I’m always happy to see a LinkedIn post that aligns so well with my thinking about the value of direct mail. But when that post also turns out to back my recent personal experiences, it’s even more meaningful.
It was written by John Lepp, partner at Agents of Good, an agency that helps nonprofits tell their stories. He has over 25 years of experience in fundraising and marketing, and his book, Creative Deviations, is one of the must-read guides for people who create mail because it’s based on actual campaigns.
So on LinkedIn the other day, he offered two ideas about using envelopes that I’ll try to summarize:
- Because a small percentage of donors account for a large percentage of money raised, give them “the Cadillac service” – an imposing envelope, and other touches like “lots of personalization.” This gets your campaign noticed.
- Envelopes that dominate the mailbox send a subconscious signal to the donor that they are very important because of the apparent cost of the mailer.
The entire post is here and is well worth reading along with the discussion in the comments that it sparked.
Since my elderly dad broke his hip in three places last month, I’ve been looking at his mail while he recovers. It seems like every day, as the holiday and end-of-year giving seasons approach, a dozen envelopes from nonprofits arrive in his mailbox. With few exceptions, they’re pretty much the same paper grade, same basic letter-insert-reply form-BRE #10 format, same … everything.
Read the full feature on Printing Impressions.
