By: Wayne Gurley

My last two blogs in this series covered the first two Critical Elements of Direct  Mail (#1: The Mailing List and #2: The Offer).  Now I’d like to review the next most Critical element in direct marketing – the Letter (or Copy).

Copy is defined as the words you use to express your offer to your audience.  So, if you’ve selected the right list and chosen the right offer, the next thing you’ll want to do is communicate the case for your product, service or organization in clear and precise language.

WHERE TO BEGIN?

One of my early mentors in direct marketing described the process of writing a direct mail letter like this:

“I sit down at my typewriter, put in a piece of paper, and wait until drops of blood begin to appear on my forehead.”

(I later learned this was a quote from American journalist, author and dramatist, Gene Fowler, who — at the time —  my mentor did not credit.  Fowler’s actual quote is:  “Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.”)

Actually, it isn’t quite that bad. But it sometimes can feel that way. There’s a lot of pressure involved in writing a good piece of direct mail copy - because your copy must perform.

Unlike general advertising, which is sometimes hard to measure, you get your report card immediately with a direct marketing effort. Results are what you live for. And results are what you get – sometimes good, sometimes bad.

I’ve found that the best way to start a direct mail letter is by writing the reply slip first. That way, you understand your offer and what you will be asking your reader to do.

DISCARD THE “WARM-UPS”

In my experience, writing is a lot like preparing to run a race or participate in an athletic event. You’ve got to “warm up” your mind and fingers to the task at hand.

I usually start by writing a few trial lead paragraphs. Generally, those first few efforts are quite poor and discarded later in favor of a better effort after I’ve warmed up. However, a rookie writer will simply leave them in, meaning their letter doesn’t get to the point as fast as it should.

It’s important to identify your lead paragraph. Most of the time, those first few “warm-up” paragraphs aren’t really leads at all, but rather attempts at getting to a lead. Rookie writers often bury their lead paragraph somewhere deeper in the letter. The secret is finding the “real” lead and putting it in the first paragraph.

Another tip: Make sure your lead is short, to the point and captures the reader’s attention.

REMEMBER THE “ONE THING”

In the 1991 film, “City Slickers,” Mitch (Billy Crystal) asks Curly (Jack Palance) what he thinks is the most important thing in life. Curly holds up one finger and says it’s “one thing.”

When writing a direct mail letter, it’s important to focus on “one thing.” One big writing mistake is trying to cram too much into one letter. Have one main objective, and don’t let anything stand in the way of clearly communicating that objective. If you use a story as an example of how your organization helps people, use only one story – not two or three (which is something I see a lot).

Ask the reader to do one thing – not two or three. You can give them options on the reply slip as to how they want their gift to be used, but don’t give them too many things to figure out in the letter. They won’t take the time to do that.

Make sure your copy can pass the “trash can” test. Most people open their mail over a trash can, so you only have a few seconds to capture their attention. If you make your copy too hard to understand or if it’s too difficult for the reader to determine what you want them to do, they’ll simply throw it out.

COPY LENGTH

How long should your copy be?

Some direct mail consultants will tell you to ALWAYS use long copy – at least two to four pages. But in reality, the most important element in a good letter is not its length, but its content. What you say and how you say it is infinitely more important than how long it takes to say it.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” letter length for every organization. My rule of thumb has always been – make the letter as long as it needs to be…no longer, no shorter. Of course, this puts a big burden on the copywriter to know when to stop writing.

Keep in mind – if you can do justice to your subject matter in a single page, then don’t overwrite for the sake of conforming to some preconceived notion about ideal copy length. If you need more space and can do a good job of keeping your reader engaged and interested, by all means, use longer copy.

But don’t take my word for it. The best way to find out what’s best for your organization is with a split copy test.

 MORE COPYWRITING TIPS

1. Write in a warm, personal and conversational style.
2. Avoid “institutional” copy. Don’t use “we.” Instead, use “I.”
3. Communicate a need for urgency. Use a deadline if possible.
4. State your case. Explain why your letter is important and why the donor should respond.
5. Thank the donor in advance for their support.
6. Don’t use two letter signers.
7. Don’t apologize for writing.
8. Don’t use reputation copy – like “we’re the best.” Support your case with verifiable information.
9. Don’t use big words that will confuse your reader.
10. Don’t use humor. Humor is a very individual, personal thing, and can backfire on you.
11. Always ask for a response.
12. Always use a PS. It’s one of the most read sections of any letter.
13. Make the letter easy to read. Use easy-to-read fonts of a good size. Indent your paragraphs.
14. Don’t use graphics or photos in the letter. Keep it text only.
15. Don’t assume people will know what to do. Tell them what to do.
16. Don’t use teaser copy unless you really know how to “tease.”
17. Make your copy dramatic and compelling.
18. Use short sentences and paragraphs (six lines max).
19. Ask for a specific gift amount.
20. Don’t list your board of directors on your letterhead.
21. In multi-page letters, don’t end a page with a completed paragraph. Continue it on the next page.
22. Don’t use semi-colons (only lawyers can understand them).
23. Use statistics sparingly and only to support your case.

Copyright 2018 Allegiant Direct, Inc.

By: Wayne Gurley

We’ve already discussed the single most critical variable in any direct marketing effort – which is the mailing list.

But what’s the second most important element?

The answer is – the “offer.” In other words, the letter’s “proposition.” From the reader’s standpoint, it‘s “why are you writing to me…what do you want me to do…and what do I get in return for my money?”

HARD/FULL PRICE OFFERS

In fund-raising, most offers are known as “hard” or “full price” offers. This simply means you are offering the benefits of your organization and the work it does at full price – no discounts or premiums.

Here, the word “price” can be substituted for “gift.” But unlike commercial products or service offers, a fund-raising offer asks a person to send money so that they can do good work helping others.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

A lot of people think that fund-raising is simply getting people to part with their money for nothing in return – in other words, no product or service. But in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

Personally, I’ve always believed that “giving is a selfish thing.” That might sound a little odd, but when you stop and think about it, it really isn’t so strange. When someone makes a gift to a philanthropic organization, they are committing a selfish act.

What are they getting in return? At the very least, they get a warm feeling for helping an organization they believe in.

The most important thing to remember when constructing your offer is to communicate clearly what you want the donor to do – including the amount of money you are asking for, how the money will be used, and what benefits (tangible or otherwise) you promise in return for the donor’s gift.

MOTIVATIONS FOR GIVING

Russ Prince and Karen File wrote a terrific book called “The Seven Faces of Philanthropy” (published by Jossey-Bass). Their research identified seven kinds of motivation for giving:

1. Communitarian (Doing good makes sense, or is good for the community.)
2. Devout (Doing good is God’s will.)
3. Investor (Doing good is good business.)
4. Socialite (Doing good is fun.)
5. Altruist (Doing good feels right.)
6. Repayer (Doing good in return.)
7. Dynast (Doing good is a family tradition.)

Can you think of different types of offers that might be developed for the above motivations? How about…

1. Communitarian – Give to help our community hospital/children’s home/social service agency.
2. Devout – Monthly pledge program to help our mission/ministry.
3. Investor – Charitable gift annuity/charitable remainder trust/gifts of stocks or bonds.
4. Socialite – Buy a table… bring your friends… come to the party!
5. Altruist – Support our organization. It the right thing to do.
6. Repayer – Grateful patients helping other patients/Graduates supporting the scholarship fund to help future worthy students.
7.  Dynast – We’ll name a building for your family.

OTHER OFFERS

Premium/Freemium

One of the strongest words in the English language is FREE. Fundraisers often use “Free With” offers like premiums (back-end freebies) or freemiums (front-end freebies) to generate bigger responses.

Address labels, magnets and note pads are common freemiums used in fundraising today. They tend to generate higher responses, but lower average gifts. They also tend to generate more “guilt” gifts. It’s the principle of reciprocity – “you do something nice for me, so I’ll do something nice for you” by sending you a few bucks back as thanks for the address labels or whatever.

Do freemiums generate more responses? Yes. Do they generate committed donors?  They can, but not always. If you use freemiums to generate a new donor, will you need to continue to use them to get them to renew their support? Possibly.

Another example of a “freemium” would be a bookmark or pen. A good example of a premium would be, “Get this book for your gift of $35 or more.”

Pledge Programs

Pledge Programs – to which donors promise to give on a regular basis (typically monthly) – are another kind of offer. Certain benefits and recognition can be attached to the offer to strengthen it.

Benefits and recognition also can be attached to Membership Programs and/or Giving Societies. These kinds of programs allow donors to develop a deeper and stronger relationship with the organization. If structured properly to generate multiple annual gifts, they also can help identify good planned giving prospects.

Copyright 2018 Allegiant Direct, Inc.

By: Wayne Gurley

First in a series of seven…

Can you name the single most critical variable in any direct marketing effort?

If you said the “mailing list,” you’re absolutely correct!

Your list is the single most important element in any direct marketing effort – more important than package style, graphics…even more important than copy.

In fact, you can have the best copy in the world, but if you send it to the wrong person, it won’t work. (Remember the definition of junk mail – “mail that's been sent to the wrong person.”)

TWO KINDS OF MAILING LISTS FOR FUNDRAISERS

For fundraisers, there are basically two kinds of lists (each with subsets) that you can use with varying degrees of success. They include in-house lists and rented names.

1. In-house lists.

In-house names can be of various quality. Obviously, you want to include donors. Then, you may want to include people who have participated in events or signed up for one of your services. Sometimes these work well, and sometimes they don’t.

If you raise funds for a hospital, you can usually make your Grateful Patients work well. The same can be said for members of a 55+ Senior Club, if you have one.

An example of a list that usually doesn’t work is Memorial Donors. Memorial gifts are usually made by people who are more interested in honoring a person rather than supporting your organization. As a result, they typically do not respond well to direct mail solicitations.

Other in-house lists you also may wish to consider include Employees and Vendors. Sometimes these work, and sometimes they don’t. You’ll have to test them to find out.

2. Rented Names

Rented names fall into four categories: Donor Lists, Subscriber Lists, Buyer Lists and Demographic Lists.

Donor Lists are donors to other organizations with a similar affinity to yours. For example, a hospital might rent donors to March of Dimes, Easter Seals or Muscular Dystrophy in their geographic area. And a children’s organization might use a list of donors to other national children’s organizations like UNICEF or Covenant House.

Rented Lists are just that – “rented” for a one-time use only. If you want to use them again, you must pay to rent them again. They can never be purchased. In fact, I strongly recommend that you never use a list that is available for purchase. If you can buy it and own it, it probably isn’t worth very much. And I can virtually guarantee it won’t work well.

Some donor lists are called Compiled Lists. A compiled list has been put together from various sources. For example, we use a list called “Capital Donor Masterfile.” This list is made up of people who have given to health-related causes. It usually works very well.

With compiled lists, you want to determine the “usage” – that is, what organizations are using the list – and not just for testing, but for continuations. A “continuation” is a larger, repeat use of a list, always followed by a successful test. If you see an organization with an affinity to yours using a particular list, then it’s probably a good idea to test it.

And speaking of testing, don’t ever mail a large quantity of names without testing the list first. Test 5,000 or 10,000 names, then read the results.

Subscriber Lists are people who have subscribed to magazines like Time, Newsweek, Southern Living, Prevention Magazine or other publications like newsletters. They are “direct mail responsive” lists and they work very well for fundraising offers.

Buyer Lists are people who have bought things through the mail, usually from catalogs. Sharper Image, Harry and David and Omaha Steaks are examples three lists that often work well for fundraisers.

Demographic Lists are made up of people who live in a certain area or meet certain demographic requirements – like age, income, length of residency or home value. I don’t recommend this type of lists for fundraisers. They tend to be the worst kinds of lists you can rent.

Many organizations believe they can simply rent names of wealthy people in their area and have success. But a demographic list fails two important criteria for direct marketing success:

(1) They have not been shown to be “direct-mail responsive” – in other words, they have not demonstrated a willingness to make a gift, purchase something or subscribe to a magazine through the mail. Some people are simply not direct mail responsive, and therefore aren’t good candidates for a direct mail solicitation.

(2) They have not demonstrated a “philanthropic intent.” Just because someone has money doesn’t mean they are willing to part with it for the benefit of your organization.

Copyright 2018 Allegiant Direct, Inc.