Soapbox Engage Blog

When scrolling on the internet, you’ve definitely encountered popups. Some people may view popups as annoying or distracting. And yet, they’re still widely used. Why is that? Because they work! Using a compelling popup is one great way to engage your website visitors. And it can be a very effective tool for fundraising.

Of course, popups are not always well executed, which is why people may sometimes find them frustrating. Luckily, we’ve got tips for you to ensure that you are using popups the right way, in order to boost fundraising, increase subscribers, and grow registrations. And with the Soapbox Engage Popups app, you’ll be able to design popups that help you meet your goals with data driven strategies.

So, what exactly is a popup? A pop-up is an informational or promotional offer that displays over the top of your website content, with the goal of capturing users’ attention quickly and easily. They should include a call-to-action to get users to do something you want them to do.

Here are tips to help you use popups for your nonprofit website:

1. Use Unique Titles & Related Images
2. Get The Timing Right
3. Make It Easy for Viewers to Engage
4. Make Your Popups Mobile-Friendly
5. Test Out Your Popups

Use Unique Titles & Related Images

Just like all advertising, it’s important that you grab the viewer’s attention. You need to make the most of the space you have, so you should have a message that hooks them and a related image that is in line with your brand.

Get The Timing Right

Give users a chance to explore your content before you serve them the popup and consider only showing the popup on pages that indicate a level of intent to take the offer. Seeing the same popup repeatedly can be annoying, so consider putting a frequency cap on the popup too so that it doesn’t reload after every page view or journey back to a specific landing page. The Soapbox Engage Popups app lets you time your messages perfectly and trigger popups to show:

• On-Exit Intent: when the visitor's mouse moves out of the browser window
• After X Percent Scrolling: when the visitor moves down the percentage of the page you define
• After X Seconds: after the visitor has been on the page for the number of seconds you define

You can segment based on site activity, to ensure that users see the right popup at the right time.

Make It Easy for Viewers to Engage

If you are using a popup to engage with your audience, then your mission should be to make it easier for them to take action. For example, you can use a popup urging people to donate in the middle of a fundraising campaign. Using a customized call-to-action as a navigation tool will help you direct users to the donation page, which is where you want them to engage with your campaign.

Make Your Popups Mobile-Friendly

In the past, some advice surrounding popups has been “use only on desktop.” However, roughly half of the website traffic nonprofits receive come from mobile devices. So, if you’re only utilizing popups when people visit on their desktop, you’re leaving money on the table.

Luckily, the Soapbox Engage Popups app will help you create mobile-friendly popups that will leave a great first impression on your audience.

Test Out Your Popups

Just as we test landing pages and emails, test the layout of your popups too. Test different calls-to-action, different value propositions, timing, etc. to optimize your results. You can adjust your strategies based on which pages and popups are converting.

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And there you have it! With these tips, you’re sure to utilize popups effectively. If you’re ready to boost your fundraising and grow your lists, get started with Soapbox Engage Popups!

Here are three more resources that will help you with your fundraising journey:

• 5 SEO Tips for Nonprofit Organizations:Search Engine Optimization is an essential piece of a nonprofit’s marketing strategy, to help them grow their reach and receive more donations for a higher impact. This blog post has 5 key SEO tips.
• 3 Ways to Boost Your Current Fundraising Campaign: A fundraising campaign is an important way to meet your funding goals. But more than that, it provides an opportunity for deeper connection with your community members and donors. This blog offers a few best practices to help you boost your current fundraising campaign.
• 5 Ways To Boost Your Wording When Asking For Donations: Whether you are writing Facebook asks or crafting email or newsletter requests, one of the most essential factors in fundraising is using the right words. Here are some easy ways to improve your asks for donations.