.

© 2016 Tom Ahern 59

60

Source: Psychologist Viktor Frankl, via the For Impact blog

“Humans are driven by a will to

establish meaning in their lives.

They need purpose.”

That’s your real job in donor communications:

to bestow purpose in exchange for support.

© 2016 Tom Ahern

© 2016 Tom Ahern

Top: Mark Phillips, Bluefrog

Left: Lisa Sargent & Denisa Casement present Nana Murphy

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 62

IF YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT

FUNDRAISING GROWTH, BABY

BOOMERS ARE YOUR PRIMARY

TARGET RIGHT NOW ...

... NOT MILLENNIALS

You didn’t really think it

would be that easy?

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 63

Baby boomers aren’t digital

natives. Boomers grew up with

paper. Print will always be a big

and romantic part of their lives.

reporting on Jeff Brooks’ data

Giving is sacred, even

when it’s secular.

64 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

65

Don’t just ask me to

DO something.

Ask me to

FEEL

something.

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

St. Jude’s language

• “I can never thank you enough”

• “Because of you”

• “Thanks to your support”

• “Thanks to friends like you”

• “The support of friends like you”

Source: Pam Grow

© 2016 Tom Ahern 66

You don’t really need more

money. You need more true

believers.

Money follows values.

67 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

Values-based non-

monetary offers build

your base.

68 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 69

Pareto, Australia

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 70

No YOU,

but

doesn’t

matter...

WHY?

Pareto, Australia

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 71

How Soi Dog makes money from Facebook...

NON-MONEY OFFER

A$K

NON-MONEY OFFER

A$K A$K

Facebook ads

Source: Sean Triner, 2016

Tomorrow, at 2 PM,

Sean will take you

deeply inside

Facebook fundraising!!

Connect!

© 2016 Tom Ahern | www.AHERNCOMM.com 73

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 74

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 75

Kivi Leroux Miller

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 76

GO FOR

MENTAL NODS

(Thank you, Siegfried Vögele,

honorary Canadian)

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 77

Mental nod

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 78

Secret to success.......

Say stuff the reader might

agree with ... like ... or

respond to emotionally.

79

Mental nod

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

80

Mental nod

Mental nod © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

Mental nod

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 81

82 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

Mental nod

“DONATE” in

contrasting

color Eye contact

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 83

Mental nod

“My future’s never

been brighter.”

84

Mental nod Creative: Shanon Doolittle

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

How’s your donation

landing page?

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 85

Network for Good’s Website Test

Is yours ready for donors?

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 86

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 87

Greenpeace is an

independent organization

that does not take money

from corporations or

government. We rely entirely

on financial support from

people like you to do the

important work that we do.

Network for Good’s Website Test

Is yours ready for donors?

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 88

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 89

90

The lifetime value of a

monthly donor is 6-8

times higher than the LTV

of an annual donor.

Adrian Sargeant, 2015

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

91

75% of charitable

bequests now come from

monthly donors. A

bequest is 7 times more

likely from a monthly

donor.

Erica Waasdorp, The Sleeping Giant

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

Network for Good’s Website Test

Is yours ready for donors?

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 92

Visually compelling photo

outperforms strong video

on donation page by 20%.

Salsa Labs, March 2015

93 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 94

Every time I look at an online

fundraising program that's not gaining

traction, the most damaging part of the

program, the single thing that's turning

away donors before they can give, is

poorly built giving pages.

95

Source: Jeff Brooks, September 2014

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

Does it have to

be this bad?

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 96

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 97

USES PAYPAL

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com 98

USES PAYPAL, TOO

Just for you, if you thirst to star...

FREE 10-lesson e-course

that teaches you how to

create a GREAT donation

page. With Caryn Stein

http://learn.networkforgood.org/enroll-in-the-ultimate-donation-page-

course.html

99 © 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

Focus on:

subject lines

offers

frequency

connection (values and all that jive)

#donorlove (who’s the hero?)

weaving the donor into every story

© 2016 Tom Ahern 100

101

You’re in my home, brain and face:

“Why are you here?”

Bad guest or good?

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

To make ME

feel good!!!

102

Important!

Wanted!

Needed!

Proud of myself!

Happy!

Pleased!

Entertained! Surprised!

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

103

My

free

how-to

e-newsletter…

www.aherncomm.com

I subscribe!

© 2016 Tom Ahern / www.aherncomm.com

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