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You sent 100,000 emails to the wrong list... You directed people to last year’s action... You addressed everyone as “Jane”... It happens.
If your action email has one job—to get your supporter to click through to a destination—then what’s the quickest way to get
Imagine you’ve been asked to have an important conversation with ... ‘someone’. Chances are, you’ll be much happier to have that conversation if
If we want to get the most out of email, we need to make it personal. If every message we send sounds
When it comes to targeting the best supporters for specific activities, many of us are using (or have used) the sub-list model.
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Consider the moment before your supporter decides whether to open your email. They must sacrifice something in order to give you their attention.
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Let’s be honest, this stuff is hard. Never in human history has there been a communication medium more competitive than the Internet.
There’s more than one way to build an email list. The various types of digital assets you can use to attract people to your list are your list building entry points. Choosing the right entry points can either set you up for long term success or agonizing frustration.
The very first touchpoint that brings someone to your email list is defining. That moment is responsible for establishing the terms of the relationship they will have with you. Will the interaction position them as an action taker? Or a spectator? Consider how supporters can best help your organization achieve its mission, and then design list-building entry points to mirror that.
Active entry points include:
Passive entry points include:
Simply put, if your core list-building strategy relies on passive entry points, it’s going to be harder to mobilize your supporters into action. You’ll find plenty of digital agencies keen to push passive entry points because they’re easily applied in a commercial environment. However, we have something more valuable to work with. So play to your advantage—optimize online action pages such as petitions and advocacies to fuel your list building strategy. Prioritize your active entry points. These highly-sharable assets will build audiences faster than generic signup forms every time.
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