May 9, 2011
Renewal Time Is Your Time To Shine
Member and donor renewal time offers a chance to reinvent your direct mail efforts. Renewal mailings don’t have to be fancy. Sometimes a standard insert package in a window envelope and a second message sent via email will do the trick. But if your renewal rate is consistently falling or your program is suffering from package fatigue, now may be the time to test new options: personalized imaging or one-to-one messaging with color digital printing to name a few attention-grabbing ideas.
With efficiency, cost savings, and a high level of personalization in mind, the program can be developed to meet the challenge at hand…
- A personalized image or message can be designed to show through a large window for relevance, efficiency and creative impact.
- A pre-filled response card can be included in a window envelope as a part of the personalized insert to eliminate a match between the inside and outside address panels.
- The option can be given to respond by mail or to go to a generic landing page for members to quickly and conveniently renew online.
- The email message could include a personalized URL (p-URL) that takes the member to a pre-filled personalized landing page to respond. This page can include additional targeted messaging that didn’t make it into the letter.
Automate and Thrive
For months, our own customers have been talking about these same renewal challenges: decreasing results, package fatigue, difficulty incorporating new media, and not enough time to manage it all! We recommend establishing an automated member renewal program to streamline the production of your highly personalized renewal mailings. Here’s what that means:
First, you’ll work with your production partner to develop a program that automates your monthly mailing renewal campaigns using multiple media with personalized content. This includes developing a series of “rules” that determine the personalized content, the media used to send the message, and the delivery time for each mailing. Then, you’ll set up a monthly data feed to your vendor of all members or donors who are about to lapse or have already lapsed on membership. Once the system is in place, your staff won’t even need to be involved in production beyond providing the data on an FTP site. Personalization, production, and mailing will all happen automatically. A dashboard can help manage inventory levels, job progress and even performance with response tracking.
This means you will be free to monitor results and continue improving the program as you see what’s working best.
Renewals may be the strongest card in your survival deck. More frequent outreach—and, yes, more personalization—are definitely worth a look, a test, and a measure.
For more information on automating your membership or donor renewal program, contact Cindy at ckilgore@euservices.com or Chris Konkel, VP of Data Processing at ckonkel@euservices.com.
