Bridging the Creative Gap: Direct Mail and Electronic Fundraising

Write conversationally
If you are talking to a friend, you don’t talk in long, complicated sentences that require your friend to keep a dictionary by his or her side. So when communicating via mail or e-mail, treat the reader as a friend. Loosen up the grammatical rules just a little, and shy away from those 25-cent words in favor of the 10-cent words.

Make it personal
In fundraising, we say that “people give to people.” In sales, we know that people buy from people they like. So give your creative a personality. Adding a picture of the letter signer near the signature in both direct mail and outbound e-mail often lifts response. Think of it as the start of a relationship with the recipients. Over time they will begin to feel like they know you — and that’s a very good thing!

Visuals matter
In some circumstances, such as raising funds to meet an immediate crisis, simple designs work best across all channels. But most often, compelling visuals help you meet your goal. They give readers an immediate image in their minds about your message. For example, if you’re an animal-rights advocacy group, then a cute critter placed strategically in your e-mail or direct-mail package pulls at the heartstrings and helps close the deal.

Call to action
In commercial marketing, you can’t forget to ask for the sale. In fundraising, it’s the contribution. This request should be “above the fold” in an e-mail or on Page 1 in the letter. That’s a direct translation from one medium to the other: placement should be prominent.

Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for all situations. You want to test any of these concepts before rolling with them. But give the “old-school” best practices a chance at succeeding in the electronic frontier — you won’t be disappointed.