Thursday, May 2, 2013

How Nonprofit Direct Mail Can Win in Election Years

How does nonprofit direct mail successfully compete for attention in an election year against high-roller political fundraisers? Not by gambling on new lists, new creative or new media, advises expert Randy Brewer, president and CEO of Brewer Direct Inc., a direct marketing agency for nonprofits. Election years require nonprofits to resist risks and to "play your best hand -- the one you know that works," says Brewer in a recent article for Fundraising Success magazine. The proof of that strategy is in Brewer's results. Last year, his agency stuck to a conservative strategy on behalf of their 20 rescue mission clients across the country, focusing on a proven direct-mail control package. As a result, they garnered $3.75 million in net revenue in the aggregated September-December fundraising cycle, almost a 9% increase over the prior year, despite mailing 65,000 fewer pieces, he reports. Their 2012 December package led results, earning nearly a 23% lift in response over prior year campaign totals. Average mail-based donor gifts were also up in every month but October, notes Brewer. The agency did make one change in its direct marketing to adjust for the political cycle: Mailing schedules were shifted to avoid periods when research predicted that candidate appeals would be peaking. For more, see http://www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/article/direct-mail-during-political-election-cycle-knowing-when-hold-em/1

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Will Direct Mail Embrace NFC Technology?

NFC, or near field communication, has the potential to re-energize direct mail, predicts Jacob Beckley in a recent MediaPost blog. NFC technology is similar to a printed QR code. Both use a mobile device to bridge the gap between a physical marketing piece and online messaging. QR use has already proliferated, but the latest NFC technology actually has some advantages that could make it even more popular, argues Beckley. NFC coding is easy to use and requires fewer steps to reach online content than a QR; all the user has to do is bring the mobile device close to the NFC coding to go directly to the online content. While NFC technology originally required an embedded chip or tag, now NFC-enabled papers and plastics are available. Plus proximity marketing apps could let merchants use an NFC to reach consumers within range of a product in real-time. NFC adaptation has been slowed by Apple, which preferred QR coding for its iPhone, but Google Wallet now uses NFC to transmit payment details for wireless transactions, and other mobile phone makers, like Samsung, have incorporated NFC in their devices. Those advances should appeal to direct mail marketers interested in leading the pack in the race for multi-channel customers. They can dump shortened URLs and multi-step QR delivery for NFC's instant mail-to-online linking. Any direct mail strategists intrigued by the idea of NFC can read http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/194421/nfc-poised-to-accelerate-direct-marketing.html#axzz2RxwwcX7h