Slides

Dave: All right, that's the official beginning. Welcome to another roundtable. We skipped a month because of the ASAE annual conference. How many people attended? Put it in the chat if you were there. I know I talked to some of you down there. It was a great conference—lots of engagement.

Today's topic is an important one: what do we do if our campaign isn’t performing as expected? How do we troubleshoot and improve results? A big shoutout to Melissa, Ashley, and Megan for preparing this discussion. With that, I'll turn it over to Megan to kick us off. If you have any questions, drop them in the chat. Cam, can you give us a quick development pipeline update at the end, including SMS?

Cameron: Sure.

Dave: All right, Megan, take it away.

Megan: Thanks, Dave. Hi, everyone, I’m Megan. Today we’re talking about underperforming campaigns—how to prevent it and what to do when it happens.

We’ll start with prevention. How do we set expectations and structure campaigns for success? Here are a few key points:

• Set realistic expectations based on campaign type. Acquisition campaigns tend to have lower response rates than renewal campaigns, for example. New member onboarding often sees better engagement than win-back campaigns.
• Be mindful of what you’re asking. Direct questions like “Are you planning to renew?” get more engagement than indirect ones like “What’s your biggest career priority?”
• Know your audience. Cold leads may need more touchpoints than members who are actively engaged.
• Compare with past campaigns to set a baseline for performance.

Dave: Megan, I love that tip. Simplicity is key—don’t overcomplicate response options. If it takes too much effort to answer, people won’t engage.

Megan: Exactly! And on that note, let’s talk about targeting your contact list.

• Avoid sending to everyone. If you email your full list about an event, engagement will be lower than if you target past attendees.
• Listen to your members. If someone tells you they’re not interested in certification, don’t keep sending them certification emails.
• Honor the no. If someone says they’re not renewing, remove them from renewal campaigns. You can reach out later in a win-back campaign.

Dave: One note on opt-outs: some clients periodically email unsubscribed contacts asking if they’d like to opt back in. Many people say yes!

Megan: Another key point: keep emails conversational.

• Read your prompt text aloud. Would you say this in person? If not, reword it.
• Reframe your goal if needed. Instead of asking “Would you like to donate today?” try “How would you like to support our mission?”
• Keep emails personal. Have check-ins come from a staff member, not a generic sender.
• Use first-person language. Instead of “We’d love to have you,” say “I’d love to see you at this event.”

Ashley: Great points, Megan. Now, let’s talk about what to do after launching a campaign.

• Look beyond response rate percentages. If an acquisition campaign has a 5% response rate but generates 75 new warm leads, that’s a win!
• Focus on clicks over opens. Opens measure deliverability, but responses show engagement.
• Check campaign workflows. Are landing pages driving engagement? Are follow-up actions effective?

Melissa: If a campaign is underperforming, try these tactics:

• Get fresh eyes on it. Ask a colleague or reach out to us for feedback.
• Check your contact list. Are you reaching outdated emails?
• Refine your targeting. Ensure messages are relevant to recipients.
• Nurture responses. If someone expresses interest but doesn’t take action, follow up with a nurture campaign.
• Consider external factors. Are other emails going out the same day? Is this a busy period in your industry?
• Make mid-campaign tweaks. Adjust messaging, timing, or segmentation as needed.

Dave: Amy Hempel mentioned the value of fresh eyes. We’re always here to help review campaigns—don’t hesitate to reach out.

Cameron: Now, a quick update on SMS messaging in PropFuel.

• One-to-one messaging is live now. If you’d like this enabled, let us know.
• Inbound texting is available. Members can text you directly, and responses go to the conversational inbox.
• Outbound SMS campaigns are coming soon. These will be a paid add-on due to SMS carrier costs.
• Opt-in management is built-in. Members must explicitly opt in before receiving texts.

Dave: SMS has great potential for renewals, event reminders, and member support. Let us know if you’re interested.

Thanks, everyone, for joining today. Let’s continue the conversation, and don’t hesitate to reach out to our team for support!

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