Off-target links lead donors away from giving

One of the most common errors in nonprofit e-appeals is this: indiscriminate links. Lots of them. Each one a tempting little rabbit-trail that can lead would-be donors away from action, never to return and complete their gift.

The Emma Blog has some good pointers for helping your e-appeals keep donors on task: Clicks are only half the battle

Be choosy about your links. When a recipient clicks a link in your email, they're essentially leaving your email's message behind -- and they may not return to read more. So make sure you're delivering them elsewhere for good reason. Rather than directing to pages of your site, consider creating custom landing pages that speak uniquely to your email audience. Remember, they know more about you than someone who finds you through a search engine. That means you can deliver them to a deeper place in your sales funnel.

Just because you have a template that has all the standard navigation links doesn't mean you should use it.

If someone is actually reading your email (remember, most of your emails don't even get opened), they've taken a step toward action. Every distraction you put in their field of vision increases the chance that they'll continue that action all the way to completion.

You also should not have navigation links on your giving pages for the same reason.

The secret to smart fundraising, online or off, is focus.

Comments

[Lisa Sargent]

Jeff, I like your final sentence re: "online or off." Makes me think that every call to action is a bit like a click. We always need to be consider where it will take donor/reader... I remember reading once how reply slips that offer too many options get lower results. Good post, thanks. --Lisa

[Claire Axelrad]

I'm struck by the challenge this presents when we try to curate content to be of value to our constituents. They may appreciate the links we provide; at the same time, it does take them away from us and they may not come back. I struggle with finding the right balance.