SEM, Display & Best PracticesElliott Wilkerson, Director of Digital Media Buying

Creedance Kresch, Account DirectorJanuary 30, 2015

SEM and Display are part of a larger digital strategy to engage donors and invite them to contribute to your Mission according to their preferences.

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Online giving trends

• With growth in several nonprofit sectors, exploring ways to drive more donor traffic to your website is essential

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Source: Blackbaud 2013 Charitable Giving Report

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Boomers give online too

• Generations X and Y more likely to give online, but overall giving is a smaller percentage of the fundraising total

• Baby Boomers represent 43% of total giving, and 42% say they give online

Source: Blackbaud The Next Generation of American Giving (Aug 2013)

Online adoption rates are growing

5 Source: Blackbaud The Next Generation of American Giving (Aug 2013)

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Online giving trends: Future state

Source: Blackbaud The Next Generation of American Giving (Aug 2013)

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• Canada saw 615 billion display ad impressions in 2013• Canadians are the heaviest online searchers at 140 queries per month • 3 out of 4 Canadians own smartphones• Canadians are using their phones for shopping behavior

Canada largely tracks with the U.S.

Source: comScore “Canada Digital Future in Focus” 2014

Presentation goals

Gain a more intimate knowledge of how SEM and display work

Identify related opportunities and best practices

Learn how to read results

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SEM

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Display

Why SEM & display?

• Russ Reid partnered with 50+ U.S. and Canadian rescue missions to raise 2.39 million in 2014

• 180 million impressions

• Over 17,000 donations

• $140 avg gift

• 1.37 ROI

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SEM and Display – How They Work

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Search

• Web users visit search engines to find charitable organizations or seek more information on charities they already know

• 18 billion searches were conducted in the US in August 2014

• 5 billion searches are conducted per month on avg in Canada

• Paid search ensures your organization receives prime positioning and is seen by those who are looking to give

• Bidding system and keywords

• Search returns a mix of new, existing and reactivated donor responses

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Google for Nonprofits• Google Grants

• Strategy

• Limitations

• YouTube for Nonprofits

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Keyword themes & examples

• For Missions, Russ Reid bids on the following types of relevant keywords:

Brand

Services (feed the homeless, homeless shelter, etc.)

Location (“City” rescue mission, “State” rescue mission, etc.)

Donation (charities, non-profits)

Hunger (feeding the hungry, hunger charity)

Holiday (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Year End)

Ad copy

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Sitelinks

• Additional deep links included in ads that link to more specific content (different landing pages)

• They are used to promote the most visited pages and call out special offers/ events

• Sitelinks do not show up every time. It is completely up to the search engines’ algorithms to determine whether or not they are displayed

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High quality scores

• Determine which ads are shown above organic results – and can even cause an ad to jump above other ads with lower quality scores

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Display

• Primary function is to generate awareness through expanded targeted-audience reach online

• Direct revenue vs. influencer

• The change in purchasing media

• Retargeting and prospecting

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Retargeting

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Audience targeting

• Geo-Targeting: Mission service area

• Demographic Targeting: age, gender, etc.

• Behavior Targeting: Data determines if an impression is valuable or not, and how much to pay for that potential person/impression

• Contextual Targeting: Themes of content on websites. These sites personify the topics and trends which resonate with your audience.

• Block individual websites if they do not perform well

SEM and Display – Best Practices

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Best Practice: Build a responsive site

•Donors and potential donors will land on your website and/or giving page from SEM and display

•Provide a mobile-friendly experience – donors are 67% more likely to donate

•“Respond” to them where (mobile, PC, tablet) they are – where they are (home, work, coffee shop)

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Best Practice: Integrate your landing page

• Landing pages must also be relevant and donor-friendly

• Ensure a seamless click-through transition by integrating your landing page assets to match the related appeal or driver

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Best Practice: Website optimization

• Which donation page checkout sequence achieved a higher conversion rate?

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Control Variation Test Variation

The test variation achieved a 12.7% lift in conversion rate. The test reached a statistical confidence of 96.1%.

Best Practice: Apply tracking

• Google Analytics e-commerce tracking

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Best Practice: Respond to industry trends

• SEM and Display are constantly evolving

• Trend watching is vital to determine what’s new, what’s working, and what’s not

• We are starting to explore:

•Mobile ads – will soon surpass desktop usage – location data adds relevance and impact

•Native ads

•Social ads

•Cross-platform retargeting

•Offline to online targeting

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Best Practice: Multi-Channel integration

• In today’s multi-channel environment, digital must play an integrated role in the overall marketing strategy

• Maximize expenditures across channels – including email, social, direct mail, and even your website

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SEM and Display – How To Read Results

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How to read results

• Digital is partially an acquisition tool. ROI should be considered in this measure.

• Average gifts are typically larger online and the LTDV is more than 2x more at $455, but the pool of available donors is much smaller

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How to read results (continued)

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In Summary

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• SEM and Display are more than just digital tactics, they play an important role in your donor relationship management

• To provide your online donors with an exceptional experience, we recommend following these best practices:

Build a responsive site

Integrate your landing page with your current appeal(s)

Optimize your website

Apply tracking to your website and giving page(s)

Respond to industry trends

Integrate with other channels

Questions?

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Thank You

Elliott Wilkersonewilkerson@russreid.com

Creedance Kreschckresch@russreid.com