Choosing a Broadcast Tool

Transcription

1 Choosing a Broadcast Tool March 2010 Logistics Ask questions! Otherwise I m speaking to a black hole! Choosing a Broadcast Tool Enter questions into the Chat with Presenter box February 2009 Use the Raise Hand button 1

2 Logistics I ll doing some wholesale muting and unmuting, but you can do it yourself as well. *7 to Un-mute *6 to Mute Wait for the Recording Lady. 2

3 Choosing a Broadcast Tool March 2010 What We ll Cover Broadcast Strategy in Four Minutes or Less Features and Functions Some Demos More Recommended Tools 3

4 Introductions Me! What do you hope to get from this session? Broadcast Strategy in Four Minutes or Less 4

5 Be A Good Correspondent Send s that your supporters want to open Say interesting things Use shorter, punchier language than for letters Be consistent and dependable Try to Find the Right Frequency Think through your overall volume Quarterly Monthly Weekly Daily Almost certainly too little Typical Probably too much 5

6 The Details are Critical Who is the from? What s the subject line? Is the graphic design clean? Does it depend on images? Does it seem like they know who I am? Are there spam-like words in the text? Are any calls to action clear? Is there an unsubscribe link and physical address? Features and Functions 6

7 Software in Brief You create your in an online admin tool The admin tool also stores your list of subscribers And you can view the results in the admin tool You choose the and subscribers and send the But What About Installed Software? Sending bulk through your own server risks getting all your accounts blacklisted. Outlook is not a bulk tool! No help managing subscriptions No help in targeting or segmenting HTML support is very iffy 7

8 In Which We Talk About: Creating s HTML and text s Editing text Working with images Templates More advanced features Sending and Tracking Testing Scheduling Deliverability Reporting Support Managing Your List General list management Website integration Unsubscribes and bounces Integrating with other data Desirable Features and Functions: Creating s 8

9 HTML and Text s Text HTML No text formatting or images Very limited reporting More error prone - not all will see correctly Some may have difficulty with images Often has better response rate Templates Does the tool come with templates you can use? Are they nice? Do you have to use them? Can you store a template so that your s are consistent? Multiple templates? ConstantContact Can you completely customize your own template? 9

10 Editing Your Text Can it add a supporters name, or other info? Does it help you add images? Can you update your enews with a Word-like editor? Will it support text and HTML for the same enews? Can it add in a custom footer automatically? Now powered by Emma Can you preview your work? Save for later? More Advanced Editing Features Other features that might be useful: Automatic creation of a web-version of the Forward to a Friend 10

11 Desirable Features and Functions: Managing Your List General List Management Does it automatically manage unsubscribes and bounces? Can you import new subscribers easily? Can you manually update or unsubscribe? Can you export data, to backup or share with other systems? Can you store custom data about subscribers? Constant Contact 11

12 Segmentation How usefully can you select the specific people you d like to ? How easy is it to store the data you need in order to segment? Now powered by Emma Website Integration Will the enews sign-up form blend into the look of your website? Does the tool support collecting detailed info in a second step? Can you ask for custom info and list preferences? Can you automatically send a confirmation (double opt in)? Do you have to? Can subscribers access and update their info? 12

13 Integrating with Other Data There are three basic approaches to integrating enews data with other data (grants, donations, etc) Manually synch via import/ export Use an integrated package Create a feed via API Pros Least up front investment All data is in one place and easy to access, without extra effort Can create best of breed approach; can use existing systems Cons Can be time consuming ongoing, especially if high volume Bigger investment upfront. Requires replacing existing systems Requires skilled programmer and investment up front Look for Flexibility of import and export tools A tool that can support all your constituent tracking needs A tool that allows programmatic access to data Desirable Features and Functions: Sending and Tracking 13

14 Testing Will it audit s for Spam keywords? Can you send test s, in both HTML and text format? Can you specify a separate person to approve? Now powered By Emma Can you send to specific segments, to conduct A/B testing? Scheduling Can you schedule a time to send your enews, rather than sending it immediately? Now powered by 14

15 Deliverability Whether or not the shows up in your subscriber s Inbox depends on three things The text and layout of your Does the use spam keywords (free!! Viagra!)? Are there red flags about the format or layout? The history and relationships of the sending server Has it been blacklisted by spam watchers? Does the server have a history of being flagged as spam? Does it have special relationships ( whitelisting, bonding ) with ISPs? Whether subscribers flag it as spam Have you used third party lists? Have you used a doubleopt-in? Has it been a long time since you ed them? Reporting Can you see how many opened the ? How many clicked through? Can you see how many clicked on each link in the ? GetActive 15

16 Support How are the help files and other documentation? Are there real live humans to or call? Is there an active community that can help? Google Groups Quick Discussion Which features are the most important to your organization? What are your priorities among all the things we just discussed? 16

17 Recommended Tools Two Primary Kinds. Stand Alone: Specialist in blast but you likely need to integrate the data with another constituent database. Online Integrated Tool: Handles constituent data, online payments, and more in addition to s. Great for those with many online needs, particularly those who don t already have a strong infrastructure 17

18 Recommended Tools Stand Alone VerticalResponse 10,000 s per month FREE for 501c3s (after that, on the expensive side) Good template/ HTML options Nice web integration Strong deliverability, but they need to review every that goes out, and mandatory global opt-outs are in every Segmentation is strong but complicated Integrates with Salesforce.com Decent support Newer donation program 18

19 A Look at Vertical Response Network for Good Now (powered by Emma) $29.95/month for up to 20,000 s, and $2/thousand after Great template options will design custom for $199 Strong web integration Strong segmentation Feature rich, but complex Strong nonprofit-centric support Sustainable product from a nonprofit with proven record 19

20 A Look at Now A Word About Pricing Fees can differ dramatically based the number of people on your list and the number of s you send $600 $ per $500 month $400 $300 $200 $100 $ CampaignMonitor Product 1 ConstantContact Now Product 2 Emma Product 3 Topica Product 4 Estimate monthly fees based on your own situation 20

21 Other Options Electric Embers ( Similar to Google or Yahoo Groups without the ads and a bit more control. Doesn t easily support HMTL s. Starts at $5/month. Constant Contact ( Solid and commonly used. Starts at $15/month. However, many report deliverability problems. CampaignMonitor ( No templates, but solid custom fields and deliverability. Inexpensive if you re not sending many s, at $5 per campaign + $0.01 per . Topica ( Sophisticated website integration, custom fields and segmentation. $50/month for up to 5000 subscribers, but their next tier is $250/month. Recommended Tools Integrated Online 21

22 Lower Cost Integrated Tools Wild Apricot ( Friendly features for small membership orgs including website management. etapestry ( Online donor database with online payment and capabilities. Inexpensive if you have few constituents, but gets pricy fast. Democracy in Action ( Good value for more technical (especially advocacy) groups. Very strong segmentation. CiviCRM ( Useful free and open source suite but requires technical knowledge and sending off your own server. Integrated Tool Laundry List Lower Cost Website-In-A-Box Action Potential Wild Apricot Mid-Market Artez CitySoft Democracy in Action etapestry GivenGain LocalVoice MemberClicks Orchid Suites Z2 from Neon Open Source Drupal /CivicSpace From Consulting Firms Nonprofit Soapbox AMP from Radical Designs 44Fish from Antharia The Big Kahunas Convio Kintera Blackbaud NetCommunity 22

23 Quick Discussion Which tools on the list seem most applicable for your needs? What questions do you have that will need to be answered to make a decision? Questions? 23

24 More Online! See more at A Few Good Newsletter Tools Choosing Bulk Software to Match Your Communication Goals Comparing Lower-Cost Online Integrated Applications For the Technically Inclined Mailman (or another tool with your web host) Basic mailing list manager - free with many web-hosting packages Similar to the Yahoo or Google groups, without the ads. PHPList ( An open source PHP module that can be added to websites for middle-of-the-road functionality. Drupal/ CivicSpace ( Drupal an open source content management system - includes middle-of-the-road functionality. All of these tools sit on you server, so consider deliverability and blacklisting issues. Will you have time to manage ISP relationships? 24

25 Working With Images Can you upload your images, or do they need to sit on another server? Can you store images so you can use them later? Will the software optimize your images i.e. decrease the file size for the web? VerticalResponse Unsubscribes and Bounces What tools does the software offer to keep your list clean? Automatic unsubscribe features? Automatic bounce management? Features to manage replies? 25