Posted on Tue, Jul 13, 2010
By Lon Chapman, Executive Vice President
In online marketing, there is always a new shiny object to grab our attention. And because of this, we are fooled into thinking that the rules of marketing must be equally as dynamic. We want them so badly to be dynamic; the same-old, same-old rules just seem so, well, old-fashioned.
But marketing is marketing. And the rules really haven’t changed since the stone age of marketing. That’s because though the tools of marketing may evolve, human behavior endures.
The fact is, direct marketing tenets are far more elastic than most of the medium that they govern.
So what motivates people to give to your organization online is not that different from what makes them give over the phone or in the mail – or in direct solicitations.
At the risk of sounding like the “old folks” I derided as being “so yesterday” when I first entered the direct marketing world more than a handful of years ago, this blog topic was first published as a newsletter article I wrote about direct mail marketing in a pre-Google/Twitter/Facebook world.
Back then (and still today), everyone was looking for that magic teaser that would make our donors want rip open the envelope to see what was inside, and ultimately give.
The guiding principle was and still is an economy of words – getting your message across in as few words as possible.
When I revisited this topic, I was not really surprised to find that the rules are as applicable today as they were when I first wrote this article. In fact, in some ways they are even more so because these days donors are responding as much to consumerist values as they are to philanthropic motivations when deciding to whom to give.
Simply put, donors are looking for the biggest bang for their buck.
The following six words all are “value” words. They supplement and complement your argument to give. But be warned that by themselves they are NOT a reason to give, they are simply motivational. However, combined with your argument to give, they can be magic. They will tip the decision process on whether to read your email – or open the envelope – in your favor.
FREE Yes, the “F-word”. The impact of this one word to getting response cannot be underscored enough. It is every marketer’s friend, commercial and non-profit alike. Embrace it.
NEW There is something enticing about that which is new. It says to a donor: “This is not the same old stuff you have seen before.”
SIMPLE Process driven aspects of the appeal whether it be filling out a survey or contribution page seem less laborious.
FAST The internet was built on immediate gratification. Plus, everyone says they are way too busy … except when it comes to watching YouTube.
URGENT It’s a toss-up between “urgent” and “important” as to which is more impactful. Regardless, “urgency” is a primal copywriting “hook” for a reason.
YOU This is probably the most important of all the words – even more so than FREE – for its sheer versatility and impact. As marketers we can never forget that our job is to make the connection between the consumer/donor and the product. Without the “you”, there is no connection.
As important as these words are, there are definitely more. Which do you think are the most important ones?
Posted on Tue, Feb 27, 2007
It’s trending up, not down.
By Jim Hussey
I recently attended a parent's meeting at my church to discuss future activities for my teenage son’s youth group. Now stick with me — this actually addresses an important issue for all fundraisers.
The youth minister in charge of the group was outlining what would be happening and casually said, “The kids want the annual calendar and notices about events sent to them by (snail) mail. So please look out for any church envelopes addressed to your son or daughter, and please pass them on.”
I, the bored parent who was struggling to keep my eyes open, was instantly awakened by the direct marketer within that usually tries not to think about such matters on the weekend.
“Whoa!” I said to the group. “You mean these text message-crazy Internet addicts want to use old-fashioned mail? Why?”
“Because they fear the messages will be lost in the mass of information they receive,” he said. “And they want a hard copy of the schedule.”
“Wow!” I thought. I didn't think that kids today knew what “hard copy” means.
This tidbit of information had a profound effect on me. I had been hearing all of the predictions that the new technology of the Internet will replace the older technology of snail mail. But then I witnessed an example of the newest generation — which is incredibly Web-savvy and greatly dependent upon it for communication and information — actually backsliding into the use of the centuries-old medium of mail.
With so many cynics preaching about the end of direct mail, while advocating Internet-exclusive strategies, we need to take notice of what is actually happening out in the world around us.
If you look around, not just at my son’s youth group but also at what the major commercial marketers are doing, you quickly will learn that the two mediums of direct mail and the Internet actually complement one another. Instead of clashing in a life-or-death struggle, the Internet and direct mail are actually proving to be quite chummy bedfellows.
As a case in point, in recent years, one of the top mailers in the nation also is our nation’s largest Internet provider, America Online, which mails hundreds of millions of its disks annually.
USA TODAY recently quoted respected advertising forecaster Robert Coen’s estimate that marketers’ spending on direct mail will increase by 7.5 percent in 2007, after growing by 8.5 percent in 2006. This compares to a growth of only 4.8 percent for all forms of ad spending.
The United States Postal Service, while reporting decreases in First Class mail in fiscal year 2006, also estimated that the quantity of Standard mail (which is chiefly used for commercial and marketing purposes) increased by almost 3 percent. They also are predicting further growth for the 2007 and 2008 fiscal years … despite higher postage rates.
So what does this information tell fundraisers that use direct marketing? It tells us that the commercial world has rejected a “one or the other” attitude about the Internet and direct mail. It has learned through the past decade of experience that the best marketing strategies mix the two mediums.
And the same rule applies to fundraisers. Just as any fundraiser today is crazy to think about fundraising efforts without the use of the Internet, you'd be just as crazy to consider fundraising efforts without the use of direct mail.