Last month I shared with you an email which had 2 CTA buttons at the end: “Yes, I’m in” and “Not Today.” I asked for your thoughts on “not today” and you responded bigtime!
For starters, I need to apologize. The email is a few years old and I forgot to mark down which website page the “not today” button leads to. Many of you asked but I didn’t have an answer. I’m sorry.
My initial thoughts on the button: I didn’t like it. When I first saw it I had a bit of a negative reaction to it. I thought it was a passive aggressive way of getting people to click “yes.” Who wants to tell a charity raising funds for kids “I don’t wanna give today. Leave me alone!”??!!
But this is why I ask and learn from others!
I’m grateful to the many Email 366 subscribers who took the time to share their thoughts with me. Lemme share with you some of the comments I got from subscribers who liked the button:
“I think that button leaves the door open and doesn’t shame anyone, which a “no, I’m not interested in supporting people like Simran” would.”
“Love it. A graceful exit.”
“I like it being used, gives someone an illusion of choice rather than a directive to give.”
“I actually think it’s low-key brilliant. It’s a call to action and it’ll probably work for the folx that don’t really respond to emails or have no interest. “
“I like “not today” because it allows the recipient some space to make a decision. Some people don’t need space – “wham, bam, made the decision!
Some people are more likely to make a positive decision if they are given some space to think about it and ruminate. The CTA “not today” lets them know that a “no” now doesn’t have to be “no” forever. It can become a “yes” later when they feel more comfortable making that decision. I think this is true of requests for donations.”
Not everyone liked it.
“In general, I’m not a big fan of giving current/potential donors an easy out.”
“It reads like: I love babies and puppies. With the other button saying: I HATE babies and puppies because I’m a horrible person.”
As I mentioned, my initial reaction to it was negative. Maybe it has to do with me being a Gen Xer and snark and sarcasm is our love language.
But I’m glad I asked because I now can see it in a different perspective, thanks to your smarts and insights!
Would I tell a client to use it? I’m honestly not sure. It might be something to A/B test and see what happens.
But I would definitely NOT have the “not today” button lead to the online donation page. If anything, I’d have it take a reader to a page which discusses the organization’s mission and impact. Share more info. Less of a donation push, more of an informational and educational push.
The goal? Maybe it’s a “no” today but I increase my chances of a “yes” in the future by allowing them to take a different path this time.
Thank you again to everyone who emailed me!
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