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For several years, I drove a strategy at Animals Australia to send ‘thank-you’ emails to action takers that were jam-packed with followup
Sometimes, the purpose of an email can be simply to inform. But often, we’re trying to get someone somewhere. An action page. A
Who are your supporters? And what do they need from you to reach their potential as star advocates or loyal donors? You might
It doesn’t matter if you’re writing an email, a blog post, or a tweet—the full gamut of attention-seeking and attention-keeping tactics apply. Social
Think of digital pipelines as pathways that lead your supporters down progressively deeper levels of engagement. Without designing your pipelines intentionally, your supporters
On the surface, it looks like the purpose of a title is to introduce the content of a webpage. But of course—you
Great communication is not just about what you say but how you say it. Who says it also matters. You won’t always
Most email broadcast systems come packed with standard analytics. Just to be clear, here’s what we care about: Recipient volume This is the
The General Data Protection Regulation (commonly, GDPR) came into effect in May 2018. It impacts all businesses and organizations, everywhere in the world,
You sent 100,000 emails to the wrong list... You directed people to last year’s action... You addressed everyone as “Jane”... It happens.
SPOILER: it’s not good. Sure—you know you’re writing an email to 5,000 people. But your task is to make your reader feel like
What draws people to your cause? What motivated your supporters to take their first action? What did they feel when they first donated?
If we want to get the most out of email, we need to make it personal. If every message we send sounds
It can feel intuitive to place your action form elements at the end of your page—after your theory of change. However, your supporter
Here’s an important piece of digital communication that you’ve probably never read: Few of us pay attention to stuff like
Great communication is not just about what you say but how you say it. Who says it also matters. You won’t always be the best vehicle for your message. It helps to know when someone else can deliver your message more convincingly than you can.
A messenger who embodies the message is always likely to be more persuasive and more engaging. Some of the most effective pieces of communication released by Animals Australia didn’t come from Animals Australia—they came from children, investigators, shoppers, and animals. Great messengers are powerful. They can lower resistance to challenging ideas and cut through to new audiences that might normally be out of your reach.
Tony Abbott is best known for eating raw onions and wearing budgie smugglers. He was also known as Australia’s Prime Minister from 2013 - 2015. The Abbott Government was relentlessly (and fairly) criticized for its underrepresentation of women. In fact, women candidates within his party’s leadership were so scarce that when it came to filling the position of “Minister for Women”, Tony Abbott appointed himself.
In terms of authentic representation, it’s hard to get it this wrong. No amount of spin could convince the Australian public that women and gender equality were priorities for his Government. People saw straight through it. Learn to recognize when you don’t have the authentic voice. Also, don’t be Tony.
When your messenger is the message, authenticity elevates impact. Don’t unravel all that by turning a genuine messenger into an ‘actor’ or forcing them to speak inauthentically. While it’s tempting to control every aspect of your message, find ways to integrate the thoughts and words of your messenger, too. Seek input. Let your messenger be real. Instead of a script, choose an interview. Candid moments, genuine insights, and natural language are communication gold. Don’t miss out on that!
Whether it’s a billboard, a social media video, or an email to your supporters, different voices can amplify messages in different ways. Let’s look at some of them.
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