Imagine yourself in these two scenarios:
Scenario #1: You walk into a store you’ve never been to before looking for a specific product. You find it on the shelf. You read the box and check out the price. You decide not to buy it right now and walk out.
Scenario #2: You walk into a store for the same reason. Find the product and check it out. Before you leave, a store associate engages you to ask what you’re looking for. She listens, shares some information, and shows you a few other related products you might be interested in.
Based on these two scenarios, which store are you more likely to remember and return to? Because there’s more engagement, information, and involvement, scenario #2 is the more memorable experience. The same thinking applies to your nonprofit’s website.
Many people may find their way to your organization’s website from Google, Facebook, or other sources, looking for a specific piece of information. Maybe it’s an article, event registration, or reference material on a specific topic like breast cancer. The challenge for nonprofits is, once that individual finds what they need, how do you keep the conversation going?
Website Tools to Help Keep Visitors Engaged and Involved
Here are a pair of ways to catch people before they leave your website and help keep the conversation going:
- Sliders
What are website sliders? Sliders are little boxes that slide over your website (hence the name) to call attention to specific information for the user. Sliders can be used in different ways to connect with visitors. They can ask people to sign up for a newsletter or direct them to another piece of content. Sliders are a great way to grab people and get them to take action.
Rather than have an individual bounce from your site and never return, a slider can help you capture their email address to start building a relationship. You can use sliders to offer visitors opportunities to opt in to different communication streams based on where they are on the site. For example, if they are on one page, a slider could appear offering them the opportunity to download an ebook. On another page, a slider may enable them to sign up for email updates. This helps to personalize the experience for the visitor based on their interests.
- Chatbots
You may have heard or read about the rise of bots recently. What are bots? Bots or chatbots are essentially virtual assistants that can help answer a person’s questions or help them find things on a website. Chatbots are a great way to provide an extra layer of customer service and point people in the right direction—especially if your website has a lot of different programs or ways people can get involved.
You can have a chatbot box pop up on your website to give visitors the ability to ask any questions they may have or get help finding certain information. Based on what they type in, the chatbot will provide an answer. Along with giving visitors to your site an additional resource for finding information, chatbots can cut down on the amount of email, phone, or live chat requests you organization needs to respond to as a result of website questions.
Learn more proven techniques for engaging donors online and creating a better digital giving experience. Download The Digital Donation Revolution today.