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Articles

Extreme Online Makeover: Landing Page Edition

by Rachel Allison,
Associate Creative Director at Donordigital

In the world of online direct response, email has historically been the star. But is email really all there is to raising dollars and awareness online?

Well, of course not. With the rare exception of in-email forms (which have yet to hit a majority of inboxes), you still have to take your reader out of their inbox and on to another page before they can actually take the action you desire.

That page you land on - whether it's a donation, advocacy or tell-a-friend page - is a landing page. And just like your emails, your landing pages need careful attention in order to perform well.

But here's the great part: Giving your landing pages a conversion-boosting makeover is easier than you think.

Just ask yourself the following questions to see where you might be losing list members to landing page abandonment (and find out how simple edits can bring them back!).

1. Is your design simple and uncluttered? The look of your landing page is the first thing people will notice, so make sure it's not losing people. Make sure your HTML wrapper is simple and avoids unnecessary links off of the landing page. This will distract viewers from the task at hand: taking action and/or donating.
   
   
2. Is your branding consistent? Branding consistency starts with making sure your organization's logo is prominent on both email and landing pages, but it doesn't end there. Make sure the rest your landing page reflects the design of your email as well. Even if you can't control the entire look of your landing page (this is often the case in ASPs), you can repeat colors, fonts, and key images from the email. This simple step visually reassures your reader that they're in the right place and makes your campaign look more finished.
   
   
3. Is your headline optimized? The headline is the first text your viewer will read, so get the most out of every word. Make the headline bold and in a big enough font to read easily (at least 10 point font). Then make sure the headline is a clear, concise call to action that fits in with your email copy. This is not the place to be cute. Every additional second a reader spends trying to understand what you're saying is a second they're more likely to abandon your page. Clarity is key.
   
   
4. Does the text underneath your headline match your email copy? Underneath your headline, include a short (2-3 vertical inches of text, max) paragraph explaining your action or donation campaign. Make sure this blurb is easy to read by using black font (other colors are harder to read), and at least a 10 point font. Then make sure your blurb's language matches the copy in the email you linked from. Landing pages that repeat phrases and language from their emails reinforce your message and outperform landing pages that do not keep their language consistent.
   
   
5. How long does it take to fill out your form? This one is simple. The longer it takes for someone to fill out your form, the more likely they will be to abandon it. Take out any and all unnecessary form fields - simply capture the information you need. Of course this does NOT mean taking out opt-in fields that let people opt out of joining your list. These fields are not optional.
   
   
6. You're not done yet! What about your "Thank you" pages? So your viewer has made it through your design, headline, text and form - and they've finally taken action or donated... Congrats! But there's still one last thing you MUST do: thank them. This means more than just typing the words "thank you" on a resolve page. First, always, ALWAYS take 1-2 sentences to tell them why their action/donation makes a difference. Then, make sure you give them more options to stay involved. Do this by including a Tell-A-Friend form on your thank-you page if possible. If it's not, simply offer links to other action campaigns, donation pages, and more information on your issue.
   
   

Now, I'll be the first to tell you there's even more you can do to optimize your landing pages. (Usability experts right books on this topic… long ones!) But by following the pointers above, you'll be taking the first, critical steps towards reducing viewer abandonment and increasing conversion.

Googling for Donors

by Nick Allen,
reprinted from "Fundraising Success Magazine"

Nonprofits usually use search-engine marketing - buying keywords on Google, Yahoo!, and other sites - to drive traffic to their sites, sell merchandise, and enroll supporters on their e-mail lists. Many organizations are buying keywords, and many others are taking advantage of the Google Grants program, which offers free keywords to selected nonprofits.

Amnesty International USA has been taking the next step, acquiring donors directly on search engines - and making money on the acquisition - through a program that involved testing a wide variety of keywords and continuous editing of the words based on their efficiencies. It also involved testing different copy for the search listings, as well as testing multiple landing pages to improve the conversion percentage and increase the average gift size.

In the typical direct-mail or online fundraising program, nonprofits expect to pay to acquire a donor and get a positive return on investment only with a second or third gift.

But in a recent three-month period, Amnesty spent $14,600 on Google and Yahoo! keywords, and brought in 380 new donors and almost $38,000, says Kyra Stoddart, direct response and online fundraising coordinator at Amnesty International.

The average acquisition cost was $38 - but the average donation was $100. The keywords attracted both existing Amnesty donors and new donors. Existing donors gave an average of $125 (including several $1,000+ gifts), while the new donors averaged $45. In April, Amnesty International spent $2,700 and raised $9,800, providing a return on investment of better than three to one.

"Search provided lower cost-per-donor acquisition than the other online marketing venues we were using," says Kyra. "In addition to fundraising, we also received millions of free impressions. What we don't know yet is the lifetime value of the search donors compared to donors from acquisition channels."