Boost Your Non-Profit & Political Email Marketing Click-through Rates

One of the most important aspects of email design is a purposeful call-to-action, as it needs to compel recipients to engage further with your brand. Although all marketing content needs a clear call-to-action, in this post I’m going to focus on calls-to-action (CTAs) for non-profit and political email campaigns.

Whether the intent of your email campaign is to get constituents to make a donation to your campaign, or share your fundraising site’s URL, calls-to-action may often be the email’s only purpose—to drive action from supporters.

In an email, your CTAs can be in the form of words (links), a button, or both. As this post explains, there are three ways to make effective CTAs for political and non-profit email.

1. Add CTA as a Question

Make it clear what you want the reader to do (i.e., what is the point of your call-to-action?) An effective call-to-action needs to combine a clear instruction with a defined purpose, such as:

•          Will you volunteer to make phone calls at [name] office?
•          Can you help us with our telephone outreach project?
•          Will you volunteer to canvass/go door-to-door?
•          Can you host a political fundraising event?
•          Will you volunteer to recruit family and friends?
•          Are you ready to help us get out the vote?
•          Will you do your part and volunteer to staff a [name] office?
•          Can you volunteer to write letters to the editor of newspapers?
•          Will you help us Get Out The Vote?
•          Ready to join us?

2. Add CTA as an Instruction

To encourage your readers to do something, use a command that clearly states what action you want them to take. For example:

•          You can sign up to volunteer for our campaign team at http://www.yourwebsite.com/volunteer
•          You can help elect the next [Office] by signing up to volunteer for our campaign at…
•          Sign up for a volunteer shift
•          Support Our Efforts
•          Join the grassroots effort!
•          Get Involved!
•          Join the Campaign Today!
•          Take Action Now!
•          Be Heard!
•          Learn more
•          Sign the Petition
•          Sign the Pledge
•          RSVP to this Event
•          Act Now
•          Like [Us/Your State Party] on Facebook!
•          Follow [Us/Your State Party] on Twitter!
•          Speak Out
•          Host a Meet & Greet
•          Register to volunteer
•          Make a Donation
•          Take action!

3. Add CTA Button/Image Link

Buttons and images should be used for primary CTAs in your email and should be attention-grabbing and prominent. For example:

However, use buttons and images with caution since email clients are not very button/image friendly and, although you may be able to view the button or image in a browser, it might be unreadable in Outlook. Additionally, image downloads may be blocked by the user, so your entire call-to-action may be lost if you use an image to convey a link.

If you do use a button or image—make it big, bright, and easy to see. Be sure that there is a text-based link and call-to-action directly below or above the image, and that the image includes alt and title text that repeats the call-to-action.

In conclusion, your call-to-action is one of the most important elements in a campaign…so be sure to design it to stand out. Help your readers choose between calls-to-action by highlighting your most important call.

You might also be interested in reading, “Political Email Marketing: Increase Awareness to Increase Votes with Email.”