You probably don’t know that one third of the companies we work with at DynaGraphics commercial printing are .orgs — which are nonprofits, associations, foundations, and the like. We absolutely love working with mission-driven organizations! What you also may not know, is tactile marketing is a highly effective channel for .orgs. With that in mind, we want to share 4 non-obvious ways nonprofits utilize tactile marketing to create awareness, secure donations, and everything in between.
Direct Mail is Still Highly Effective for Nonprofits
Let’s start with the most somewhat obvious fact — direct mail programs are still very good for securing donations. Most nonprofits are in need of regular donations from individuals, companies, or government entities (in the form of grants, etc.) to fund operations and achieve their missions. There are a few key reasons tactile marketing works well for nonprofits:
- Stats show it’s still one of the most trusted and effective marketing channels for reaching an audience. As digital channels become more noisy, direct mail programs continue to cut through the clutter.
- Receiving and touching tactile items creates a stronger sensory experience than online digital communications or a phone call. When done right, this increases the likelihood that someone will take action.
- It’s easy to include pre-paid postage return envelopes, which also improves the likelihood that someone will reply. After all, you just need to make the donation and drop it in the mailbox.
If you’re looking for a proof point, we recently ran a direct mail campaign with a non-profit client in Reno that had a 20%+ conversion rate to successful donation! When was the last time an online pay per click (PPC) ad campaign produced that conversion rate for you? Tactile marketing is still highly effective as part of a holistic outreach campaign.
Data is Critical for Direct Mail Campaigns
With tactile marketing programs like direct mail, you might not think data is as critical as when you perform online advertising. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Data insights are also crucial for direct mail. DynaGraphics provides a Data Insight Service to improve campaign outcomes. Dyna, for example, has access to a rich dataset of information that helps nonprofits target the best people for a given campaign. We have access to many segmentation attributes, from zip codes to demographics such as age, household income, and more!
If you’re looking for more helpful tips for direct mail campaigns, make sure to download our free direct mail guide.
A/B Testing is Possible on a Tight Budget
If you aren’t A/B testing your direct mail programs, you’re missing out on a golden opportunity to improve campaign performance. While A/B testing is commonplace in online advertising, we highly recommend it for tactile marketing programs too! How would you go about it? Even on a tight budget, we recommend:
- Create at least two versions of the mailer to see which performs better. Remember that you don’t need large sample sizes to collect insights. 200+ mailers split into 100 mailer groups can provide enough information to select a winner for the remainder of the campaign.
- Utilize a data cleaning service that saves your budget by reducing list waste. Simply calculate 20%+ times your direct mail budget (plus postage), which is the typical savings of fewer return to sender losses and reinvest those funds into your A/B test!
In summary, tactile marketing is a highly effective approach for nonprofits. If you need help with list creation, cleaning, data analysis, graphic design, or any other aspect of a direct mail campaign, contact us today at info@dynagraphicprinting.com or (775) 786-2041.