Tag Archives: Measuring results

Case study: The most bang for the blast w/PAN

If you were given the choice of two presents of the same size – one wrapped in sparkling silver paper with a fancy bow, and the other covered in Sunday comics and topped with a bow made from duct tape – which would you choose?

Personally, I’d gravitate toward comics and duct tape, but I don’t assume that everyone shares my preference. Similarly, at PAN, we don’t assume we know which email subject line will most appeal to our online supporters.

This is the point of A/B testing nonprofit email blasts. Subject line testing not only helps you learn more about your list, it can make a big difference in how many viewers actually take action.

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The semiannual report—an enlightening experience

When it comes to measuring success, most of us mean well but struggle to consistently find time to look at results or have trouble bringing fresh eyes to the reports we review regularly. This is why I am a firm believer in the semiannual report.

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New media: Think IMPACT, not size

I love to play the slots on social networks. All it takes is coming up with something timely, juicy or clever (not always easy…), posting it to Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon or other platforms and then watching how many likes, shares, re-tweets, clicks or other responses I get. (Ta da. They really like me!)

But in the bigger scheme of things the numbers really don’t mean that much. (Damn.) When it comes to new media, it’s not just size that matters. Think: impact.

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If you don’t know what you want, it doesn’t matter how many people “like” you

Deciding how to measure your social media efforts can be a frustrating undertaking. Number of likes? Number of followers? Level of engagement? Which measures are right for you?

Believe it or not, these measures are virtually meaningless. In fact, all measures are meaningless—unless they are tied to your goals.

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