Enjoy this list of ten easy optimizations for your advocacy pages. This will help your nonprofit or charity draw attention to your advocacy campaigns and boost conversions – ultimately changing the world for the better.
I’m in the UK so many examples are based in the UK but these tools are all part of Engaging Networks’ suite of nonprofit software. Your advocacy campaigns can excel in everything from email marketing and advocacy to online fundraising.
1. Page testing – different designs
You may have a reliable template that you have used for your advocacy pages for years, so you may be worried about changing anything that might disrupt how they run. But by using split test pages, you can test changes to see if they are more effective, whilst keeping the old reliable page in play.
For example, you can test an alternative image or shorter copy. Or try using one of our sample templates instead of your own, to see if a simplified design is more effective. For an Email to Target page (where you send supporters directly from your emails), the minimum you often need is just an email address field, a postcode/zip code field, and an opt-in question. This is because the other information carries over from the email.
Have you tried testing whether reducing the number of fields means supporters are more likely to complete the page?
2. Personalize content on the page
Your supporters are varied – some may know your work inside-out, some may have only just heard of your organization. Should they all see the same content?
By using conditional content blocks on forms, you can switch text based on profiles, so that your keen activists see different content to those coming in cold. And don’t forget adding someone’s name by using user data inserts is always a nice touch – instead of saying “Thank you”, try saying “Thank you, Corin”.
3. Help your supporters personalize their own target message
Your targets may receive many identical messages from your supporters. Wouldn’t it be more effective if the targets received varied messages, that include their constituents’ personal experiences?
The plain text target message allows your supporters to rewrite the default message, but they may not know where to start. By using editable regions you can lock certain paragraphs with text you don’t want to be changed, and label other editable paragraphs to signpost what your supporter should write.
4. Change the default target message depending on the target
Not every party should get the same message from your supporters. Perhaps one is more supportive than the other, or perhaps an MP has spoken out in favor of your work and should get a thank you message from your supporters instead. By using message swapping, you can add criteria to different messages that will display depending on who the target is.
5. Reference data can enhance your supporters’ messages
If you have some statistics relating to each target, it is easy to include that on the page and in the message by using reference data. In this way, your supporter can include some specific statistical information in their message that depends on where they live, or you can display this reference data on-screen.
6. Follow up with a donation ask straight away
When your supporter takes action, you may have been following up with a simple thank you page. But this is the best time to grab their attention while they are fired up and motivated. Why not redirect them to a thank you page with a donation ask, which can be very effective at generating income from advocacy?
Alternatively, consider a follow-up action, such as a tweet-to-target. When “chaining” pages like this while in Engaging Networks, the supporter won’t need to enter their personal details again and so are more likely to take part.
7. Make sure your tracking is set up
Tracking is a really useful tool that means you can find out which channel has been the most effective in getting traffic and actions for your campaign.
Use tracking in your email links, for Facebook posts, your homepage, if a partner wants to help with the campaign, in fact, anything you like, and you’ll quickly know which of your promotions are working the best.
8. There’s more than just email-to-target…
Many of the databases we supply also allow you to set up tweet-to-target actions, click-to-call actions, and can also be used to data map to add more information to your supporter record. Why not experiment to see which method of communication is the most effective? Let us know if you want more information about the databases we provide by submitting this form.
9. …and there are other advocacy page types too
If you haven’t got a campaign that you need your supporters to take part in right now, you can keep your content output rolling along by trying out some other ideas. Ask your supporters to tell you how they feel about your work using a survey page. Or have supporters get the word out about your organization by creating an eCard page.
10. Set goals and plan on your follow-up
You can use display widgets to show the number of signatures against a petition, or the number of campaign actions taken, and also show a goal. This can help motivate supporters because they’ll see they are part of a bigger movement.
Also, have an end date for your campaign which can help motivate and give a sense of urgency. You can auto-close pages on a specific date, and redirect traffic to another page, which could thank them for their interest and ask them to take part in something else.
11! There will be many more than these 10 ideas to help optimize your advocacy pages
Email me, if there’s something you’d like to know more about or something you’ve created. We’d love to see pages you’re particularly proud of.
