Allegiant Direct, Inc. — The narrow path to direct mail success

By Wayne Gurley
President & Creative Director

Recently, I was watching a pro football kicker attempt a field goal from about 50 yards.

The camera was behind the kicker. From that vantage point, the goalposts looked like a couple of yellow toothpicks in the distance.

I thought, “Field goal kicking has an extremely narrow margin for success.”

Then it occurred to me, "direct mail has an extremely narrow margin for success, too."

There are three main components to a direct mail appeal. As long as you remain "inside the goalposts” and don’t go wide on either side, your chances for success are good.

Your mailing list - Certain lists work and others don’t. If you’re an adult hospital, you’ll be using former patients or outside rented lists. Strangely, rented lists often work better than folks who’ve actually been in the hospital. Age also is important. If you mail to people who are too young, your mailing likely will fail.
Your copy - Like lists, certain themes work better than others. If you get outside a narrow range of topics, you won’t be successful. For example, adult hospitals generally can’t raise money for behavioral medicine or orthopedics, even if they have the best programs in the world. Donors don’t support these items. Your copy needs to relevant to the donor…something meaningful…something that offers a selfish motivation for giving. If your donors can’t relate to what you’re asking them to support, they won’t respond.
Your graphics - Again, there’s a very narrow range of what you can do. If you’re too flashy and put too many things in your package that distract your donor, you won’t be successful. Donors won’t spend unlimited time with your package before they trash it. We’re talking seconds! If it’s too complex, or if donors perceive it’s going to take too long figure out, you’ve lost them.

The next time you're contemplating a direct mail appeal, think about the field goal kicker and aim for the narrow space between the goalposts. Your chances for success will be enhanced.

Not “wide right” or “wide left” - but right down the middle!