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Direct Mail Advertising; Email Is Not Like Postal Mail.
____________________________________________________________ Publication Guidelines: You may use this article as long as the byline, resource box, and links remain intact. If the article does not fit your Web site/newsletter guidelines, please...
Direct Mail Marketing
Using direct mail marketing should be a part of your business,
whether it is an offline or online business. Established
companies can use their existing client list to use as a base of
mail marketing. Alerting your current customers to...
Direct Mail Sales Letters Flow Better With Subheads
A subscriber to my newsletter asks: "Got any good pointers on writing great sub-heads?" Yes, I do. Here they are. Use subheads to draw attention to your copy Why do we use subheads anyway? Because you can’t just cover the important points in...
Increase Direct Mail Response Rates (And Revenue) By Segmenting Your List.
If you want to increase revenue using direct mail, you have two
options: sell more to the customers you have, or find new
customers and sell to them. The tricky part is knowing how to do
that.
I recommend that you start by segmenting...
It's In The Mail - Direct Mail is Alive and Kicking!
Compared to a lot of companies in our field we do a lot of direct mail – postcards, sales letters, promotions, announcements, lead generation. Between client business and ours, we’re averaging one campaign every two weeks; about 1500 pieces per...
Manufacturers Shift Marketing Budget Away from Direct Mail in since 2009
Marketing Budget Shifts Away from Direct Mail in since 2009 for Manufacturers
In early Q3, TR Cutler, Inc. conducted the largest North American manufacturer survey about anticipated marketing budgets in since 2009. Statistically significant...
Reach Wealthy Prospects With Direct Mail Marketing And A Good List.
Do you need to reach wealthy prospects using direct mail? Then
work on your list. Who you mail to (your list) is the single
most important thing that determines your success.
There are two main ways to target affluent buyers: where...
Testimonials Boost Direct Mail Response Rates In Business-to-Business Sales Letters
Correct me if I am wrong, but there is nothing more powerful in a business-to-business sales letter than a credible testimonial from a person in your prospect's peer group.
Testimonials are valuable because they say what you cannot. If you say...
The Seven Vital Steps You Must Know To Ensure Direct Mail Success
1. Your Most Valuable Asset A mailing list of valued customers is the single most important asset you have. Loyal customers will spend an average of five times more in your business than new customers. Plus it costs ten times more to acquire a...
Using Internet Direct Mail To Increase Your Company’s Profits
“I want to sell my company’s products on the Web, but how do I get potential clients to visit my site,” a client asked recently. The answer is a strategy that has proven extremely effective for many different businesses…Internet Direct Mail. ...
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How to Write a Direct Mail Fundraising Letter (Four Tips)
1. Address your reader as a friend, not as “Friend.”
When was the last time you received a letter from someone dear to you, addressing you as “Dear Friend?” Never, right? The days of the Dear Friend letter are dead. I heard recently of a chairman of the board of a national charity who has given his charity millions of dollars and hundreds of hours of his time, yet he still receives fundraising appeals from this charity addressing him as “Dear Friend.” Ouch.
2. Arrest attention with an opening that resonates with your
donors.
Assume your reader is standing over a trash can with a stack of today’s mail, reading the opening sentence of each letter before deciding its fate. You have only a few seconds to grab the reader’s interest. So make it a zinger. Here are two openings for the same non-profit. Which one grabs your attention and makes you want to read on?
Opening 1: “I am writing to you to ask if you would like to support a low-income housing building project in your neighbourhood.”
Opening 2: “If I invited you to walk over to your neighbour’s house with a bundle of roof shingles under your
arm as a gift, what would you do?”
3. Put flesh and bones on your need.
One truth in fundraising is that people give to people to help people. So always
describe your need in terms of
people, not programs, not ministry, not money.
INSTEAD OF SAYING . . . We operate three vans.
SAY . . . The three vans that we use for emergency medical relief play a vital role in saving lives throughout the year.
INSTEAD OF SAYING . . . Essential medicines in many countries are not affordable.
SAY . . . Phillip Mbago is dying from a treatable disease for no other reason than this—he can’t afford his cure.
4. Ask for funds by painting a picture.
Don’t just ask for a donation. Show your readers how their donations will make a difference. Instead of saying, “Send a gift today,” say, “Your gift to Habitat for Humanity today means that another family will soon move into a simple, decent, affordable home—thanks to you.”
© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).
About the Author
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Sharpe is a direct mail fundraising copywriter who helps nonprofits attract and retain donors using fundraising letters and newsletters. Learn more about his services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at www.fundraisingletters.org.
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