Print marketing can be a significant investment. Here are some important tips to make sure your printed communications make an impact.
- Maximize your budget dollars by updating your donor data (age, wealth, marital status, deceased append, etc.). This will save you money on both printing and postage while allowing you to focus your time on primary prospects. We recommend segmenting donor files even further, sending targeted mailings (e.g., noncash gift options, gift annuities, QCDs, etc.) to subsets of your planned gift prospects.
- Vary your communication format. Send a periodic planned giving newsletter two or three times a year, along with a self-mailer or large postcard or even occasional letters with brochures (especially at year-end). Use email and social media as a supplement to (not a substitute for) traditional mail to reach a broader audience.
- Be creative with design and content. Use a variety of layouts and offer different ways to respond—reply cards and BREs (business reply envelopes) with newsletters and brochures; tear-off cards with self-mailers or other “stand-alone” pieces, such as legacy society brochures—and always include your website address. Feature donor stories and mission photos with captions as often as possible.
- Make sure your design is senior-friendly. Use a font type and size that will be legible to older eyes and be careful about using reverse type, light-colored ink and placing text on top of screens.
And after …
- Follow up each printed mailing with an eblast to a broader list to allow those who may not have received the printed piece to request information while also drawing attention to your website for those who prefer to access additional information online.
- Follow-up on those responses! Make sure you reply to requests for more information in a timely manner. Send a personal note, talk with prospects on the phone or meet in person, when possible, to cultivate personal relationships.
