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3 things you must get right if you’re doing direct mail.

9/5/2017

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Direct mail can be a great way to reach new customers or bring old ones back – if you do it right.

In this post I’d like to talk about the 3 most important parts of any direct mailing.  
Get them right and you’ll dramatically improve your response.  Get them wrong and your mailing will be a waste of time (and money.)

Let’s start with the first part of any direct mailing:  The offer.
 
Your offer must be compelling 

Paying for a mailing without a strong offer is a waste of money.  If your offer stinks, no one will respond.
Ideally, you want an offer that sells itself – something so irresistible that your reader takes action that very moment.

Give your readers something they actually want.  

15% off store-wide?  You’re kidding, right?    

Buy one get one free?  Depending on what you’re selling, this might work.

It has to be something worth your customer’s time.   If you want a really strong offer, you’re probably going to need to step outside your comfort zone a little.      

If you’re not willing to put out a strong offer, there’s no point in doing direct mail.  Do not waste the money.  There are other ways to market your products or services.

Having a strong offer is non-negotiable if you want to see results.  Make your offer irresistible, and your readers will respond.  But the offer is only the first part.  Mailing to the right list is also important.
 
Your list must be targeted

Your list and offer will account for most of whether your mailing works or doesn’t. 

The key with list building is quality over quantity. 

A larger list is not necessarily better.  You want to mail to people who will find your offer compelling.  If you’re a divorce attorney, you wouldn’t mail to a bunch of single 20-something’s would you?

What traits do your ideal customers share?  Put together a list of people with those traits.  If you’re not sure where to begin, there are brokers available to help you build a well-targeted list.

But what do you do once you have your list? 

Finally, we come to everyone’s favorite part:  Writing the letter.
 
Your copy should be easy to read.

A great offer does you no good if no one reads it.  Your job is to make them read it. 

You say you’re not a world class writer? 

No sweat.  You don’t need to be.  All you need to do are two simple things: 
​
  • Write like you talk.  If you can do this, you’ll be ahead of most everyone else out there.  Don’t sweat the grammar.  Read your letter out loud.  It should sound conversational.   
 
  • Respect the white space.  This isn’t your high school writing class.  Keep your paragraphs short (2-3 sentences at max.) 

Occasional one-sentence paragraphs are to be encouraged. 

When you hit people with long blocks of text they tend to stop reading.  When they stop reading, your letter gets tossed in the trash.

And there you have it.  The three keys to a successful direct mail campaign.

Strong offer, targeted list, and readable copy – 3 essential pieces of any direct mailing.  Get them right, and watch the response pour in. 

Mess them up, and all you’re likely to hear is crickets chirping.  

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How to raise more money with your website.

9/1/2017

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By now you know how to create a fantastic donation page. 

But the donation page is only part (the final part) of the non-profit website puzzle.  Before your visitors can donate, you have to get them there, and make sure they’re in a giving mood when they arrive. 

Not an easy task!

Don’t worry. 

Together we’ll get your website working like a tear-jerking fundraising machine that snatches your donors up and doesn’t let them go till they scream ‘take my money!’

Maybe that’s a bit too far…

But seriously, if you want to make your website more effective, you’ve come to the right place. 


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How to choose a good story for your fundraising.

8/27/2017

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Donors love a good story. 

It helps them connect the money they give to the good work you do.

You know you need a story for your next newsletter or fundraising appeal. But what story should you use? Will any story do?

No.

A boring story can actually hurt your fundraising efforts.  

It can bore your reader into putting down your letter – exactly the opposite of what you were trying to accomplish!
Should you take that as a reason to avoid storytelling altogether? Of course not. But understand that not all stories are equal.

​So how do you pick a good one?

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