February 2, 2012
Email and Direct Mail Fundraising Combine for Success
When most people think of direct mail fundraising, they think of a package that usually includes a letter, donation form and reply envelope. Email doesn’t often come to mind, even through it has become one of the most popular forms of communicating. Yet adding email to your fundraising can make your campaigns even more successful.
Email and direct mail work well together, because they complement one another:
- Email offers the quick pitch, while direct mail provides greater detail.
- Direct mail might sit on a desk for a day or two, while emails are usually opened and read right away.
- Conversely, direct mail packages can generate responses for weeks, while email responses generally run out after a few days.
So these two channels of communication have different strengths and weaknesses, but studies show that when they’re combined, the strengths are overwhelming:
- 90% of consumers prefer either email or direct mail when it comes to marketing.
- Multichannel campaigns do 50% better than mail-only campaigns.
- Digital campaigns generate 62% more responses when combined with direct mail.
In other words, combining email and direct mail fundraising increases the effectiveness of both.
However, combining email and direct mail doesn’t mean running two parallel campaigns; repeating the same messages on two channels won’t get the response you want. Instead, you need to blend the two to create a truly integrated fundraising strategy.
Here are three ways to create a successful, effective cross-channel campaign.
1. Set messaging objectives.
In a single-channel campaign, each effort is meant to generate a specific response. Cross-channel strategies must have the same sets of goals. This means different things to different campaigns. You might send an email to remind donors of the direct mail that you sent earlier. Or you might replace a lead-generating postcard with an email blast. When that email generates responses, those new leads get direct mail with information and a request for donations.
Figure out what you want each communication to achieve, and put them in a sequence that achieves it.
2. Put all messages in context.
Sometimes a message seems to show up out of the blue, when it’s actually a response to an earlier communication sent through another channel. Make sure your follow-up communications reference the previous messages. If you’re sending a direct mail package to new leads, remind them that they submitted their email addresses for more information. If an email reminder follows up on a direct mail solicitation, say so in the header or opening paragraph.
By reminding donors of past communications, subsequent ones don’t look so random – and they may generate the donations you want.
3. Respect donor preferences.
As mentioned earlier, 90% of consumers prefer either email or direct mail, but not necessarily both, and not in equal measure. Sending equal number of email and direct mail fundraising messages to all donors or prospects can be detrimental if they don’t want them. Some people want fewer emails in their in-boxes and prefer less frequent messages. Others want to save trees and prefer fewer direct mail packages. Keep these preferences in mind when scheduling your next email or mailing. Two benefits come from this. You’ll save money by not sending communications your donors don’t want. Plus, showing donors that you honor their requests makes your messages seem less intrusive – and makes donors more generous.
Email is meant to enhance direct mail fundraising, not replace or replicate it. A carefully integrated campaign that draws on the unique strengths of each channel is the key to higher response rates and more donations.
