The Challenge
VSO wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary to thank their donors and increase engagement in the future. Using donor data, YouTube, and MessageFocus, they combined a number of automation and personalisation tools to send a really special message.
The Strategy
Like many retailers and charities, VSO use a transactional email to send an automated thank you to anyone who’s just made a donation. But they really ramped up the personalisation in this campaign. The donor’s name is featured as an integral part of the message, along with an image and statement from the specific volunteer they were sponsoring. The real highlight of the message though, is the custom YouTube video, embedded into the email, making it extra alluring and driving an increase in clicks.
The Results
This campaign achieved double the results compared to previous automated thank you emails. Even better, once they’ve viewed their personalised video, the campaign recipient is on VSO’s YouTube page, where they can stay to watch and share more engaging content, a great way for VSO to expand their reach beyond their core donor base, in a friendly and genuine way.
– Email open rate: 42 per cent
– Email click-through rate: 18 per cent