If literature and annual reports are about informing, Direct Mail (DM) and fliers are about selling.

If you’re a support organisation you will almost certainly know exactly who your audience is. They will generally be charities and not-for-profits who are easier to track down and target; who are manageable in terms of volume (in the hundreds rather than thousands or millions) and most importantly not governed by data legislation that protects the UK’s 60 million consumers. In other words, all a DM or flier needs to cost you is the price of a stamp, an envelope, and a piece of paper.

If you’re a small charity, you need to tread far more carefully. On the one hand, DM could be one of the most inexpensive forms of marketing you’ll ever undertake – particularly if you and your volunteers post letters through local peoples’ doors or hand out fliers in the streets. On the other, if you’re planning bigger campaigns it can be incredibly expensive when you factor in the cost of buying, cleaning and generally managing data… and the pitfalls of not doing it properly.

In fact, only last year the Small Charities Coalition advised its members to avoid direct mail and pursue other less expensive and more manageable forms of marketing.

The basic rules of DM

A well-targeted, personalised, powerful and succinct letter can get you great results. A bad letter will simply be perceived as junk mail; so here are some basic rules!

Targeting

Even the most beautifully crafted letter or flier doesn’t stand a chance if it’s being sent to the wrong people. That’s why managing and cleaning data (i.e. the names, addresses and general details of your target audiences) is so critical to the process. You can buy data, you can find it for free, or you can collect it yourself. Find out more about data management.

Personalisation

The most important word a recipient can read in a letter, or on an envelope, is their name. Personalised communications are proven to be more successful. Be honest, how many times have you picked up a letter addressed to ‘The Occupier’ and thrown in straight in the bin? Recently, the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association conducted research that found charities that personalise at least one part of their communications with donors experience lower drop-out rates compared to those that don't.

Powerful

As with all marketing communications you need to get to the point fast. The use of ‘shock tactics’ is one of the most common complaints levelled at the voluntary sector – so if you choose to go down this road remember to keep it relevant. Use real examples and statistics, and again make it personal to the reader. What specifically are they supposed to do as result of the letter or flier?

Succinct

The influence of the internet has changed our reading habits. We’ve become a society of ‘editors’ who subconsciously tend to skim and scan words without always reading them in full. Some people – your supporters, for example - will read to the end of a two or three-page letter. However, many will not. Write what you need to and don’t over-write.

Direct mail guidelines
 

Do it yourself?

There’s a tried and tested formula to writing direct mail and fliers – known as AICDA. Continuing the example of SupportingCharities, it’s simply a case of referring to your messaging platform and applying it accordingly.

Attention: Last year, three of your fellow local charities doubled their donations thanks to good marketing. How are YOU going to improve yours?

Information: We are a support organisation that exists specifically to help you with everything from designing a website to crafting a marketing plan.

Conviction: We have done this successfully for several local charities. Here’s what they have to say about us.

Desire: You exist to make a difference to your community. So do we. Even if you’re not sure what marketing is, or what you need we can help you increase donors, recruit more volunteers and generally raise awareness.

Action: Contact us in the following ways. Act now.