Today’s tip is about my favourite topic in Direct Marketing: Testing. If you are spending the money to send mail out to your current donors or to potentially new donors – you should be testing something every single time. No testing = no learning.
Archive for the ‘Two Cents’ Category
Direct Mail Tip #2
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009Direct Mail Tip #1
Monday, July 27th, 2009I’m not actually sure that this is the first time I’ve published a tip about direct mail – but it IS the first time I used a video to do it… This is a quick video showing how you need to think about what you are mailing your donors from the very get go.
What do you have to say?
Monday, June 29th, 2009I grew up in a very tiny village called Caistorville. In Caistorville, as a youth, if you wanted a job, there were really only three available.
1) You could work at a farm, helping in their fields or barn.
2) You could work at the feed mill, shoving and bagging wheat, feed and lots of other stuff.
3) You could work at the gas station pumping gas and stocking shelves.
For the record I did all three.
I recall many hours spent standing near the front door of the gas station waiting for someone to roll through our sleepy little village to get some gas and listening to the owner, Roger talk religion, politics, social issues, sports and weather with all the locals and occasionally lost soul.
He and one local farmer one time were having a very animated discussion over local politics and I remember as the voices started to raise, I think Roger was looking for a bit of solidarity from this young employee… Looking over the shoulder of the farm he shouts at me “John, what do you think about all this? What do you have to say?”
I looked at him for a moment searching my mind for some sort of insight to their conversation and I found I had none. I shrugged. He made some noise like a snort and continued on with the arguement.
A few minutes later as the farmer turned to leave, he stopped and looked at me and said something I always remember.
“Boy, you’ll always learn more from listening than talking.”
That advice has guided me well through the years.
I remember being in a client meeting where we were suppose to be working with the client to develop some ideas for a new package. This client in particular liked to take advantage of the fact that he was the client and liked to run the show. I think there were 10-12 of us there, my creative director and numerous colleagues all present… And this client spots me sitting at the other end of the table he stops and in a louder than necessary voice says, “So John, you haven’t said a word – what do you have to say?” I considered my words carefully and said, “I’m not sure (client name removed to protect him), but when I think of something valuable to add to the conversation, you can bet I will say so…”
That didn’t go over very well.
I think my creative director respected my approach but pushed me to be more vocal in these meetings. But as I told him, if I’m sitting in a room with people like him who have far more experience than I, and I have nothing at that moment to offer – why should I open my mouth to speak? I assured him there seemed to be enough people doing that already. I was going to learn a lot more by listening than talking…
I’m taking a long time to get to my point which is – as charities, or as people – do we spend more time listening or talking?
Do you listen more to your donors or do you talk more to your donors (or clients or customers)? Do you ask them what they think or do you always tell them what you think?
We all know we feel more important when we are asked for our opinion. It’s a validation that we have something to offer. Ask your donors what they think… Learn from them.
This post also serves reminder to me as a blogger or whatever the heck I am. I was reminded this past weekend, don’t blog if you don’t have anything to say. Don’t blog for the sake of blogging. (But I have a schedule! People expect it!) Don’t talk for the sake of talking.
Add to the conversation when you have something of value to contribute.(Thanks Phil!)
That’s sound advice that we all can learn from.
Effective Direct Marketing
Monday, May 11th, 2009Last week, in the heat of the moment, as we pushed to launch Rethink Breast Cancer’s new site, adoptamom.ca, Jen Love reminded me what three key components are necessary for effective direct marketing. It’s one of those things you hopefully remember subconsciously, but a conscious reminder never hurts.
List, timing, offer.
Talk to any “marketing strategist” anywhere and they will tell you the same. Repeat after me:
List, timing, offer.
Overlooking the importance of any of these three things will seriously harm the success of your marketing.
Your list is who you are directly marketing too. If you sell shoes and you directly market to people with no legs – you can assume your direct marketing will not do very well. Think about who you are targeting.
Your timing – as they say – is everything (or at least 1/3 of everything). If you want to celebrate your anniversary with your partner and you give them a card and flowers two days after the anniversary – you can assume there will be some trouble. Think about your message, think about when your list would be most receptive to hearing your message and when it may matter most to them.
Your offer is about the message and case for your donor to support you. As a charity you likely can not offer a free widget or a money back guarantee. You need to offer a good reason for a donor to part ways with their hard earned money. Specifics please, people!
These three things, done well will equal a successful direct marketing campaign.
I promise or you can have your money back – that’s guaranteed!
Back to brand basics…
Sunday, March 29th, 2009Another week, another discussion about how a design has been refused because it isn’t “on brand” enough. Are you serious?
‘But I used your pantone colour’, I sputtered. ‘The font is typeset according to your guidelines’, I pleaded. Nope.
Brand police – 1. John – 0.
People, this madness must stop.
If you are an E.D., or work at a charity in a senior position, take a seat, grab a coffee and let’s have a little chat about Branding shall we?
First – this is important – if you have a branding or marketing manager whose job it is to give the thumbs up or down to any design and communication piece that crosses your desk – I have good news. You don’t really need them. Sorry.
Branding is not rocket science. Branding is not something you need a degree for. Branding should not be confusing.
Your brand is what you are to your donors. It’s how your donors perceive you. That’s your brand. That’s it.
Two – There are “branding agencies” who will spend a lot of your (and your donors) money – to do focus groups, to design hundreds of logo concepts, straplines, gorgeous design standard manuals, letterheads, big, pompous statements about how your charity is the leader in this and that and you do all of these amazing things… they will hire photographers and shoot gorgeous images for your manuals and reports, they will dictate how to use this special little font that no one has heard of before and how you have to use this or it will all fall apart and then, the glorious day will arrive and they will come to you, sporting the biggest smiles ever and present to you (queue the angels) your BRAND. OOOOoooooooo…
Then, you will have to go out and hire a “brand manager”. Someone who has gone to university and studied marketing and understands how this “brand” works and then can lead you through every communications challenge and when they need to can retrieve the coveted “Brand Book” from the vault to show you why you, your designer and writer are wrong and why you are so off your “brand” you should get a quick slap.
Ok. Maybe I’m going a little far (but somehow I don’t really think I am).
Print this off in 72 pt Times New Roman and hang it by your desk.
Your brand is how your donors perceive you.
People get confused and think these almighty tomes produced by specialized agencies that contain fonts and colours and templates that no one uses with fancy words are your brand. Nope. Sorry.
Your brand is how your donors perceive you.
Ask your donors what your brand is – they probably don’t even care. What they will say is, “Can you tell me what you did with my $100?” “Thank you for calling me the other day to say thanks for the donation.” “What are your goals this year and how can I help?” “That letter that came last week really moved me and reminded me why I support you.” “Every time I call, I find people so helpful.”
Ask yourself about some of the charities or companies you support. What is the brand of Bell Canada? Air Canada? The Canadian Government? Greenpeace? Amnesty International? What is the brand to you? What do you think about them? Do you even know what FONT Air Canada uses? Do you care?
Jen Love who wrote here last week gave me a great quote that I like to use. Basically she says that any work (design, writing, strategy) that we do starts with a donor centered approach. We put the donor in the centre of every thought we have. Is it good for them? Does it tell them what they need to know? Does it ask them to do something? Have we touched their heart? Have we said thanks?
Your brand is how your donors perceive you.
I’ve said it before. It’s not your font. It’s not your PMS colours. It’s not about your wordy mission statement that you need to read 10 times just to understand what the heck it means.
It’s how you talk to your donors, how you answer the phones, how you spend their donations, the way you make them feel when they are thanked, how easy it is for them to access you and how they describe you.
For a little extra reading, you should also check out Jeff Brooks post on Is your brand real or ideal.
