Direct Mail
December 11, 2015 at 9:24 am
According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, first-time donor retention is a measly 19 percent. While repeat donor retention is much better at 63 percent, that still means one in three current donors don’t give again. Overall, the median donor retention rate is just 43 percent. It’s not a huge mystery as to why. Donors want…
December 7, 2015 at 9:46 am
Experienced writers and designers who do email and direct mail marketing know this for a fact: The littlest things can add up to make the biggest difference in response and sales. How much attention are you paying to details like these? 1. Perfect your preheaders. Use the area at the very top of your email…
November 20, 2015 at 10:27 am
U.S. Mail goes digital in Gotham this week. Residents and businesses in several New York zip codes are being introduced to the Informed Delivery app, which—every day at 8 a.m.—emails them pictures of the front of mail envelopes being delivered to them later in the day. The pilot program works through the My USPS website…
November 18, 2015 at 9:36 am
Every industry has a set of principles that holds true despite years of change, innovation and disruption. Direct marketing is no different. Although there is an expanding array of channels, when it comes to the overall marketing mix, direct mail is still fundamental to marketing. It’s the flour to bread, the grapes to wine and…
November 16, 2015 at 10:14 am
Direct mail has been one of my passions since my first job as a copywriter at a direct marketing agency in Washington, D.C. I’m always on the lookout for trends that impact this channel and creative mailings that grab prospects’ attention and demand response. So what’s new and what’s working in direct mail these days?…
November 10, 2015 at 6:00 am
Minutes of testing could save marketers’ hides for months, if not longer. Testing is touted but sounds difficult to many, so marketers may not do it as often as would be ideal. However, having a firm foundation may make marketers feel more comfortable about taking the plunge. Lisa Qian instructs viewers of this O’Reilly Media…
November 6, 2015 at 10:07 am
If you remember the plot of Mel Brooks' classic movie "The Producers" the idea was that the scammers set out to produce the worst possible play imaginable to be certain it would close after one night. Yet, they made it so bad it broke through the membrane of awful into the sublime. And they were…
November 4, 2015 at 10:20 am
As direct marketers, we’re all looking for an edge, even just a slight adjustment to the offer, copy or design that will lead to better response rates. Would you believe me if I told you that something as simple as one sentence, just five little words, has the power to lift results by 20 percent?…
October 28, 2015 at 10:33 am
We held an event recently and didn’t follow our own advice. The advice we give clients, that is. We neglected to promote it through a well-coordinated combination of direct mail, email (both blasts and individual) and social media. The event was in partnership with another firm, and the folks there decided to promote it solely through email. We followed their lead. We also made a substantial investment in paid social-media promotion...
October 26, 2015 at 9:53 am
Edith Cruise called to tell me someone named Dan Savage had mailed her a pornographic letter. “Do you know who he is?” Cruise asked me. Uh, yeah, I do. Savage is a journalist who writes a sex and relationship column called "Savage Love." People write to him for advice, but Dear Abby he is not. I…
