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Using Petitions to Gain New Supporters
One of our clients just gained over 1,000 new online supporters at no cost. That's a 6% gain in their file in two weeks! Here's what they did, with NPA's help: First, they sent a compelling e-mail, stating the problem and inviting the supporters to do two things: first, to sign a petition online, and second, to pass the e-mail along to their friends who might feel the same way. Clearly some readers forwarded this initial e-mail, because 17% of the petition signers the first day were new names. When the supporters viewed the petition, they were also given the opportunity to use a "tell-a-friend" feature on the petition page to enter names and e-mail addresses of friends who would receive the petition. Finally, every petition signer received an immediate "Thank-you" e-mail. This e-mail also urged them to tell more friends by either forwarding the message or using the web site's "tell-a-friend" option. The results were impressive. About 8% of the e-mail recipients signed the petition, which helps the nonprofit's case with Congress and identifies the recipient as having an interest in this topic. Even more encouraging, 40% of the total petition signers, over 1,000 in all, were new names added to the file. "Viral" marketing is made easier online when you've made a strong case for readers to rally support for the cause, and when you've made it easy for them to use Internet tools to spread the word. December 2003 | |
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