The End Game: Plan the End Before You Plan the Beginning!

In all cases, the device, incentive or deep-marketing tool you use should (not can) be designed to solicit an updated profile, provide a referral, encourage downloading of a requested document and, yes, fulfill your campaigns goals — generating funding to support your needs. A strong and planned closing is key to any campaign strategy.

There are now many other closing tools that do not obviously present themselves as "deal closers." They look and act like tools designed to build dialogue and generate an engagement. For an example, check out The Online Book Company. The user experience is designed from the onset to be based on the potential response to the fundamentals of a past experience (relevance).

Suppose you are raising funds for a college. No one, at least no one that I can find, experienced college on a single level, with a single view. The experiences are usually multiple. Memories (good and bad), friends, classes, events are all components of "college" and the college experience in the prospect's mind, and all need to be rekindled, perhaps independently, to successfully attract the prospective donor. Effective closing devices also fulfill the other foundational elements of IMC. The foundations need to be integrated correctly into your brand and seen as relevant by the prospect. The response device must also be interactive, offering a positive user experience (put a smile on the prospect's face) and be fully measured.

Closing tools are, in many cases, worthless unless they include the correct sales/donation automation software that allows the entire interaction to be tracked and attributed to the correct response media. Vertical-specific programs also provide the results tracking you need. The proper support tools can track multiple media and are brand-sensitive, meaning that you can construct pages to follow your brand message, feel and look.