Many fundraising strategists assume the millennial age group, as digital-social-mobile junkies, should be the top target of online giving strategy. Not so, according to the latest survey commissioned by Dunham+Company, a nonprofit marketing firm. The study found that older donors, those aged 40-59, now are the most likely to give online, with 67% donating online in 2015, a 20% rise since the survey started in 2010. A smaller 54% of those under 40 years old reported donating via website in 2015, down from 60% in 2014 and mirroring the 54% online giving by those over 60. Which channels are driving online giving today? E-mail appeals are growing response, with 20% donating online as a result of an e-mail in 2015, up from 6% in 2010. But direct mail continues to spur online donors, too, with 11% saying they gave online because of a direct mail appeal. Older donors, per conventional wisdom, are more influenced by direct mail, with 19% of those over 66 years old inspired to give online by a direct mail appeal, compared with 8% of those under 40. Social media, a presumed catalyst of millennial charity, is having more online-giving impact--but not because of charities' direct appeals. Community and engagement are the engine of social media fundraising, with more donors in 2015 (26%) making online donations at the urging of another individual (friend/influencer) on social media than in 2014 (20%). The basic lesson, per Dunham, is the importance of a multichannel strategy across age cohorts. The survey's direct mail trends support that conclusion: While 36% of those responding to a direct mail appeal sent their donation through the mail last year, the majority (51%) said they go online to contribute, and 18% will make that online donation using a mobile device! For more from the survey: http://www.dunhamandcompany.com/2016/01/survey-shows-aging-donors-most-likely-to-give-online/#sthash.38GD6IY2.dpbs
David Kanter, President and CEO of AccuList, is a list brokerage and direct marketing expert. For more than 30 years, he has helped companies and nonprofit organizations achieve their marketing goals. With David's Direct Marketing Forum, he shares, and invites others to share, helpful direct-marketing industry news, trends, analyses, resources, and tips for success. Please read our Comment Policy.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
2016 E-mail Winners: Mobile, Interactive, Automated
Digital marketers betting on e-mail ROI need to make sure they are playing a hand with winning strategy cards in 2016. A recent MarketingProfs post by Cynthia Price, marketing director at Emma e-mail marketing services, cited five high-scoring trends to include. With mobile exceeding desktop traffic for the first time last year, a dedicated mobile strategy of responsive design for small screens is a must--because 71% of e-mail recipients will delete immediately if an e-mail doesn't display properly. Next, invest in interactive content, Price urges. It's hard to argue against interactivity when adding video to an email can boost click rates by 300% and including dynamic content can increase click-to-open rates by 73%. And then be sure to make that content personalized, relevant and appealing; time to go beyond a first name greeting and generic pitch as consumers' e-mail screening options rise. One way to boost appeal is to leverage user-generated content, such as testimonials and product photos. Remember Nielsen found 84% of consumers trust recommendations from their peers, and just 15% trust brands' recommendations, Price points out. And finally, get automated. You can't argue with the 70.5% higher open rates and 152% higher click rates delivered by automation, Price asserts. Just look at her cited stats for basic automated e-mails: Welcome e-mails have 50% better open rates; birthday e-mails lift conversion rates by 60%; and thank-you e-mails, with an offer, drive 13 times more revenue. Read the whole post: http://www.marketingprofs.com/opinions/2016/29443/five-superhot-email-marketing-trends
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