by Firefly Partners • 11.18.2020
I’d like to tell you a story about a recent online experience that I had with a brand that I follow, know, and trust.
First, a confession. I sort of geek out on beautiful website experiences. I experienced a beautiful customer journey yesterday that I think applies to how we think as nonprofits about our digital fundraising campaigns, events, and the experience that we give to donors on our website.
Here’s what happened:
The easiest conference registration I’ve ever experienced happened for me yesterday and it got me thinking again about innovation and user experience.
If you have worked closely with me on any marketing programs in the past few years, you have probably heard me mention Drift’s name a million and one times.
I have an eensy weensy teeny weeny marketing crush on Drift.
Why?
- They are interesting. My philosophy on marketing is simple: Don’t Be Boring.
- They aren’t boring, they try things, and I find that inspiring. The fact that they go out on a limb and try new things (and talk about it) builds trust with me, their consumer.
- They make interacting with them easy.
- They have built trust with me over time by bringing value in terms of helpful resources, a seamless sales process, and a different approach
Yesterday I got an email from them about their conference and the speaker lineup was enticing so I went to sign up.
Guess what? It wasn’t painful like most registration processes are.
They didn’t ask me a million questions that don’t really matter, they kept it conversational (makes sense – they created the category of “Conversational Marketing”), they offered me options, and it took all of 60 seconds.
Here’s a screenshot that I created which details the entire process of registering. The entire registration process was done via a chatbot on their website.
So, what does this have to do with nonprofit digital strategy and the work we do here at Firefly?
This registration process serves as an example – a case study – for a good user experience that builds trust and keeps me coming back.
Let’s talk about how it applies to your nonprofit’s online digital campaigns.
I’d like you to think about the registrations and forms and user experience that you serve up to your donors, volunteers, and peer-to-peer participants when you launch campaigns.
Does it pass the compelling and simple test – ask these questions:
#1 – Is your ask or offer interesting?
I know, this seems simple and you might even be thinking, of course it is. Take a step back, though. Pretend as if you don’t work at your organization and you were simply stumbling upon your website or campaign landing page for the first time. Would you be enticed by the messaging, imagery, and calls-to-action?
#2 – Is it easy to interact with your campaign?
Is the process to complete the task at hand – whether it be giving a donation, signing up for an event, or creating a DIY fundraising page, easy and seamless? We, humans, are all hyper-connected these days to technology and expect easy online experiences. This matters so much. Please do not discount how long it takes for someone to complete your forms and take the action that amplifies your impact.
#3 – Is what you are offering building trust with the person on the other end, the person giving, registering, and taking action on the thing you are asking them to take action on?
Take a good look at the language you use, the impact you show in your messaging, the stories you tell, and the time-to-value that someone experiences when interacting with your organization. Remember: Donors give because it helps them live up to their life’s aspirations to give back. If you bring them that value and let them experience joy in the process of giving and taking action, they will trust you and they will keep coming back.
The registration process I had with Drift yesterday did bring me joy. It was easy and it got me excited about the event. Experiences like this keep me coming back and tuning into their resources, their products, and their leadership in the world of online marketing.
