TSA The Department of “Strategery” E-Marketing Tips for Non-Profits

PRESENTED BY: Jamie Schneider E-Marketing Specialist

Behind the Scenes • $7 M annual budget

• $6 M earned income • Tessitura (CRM) • Wordfly (email deployment system) • 750 + events year round • No federal funding • 70% sales online, membership based •$365K marketing budget

• $16K e-marketing budget • $347K direct mail & other costs

What looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, but isn’t a duck? • Core Product – Lectures and Seminars

•Science, Lit, Art, History, etc. • Smithsonian Summer Camps • Smithsonian Sleepovers • Discovery Theater • National Outreach • Civil War Studies • Art Collectors • Mingles at the Museum • SMITHSONIANat8 • Studio Arts • Study Tours • Performances – concert series

The Weight of It All • 800+ manual campaigns a year

• 65+ emails a month • Does not include triggered emails

• 4M emails per year • 100K Good email addresses in Tessitura • Email approx 75K patrons a month

• On average patrons receive 2-4 emails a month

Emails, Emails, Emails… Sales-focused eAlerts for EVERY topic

Patrons can opt-in to over

31 topics!

Other Types of Emails

• Membership reminders (eRenewals) • Newsletters • Customer service

• Event changes • Waitlist • Special alerts

• Development • eAcquisitions

Triggered Emails Triggered emails automatically deployed based on patron actions

• Examples:

– Donor Previews – Welcome Emails – ‘Credit on Account’ – Monthly eGuide – Member Benefits – Activate Your Account

Not Just Another Pretty Face As marketers, we must learn to utilize effective design to communicate the product to patrons in an accessible and meaningful way.

Out with the Old…

• Time consuming & not flexible • Not as easy to read, text heavy • Does not reflect artistic excellence • Missing key elements • Tracking links & text version manual

Our Solution…

In with the New…

Clear Branding

Clean, Easy to Read

Design is key!

Membership Reminders

Automatic Elements

Tracking Links

• http://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=223941&utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FEB12Travel02.05.12&tmssource=123456

A BIG TIME SAVER!

Text Version

Bonus Material

Calls to Action

‘Buzz’ Words

Ad Banners

Custom Header Banners

Banners as Branding

Engagement Focused

Intent Social Messages

• Empower social advocates

• Expand your audience reach

• Make it easy

• Trackable

Twitter link generator: http://www.zehuti.com/tools/tweet Facebook link generator: http://www.sharelinkgenerator.com/

Speaking of Social Media – Tie into larger email/digital strategies

– Re-use content across all mediums

– Use a few platforms well

– Set up conversion tracking

– Buy your friends

The Science of Social Media – Publishing interesting content expands reach

• Highly followed accounts share a lot of links

– Positivity works better than negativity

– Asking people to do something works

– Don’t crowd out your own content • Tweet other’s links and let your own content breath

– Sweet spot for links in tweets is about 25% through the link

– 120 character tweets are shared more than longer ones

– Retweet activity is higher on Friday

– Focus social media on weekends to cut through clutter

– Visual content is the most popular

– Write simply and plainly (nouns and verbs)

– Read The Science of Marketing by Dan Zarrella

– Follow the Hubspot blog: http://blog.hubspot.com/

Multiple Events

Single Event

Development

EOY ASK

Event Invite

Custom Language for Membership Upsells

• Based on current level

• Conditional coding (if/then logic)

• Offers benefits of higher levels

• Borrowed from DM strategies

Condenses down to simple message: Or upgrade to the Resident Enthusiast level to purchase five additional tickets at member price. And if you increase your support to the Resident Champion level, you’ll have even more benefits like access to exclusive complimentary tours of Smithsonian exhibitions.

Not Just for Sales & Membership

Customer Service

Credit on Account

Intro

4 Options

Call to Action

Support

Dynamic

Welcome Emails

• 8 versions

• Introduce brand & product

• Creating Awareness

eAlerts

Ticket Resources

Associate

Customer Service

Dynamic

Membership Benefits

• Custom version based on level

• Educates our members about us and their benefits

• Members who take advantage of their benefits are happier

• Improved renewal rates

Special Promotions

• Incentive to join and provide email address

• Supports our partnerships with other units

• Rewards new members

Tips for Optimizing Emails for Mobile

• 42% of Emails Opened on Mobile Devices

• Optimize existing emails – Headers: 22+ px

– Body copy: 14+ px

– Buttons: 44x44+ px

• Focus on main devices – iPhone, iPad, Android

Tips for Optimizing Emails for Mobile

• Be Flexible in Your Email Design – Responsive templates will adjust

to the width of the recipients screen

– Format for mobile first

• Focus on the Sender & Subject Line – 5-7 words for subject line

• Optimized Landing Pages for Mobile.

Challenges: • Scheduling and Organization • Balancing priorities, segmentation and frequency

AND…how to deal with

both and still achieve maximum results?!?!

How many cooks are REALLY needed in the kitchen?

• 1 manager • Up to 6 active users • Team effort •Pros of Having One Person:

• Ease of coordinating cross-departmental efforts • Decision making • Flexibility

Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great. - John D. Rockefeller

Cons of Having One Person….

Solution: Public schedule, multiple users, planning ahead, and having back-up.

Traffic Control & Google Docs • Comprehensive snapshot • Multiple users • Flexible • Color coded

• Easy to separate email types for data analysis

• Multi-purpose (results) • FREE

Other users

Results

Date updated

Start date

Key: monitor regularly for optimization opportunities. Most patrons nowadays expect a response when they engage with your website or you send them important reminders—oversaturation is not an issue.

Tabs by email type

A Method to the Madness The Cycle & Gettin’ it Done

• Creation • Proofing

• The importance of a deadline • Multiple eyes as a safe-guard

• Finalization & scheduling

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford

One Week in Emails

Managing Frequency

• Sales vs. demand (what gets priority) • Long-range goals such as membership • Strong supports the weak

It’s Actually Simple…

• Sales vs. demand (what gets priority) • Long range goals such as membership • Strong supports the weak

Standard Suppressions

Interest Selected

Ticket History

A total of 5 other emails are suppressed from the Julia Child email.

Hierarchy of Sales Emails

Evaluating Success • Sales

• Open rate

• Click-through

• Traffic

• Conversion

Total Email Generated Revenue FY11-FY13

Google docs does

charts too!

$347,610.00

$762,459.00

$975,312.00

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

1,000,000

FY11 FY12 FY13

Total Revenue

3 Ways to Track Sales • Google analytics

• Imbedded tracking codes in links • Free • Automatic or Manual

• Tessitura Source Codes (with a CRM) • Imbedded in links • Automatic or Manual

• Within an integrated system • Wordfly uses Tessitura source codes • GA and Source Codes Automatic

Average Open Rate Per type of email

6%

12%

18%

23%

29%

35%

41%

46%

52%

58%

64%

Combined Sales Renewal Response

Based

Customer

Service

Discount Family DEVO

Average OR

Industry Standard:

27% TSA Average:

37%

Average Click-Through Rate Per Email Type

1%

3%

5%

6%

8%

10%

12%

13%

Combined Sales Renewal Response

Based

Discount Family DEVO

Average CT Rate

Industry Standard:

3.5%

TSA Average:

7%

Sales Summary: • 180% increase in trackable sales (over 2 years)

• approx. $975K earned (FY13 is not finished)

• $0.02 COS ($16,000 budget) • 0.03% unsubscribe rate

Low unsubscribe rates =

Triggered Email$: More than Pleasantrie$

Activate Account: 9% conversion (990+ accounts) Credit on Account: $19,000 Monthly eGuide: $32,000 Thank you for Coming: $20,000 Welcome Emails: $20,168

Total Earned: $99,223 for FY13 Not to mention the value of

Happy patrons & increased

engagement.

Case Study No. 1 • Emerson String Quartet Chamber Series

– Previous years struggled, now selling out

– Total Revenue +31% over FY11

– Subscriptions +29% increase; 86% renewal rate

• So…What Made the Difference?

– Targeted emails (PTB’s etc)

– Created sense of urgency/demand

– Response-based/Behavioral targeting

– Post-concert Emails

– Coordinated with Direct Mail Campaigns

Case Study No. 2 • Digital Program Guide

– Expensive & time consuming

• Our Solution: Hyperlinked PDF

• Results:

– Members get first notice

– Low-cost solution with high ROI • $30k+ over 6 months

– Well received by patrons

– Preparing for a digital future

Total Visits – Google Analytics FY11-FY13

Web traffic has increased:

40% 0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June

FY2011 FY2012 FY2013

Traffic Sources - % of Visits FY11 vs. FY13 % of Visits

Vehicle FY11 FY13

Search Engine 14% 15%

Referral 19% 15%

Direct 26% 20%

Campaigns 41% 50% Cross-Promotions are a great way to

reach new audiences!

Email Activity FY11 vs. FY13

Data FY11 FY13

Purchase Rate 7% 13.4%

Search Engine Optimization Search marketing is the process of gaining traffic and visibility from search engines through both paid and unpaid efforts. It Encompasses:

• Internal linking • Link to others • Place keywords throughout every aspect of your site: your titles, content, URLs, and image names • Create a site map to make it easier for spiders to search your site. • Use keywords in urls (searchable) • Avoid flash (can’t link) • Include Alt tags for images (keywords) • Keep content fresh and dynamic • Google Grants

Mobile Activity

Not only is data analysis important for campaign optimization and reporting, but it helps you notice trends and stay ahead of the curve so you don’t end up scrambling to catch up to your patrons.

Email: A Saving Grace?

660

680

700

720

740

760

780

800

820

FY11 FY12 FY13

# P

rog

ram

s o

ffe

red

# of Programs

$2,500,000

$2,550,000

$2,600,000

$2,650,000

$2,700,000

$2,750,000

$2,800,000

$2,850,000

FY11 FY12 FY13

Total Revenue

Despite seeing a 10.8% decline in the number of programs since FY11, we’ve actually experienced a 7.4% ($200K) increase in overall revenue earned from programs.

Does this mean DM is dead?

Sales Trends by the Month

Addition of eGuide

Sales by week

It’s All About the Mix • We now have more resources to reach audiences, in ways they want to be reached. • Effective marketing campaigns work together across all channels. • Different demographics, require a different multi-channel mix.

Top Takeaways

1. Messaging and design go hand-in hand 2. Target and engage your patrons 3. Use Social Media strategically to expand your reach 4. Have an organized system in place 5. Unless there’s an emergency—blast is a dirty word 6. Test, learn, adapt, and track—it’s the only way to improve 7. Triggered emails—make them work for you 8. DM is not dead—follow an integrative marketing approach 9. Make time for big picture data—it really is important 10. Self educate & analyze—always be thinking forward 11. Keep your website fresh and dynamic 12. Imbed keywords throughout your website

Contact Information Jamie Schneider E-marketing Specialist The Smithsonian Associates P.O. Box 23293, Washington, DC 20026-3293 T 202.633.8623 | schneiderj@si.edu SmithsonianAssociates.org facebook.com/TheSmithsonianAssociates twitter.com/SmithsonianTSA

Any Questions?