Jan 24, 2024
The 4 ‘Hows’ of “How Many Messages Should Nonprofits Send?”
Communication strategies and how to tell your story is a frequent topic of ours, as it’s continually on the minds of fundraising professionals. Connecting with people and getting them interested enough in your cause that they’re willing to give up their email, phone number, and more, is a struggle. One of the most common questions we hear in our webinars when talking about communications is, “How many messages are too many?”
Truthfully, there is no magic number to answer the “how many” question. I know that’s blasphemous to say, but it’s true, and anyone who tells you otherwise is simply wrong. If you’re asking about this, then you’re most likely not sending out enough messages, as in orders of magnitude not enough, but more importantly, not asking the right question. Instead of specific numbers, shift your focus to how you connect with people using your message.
1. How Do I Inspire My Audience with My Message?
The most important thing you need is to be genuinely excited about your organization, event, campaign, or topic. The more genuinely passionate you are, the more likely your work will show it, your conversations will reflect it, and your voice will tell it. You’ll need some good story-telling structure to demonstrate it effectively in your communications. But first and foremost, you’ll need that passion.
2. How Do I Get My Message to the Right Person?
Now that you have your story, you just need to get it out there, right? While “getting it out there” may be the tent pole of your campaign, communications alone will not make a tent!
You can communicate your message on all your channels: do a blast via email, physical mail, all the social media outlets, and even texting. But a blast is just, well, a blast. It may reach a huge group of people, but without some strategy, it’s going to impact very few.
That’s why segmenting your communications by medium can help make a greater impact. You can tell a different story with Facebook than you can with Twitter, texting, Instagram, or email. Hit as many channels of communication as you can in order to reach your different audiences where they are the most. Bottom line: take advantage of each type of communication method to optimize how you say what you say.
3. How Do I Get People to Respond to My Messages?
Let’s get personal. People respond to personalized messages. You can personalize or segment by just about anything — profession, zip code, donation history, and more. If you make your communication specific to whom you are speaking, people are more likely to respond.
So, don’t use that generic message. Talk to your specific audience instead. When you do, they’ll relate to you and will naturally want to learn more. If your audience expresses wanting more from you, then you really can’t send enough messages.
I’ve personally experienced organizations that sent me one message a week with no story, provided no way to involve me other than to donate, and gave no way to follow up on what they’ve actually done. On the other hand, I’ve seen organizations send daily messages all through November leading up to #GivingTuesday that were interesting and exciting, and I looked forward to the next piece of the story. That’s how you get people to initially engage with your message.
4. How Do I Keep My Audience Engaged?
You may have the absolute best story, and you’ve done a good job of getting it out there. Sure enough, people are signing up for more. Now the question is — how do you keep them?
There is no “If you build it, they will come,” meaning you cannot stop with just your message. One message, or even one series of messages, will not enlist supporters who are also passionate about your cause.
Keep your audience engaged by being engaged yourself. Talk about your own passion with other people! Isn’t that what you do when you’re excited about anything? This is where everything comes together, and your tent poles become the complete tent.
Talk to the people who responded to your message. Where are they talking? If they share on social media, respond! Thank them, ask them questions, and point them to other cool things about your organization. Think about it like any face-to-face interaction. They’ve shown interest in your cause, so find out more. Don’t overwhelm them, but let them know they can count on you for details in a two-way conversation.
For some people, more information is simply one extra exchange. For others, it’s a longer communication and a great conversation. This is why there is no magic number or formula for how many messages you need to send. Because you shouldn’t be thinking of your communications like a checkbox to complete and be done. You need to create the spark and then fan the fire.
But How Many Messages Are Too Many?
We’ve talked about the importance of focusing on the quality rather than the quantity of your communications. But, if you’re still looking for a number, we recommend considering how often you send messages vs. how many you send.
Let’s look at how marketers do it. Many marketers prefer sending emails to subscribers once a week. Weekly emails seem to be a sweet spot — it’s enough to keep the audience engaged without overwhelming them. So, you might aim to send one email to your audience once a week to get started.
Why too much or too little won’t work
An excessive number of emails, texts, or other communications can be overwhelming and ultimately get ignored — especially if they’re sent too often. Viewers see brands as too persistent if they receive a lot of messages, and they lose interest.
On the other hand, waiting too long to send messages decreases opportunities to connect with donors and can result in fewer donations.
Marketers recommend having a schedule for sending marketing messages and tracking data to see what frequency works best. For example, you might use an email analytics tool to determine if recipients are opening your emails. If your audience isn’t opening your emails, it’s a sign you need to change your email marketing strategy.
Finding that balance
It may also help to consider your own experience. If you received 10 emails from your favorite brand every day, would you click on each one? Or would you feel exhausted every time you opened your inbox? What number would work for you?
Try to find a balance that works for your audience and stay focused on sending relevant messages to them. If you receive any complaints about too many messages from a donor, focus on decreasing the number of communications you send that particular person. Other donors might be content with the number of messages you send, so it’s vital not to apply one complaint to your whole audience.
Remember that your audience wants to make a difference in the world and contribute to your cause. No matter the number of your messages, if you clearly express how a person can make a real impact and speak to their heart, they’ll be less likely to send your messages to a digital trash can. Personalization remains the most crucial part of your communications.
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