back to the future…
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Back to the Future…. Back to the Future. Using Hardcopy Mail in a Digital World -Bob Salvas, Marketing Consultant Cathedral Corporation. Introductions…. Bob Salvas 22 years USPS 10 years private industry Founded Success Mail in 2003 Acct Advisor to Cathedral Corp - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Back to the Future…
Using Hardcopy Mail in a Digital World
-Bob Salvas, Marketing ConsultantCathedral Corporation
Back to the Future
Introductions… Bob Salvas 22 years USPS 10 years private
industry Founded Success Mail in
2003 Acct Advisor to
Cathedral Corp Co-Chair of the PCC
Providence Marketing Consultant List broker Sr Manager in
SendOutCards
Where to begin???
“I keep six honest serving-men(They taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and
WhenAnd How and Where and Who.”
-Rudyard Kipling
Direct Mail The deciding and planning Why How The devil is in the details Where When What The key is the WHO (not the band) Who
The deciding and planning
"He who fails to plan is planning to fail.”
-Winston Churchill
Why use direct mail?
Two things to note in the world today: People have too many communication
options and it is difficult to know which channel they are paying the most attention to.
Most marketing/communication today is either invisible or intrusive Cluttered marketing/messaging environment
Too many messages in too many channels To get attention, interruption is used but
people hate getting interrupted
Why use direct mail?
Mail does not interrupt Every one has a mailbox Mail is highly targetable It has shelf life It is tangible
Millward Brown 81% of mail gets open read/reviewed
Mail versus Email 27% of people have 3 or more email
accts and 30% of people change email address/yr
Over 6 trillion emails sent/yr and only 20% of them are legit- 67% are spam
13% of PERMISSION based email goes to SPAM filters
SPAM filters and DELETE keys are used to combat clutter and intrusion
35 To 1 Email Vs. Direct Mail 80% Of All Email Is Deleted Without Opening
Your web page…Build it and they will come?
Number 1 reason donors sighted for giving online was convenience
65% of all donors will check a charity’s website before giving
80% of donors who gave $100+ go online before giving via any means
53% of all people responded to direct mail by going online
The internet and mail work hand in hand..
Charitable Gifts 2010 -almost 80% mail-related
How?
The first thing to do is set our goals.
Common goals of direct mail: Gathering info (survey/self identify) Driving traffic (to a website or event) Get a donation Build a relationship
Planning What are you
trying to accomplish? Set up some SMART goals:
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Timeline
The Seven StePs of Direct Mail Plan –’smart’ goals
Consultant? Prospective audience –mailing list
List broker? Proposal –what are you offering?
Copy writer? Piece –what does it look like?
Graphic designer or creative agency? Postage –what kind of postage? Preparation –who is doing what part?
Printers, mail houses, or self-service? Performance –measure your results
Self-service Small quantities are naturally a good fit to
handle on your own (especially for retention): Birthday cards and thank you cards to donors. Save the date postcards.
Piecemeal marketing programs: Standard size postcards are a great value. Greeting cards are frequently opened.
If you are mailing thousands of pieces per year, you should inquire about getting non-profit status from the USPS and maybe a mailing permit.
You may want to consider an online service to send some of those greeting cards or post cards - SENDOUTCARDS can be a solution.
www.sendoutcards.com/bobsalvas
The devil is in the details
“Beware of the person who can't be bothered by details.”
-William Feather
Where?Where will the piece be
in the mail stream? Type of piece:
Standard Postcard Oversized Postcard Self-mailer Generic Letter Personal Letter Flat or catalog Dimensional mailing
Packages
Where? Type of postage
payment: Stamps Meter Permit Imprint
Class of mail: First-Class Mail Standard Class Mail
Non-Profit
When?
"Timing is everything. There is a tide in the affairs of men which when taken at the flood leads on to fortune."
- William Shakespeare.
Timing is often the #1 or #2 reason why people respond (along with recognition of the sender).
Two types: Public timing Personal timing
When? Public timing
Seasonal (weather, holidays, taxes, schools, etc.) Event (one area hit by storm or crime or new law,
etc.) Personal timing
Reminders (maintenance, anniversary date, BD, etc.) Event/triggers (new marriage, baby, house,
business, etc.)
People who contact you for information are the strongest triggers of all!
Follow up!
What? The key thing here is that the
message must be personal and relevant to the receiver. Message should be personal 1-to-1
75% of charitable giving was individual Tell a story Testimonials Freemiums P.S.
What?
What is the action you want them to take. 75% of those who gave to charities
listed as their reason: “they were asked”
42% of those who did not give to charities listed as their reason: “they were not asked”
What? Call to action is the
most critical point Keep it simple Give options of how
to respond Web site always! Some people like an
email or call option. A new exciting
response mechanism is the QR code
The key is the WHO (not the band)
"You cannot motivate others to want something they don't already want. You can't create motivation. It must already be
there.” -Harry Browne
How important is a good mailing list?
What if you sell dog food?
But I own a parrot?
Is this someone who will give to a Christian cause?
Is the owner of this company giving to environmental groups?
The four groups - CAPS Current donors – the most important list A-list
Former clients/donors Personal association
Prospects Hand-raisers
Suspects Lists you would buy
The single most important list YOURS! If you do not have your donors in a
list, get them there. Offer value to get their information
(email, phone, address). Compile as much as you can
(purchase data append). Remember that 40% of errors
occur during data entry.
The single most important list
THE NUMBER ONE PROBLEM: CHANGE! Up to 20% of people move in year. A new business opens every minute. A company changes names every two
minutes. A company closes every three minutes. The USPS changes streets, routes, etc.
This is what you want…
Not this…
Undeliverable As Addressed..
6.9 billion pieces of mail UAA in 2010 Almost 60% of total was destroyed
Move update is now required to get postage discounts
40 million people move each year The number one reason for UAA
Many mailing addresses contain input errors (about 12% of UAA in 2010)
Two data bases at USPS…
Address file CASS DPV
COA file NCOA (premail) ACS (postmail) Ancillary Service Endorsements
The difference it can make…
ARC mailing list of 69,826 15% of those were UAA
10,493 pieces not reaching intended audience Per piece value of 94 cents = wasted
cost of $9863.42 After cleanup- 7,553 donors back
to receiving mail
The difference it can make…
Cost of cleanup for the list was $500 Given a 3% response rate and $30
per donor the recovered addresses could generate $6,800.00 in additional donations
Adding the savings in wasted cost to additional revenue = $16,800.00 ROI of 34:1
The ABC’s of mailing lists All Addresses
Occupant/Resident Business Consumer ‘specialty
Response Subscriber Profiled
All addresses…
Let’s begin with 300 million people…
…at 150 million addresses
Geography
States Counties Zip codes Carrier Routes Center points
Occupant/Resident Targeting is strictly geographical Usually broken up by carrier route Going to an entire carrier route can
garner you ‘saturation rates’ Mail is often addressed ‘CURRENT
OCCUPANT’ or ‘POSTAL CUSTOMER’
When is this appropriate? Neighborhood shops like pizza places or
a community event…
Lower postage rates allow you to go to a greater number of people with the same budget.
These lists are also the least expensive to buy…may even be FREE! (EDDM)
Businesses Lists
Businesses are often looked at by the number of employees- the smallest category being 1-9.
Businesses are divided up categorically by industry using Standard Industry Codes (SIC).
Consumer lists Non-business lists (with exceptions) You get the name of the person(s) Target data such as:
Age or age of children Male or female Income level Homeowner or renter Type or value of home
How to use consumer data…
Community causes can target high value homes in certain zip codes.
Children’s causes can target adult WOMEN with children under a certain age present in the house.
How do you think the AARP finds you the second you turn 50?
specialty Lists
Magazine/newspaper companies often sell their subscriber list to gain more revenue.
Response lists are marketing data about people who have responded or shown an interest in a certain thing.
Certain organizations may even sell their member lists.
Specialty lists often cost more.
Dealing with list brokers What is the deliverability of the list?
Should be 90% or above. Are duplicates removed (one per
house)? Is the list CASS certified (contains +4s)? How often is the info updated?
Monthly for most lists is OK. Do they use NCOA for updates?
This is the USPS move database.
Dealing with list brokers Tell them your list idea – they may offer a
better suggestion. Ask them about suppressing your current
donor list within the prospect list. Especially important if it is a prospect message that you don’t want existing donors to see.
Purchase just before you are ready to use.
Trust your source (buyer beware).
Questions? Please contact: Bob Salvas Marketing Consultant, Cathedral
Corp 401-359-1602 cell [email protected]