Even as an increasing number of fundraising pundits pen Direct Mail’s obituary, a piece in Inside Direct Mail indicates the funeral is premature.
Editor-in-Chief Ethan Boldt notes that “While many other sectors have cut down on their mail volume, fundraising has stuck with its direct mail workhorse, even while most fundraisers also have bumped up their usage of email and social media marketing efforts.”
In fact, if fundraising direct mail is purportedly dead then it’s one hell of an exquisite corpse. According to the Who’s Mailing What! Archive (subscription required), fundraising mail has grown in the overall mailstream by 18% so far in 2009 compared to 2008, and up a whopping 33.5% compared to 2007. Today, nearly 20% of the overall U.S. mailstream is dominated by fundraisers.
Other analysis of note:
- 34.3% of the 2009 fundraising efforts are controls;
- 86% are Grand Controls –those in the mail for three or more years;
- However…the number of Grand controls is down 20% from 2008 as, according to Editor Boldt, fundraisers “are adapting to the times by increasingly going with more relevant messages and sometimes slimmer packages.
So, despite the abundant and seeming tireless attention to social media, the dead hand of direct mail rises from its supposed grave, extending a rigid middle digit and reminding us once again that the funeral oratory is premature.
Roger
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Direct mail will not die for a very long time. However, the method of response will change rapidly. Just look at the catalog industry. 10 years ago, 95% of catalog orders were placed through the mail in order form. Today it is less than 5%. So, even though catalogs are still mailed, the channel for placing orders has totally flipped. According to my analysis, by 2015, 50% of an organizations Direct Response revenue will be generated through channels other than mail. According to Target Analytics benchmarking report, today it is about 11%. So, don’t drop your mail program, but embrace Integrated Marketing.
interesting column Roger – amusing conclusion – insouciant as ever!
pva
Direct Mail is far from gone, even with the increasing popularity of online giving and social media. The trick is getting everything to work together to get the highest return out of your fundraising efforts.
Exquisite corpse is a method by which a collection of words or images are collectively assembled, the result being known as the exquisite corpse or cadavre exquis in French. It is a technique used by surrealists, and is based on an old parlour game called consequences in which players wrote in turn on a sheet of paper, folded it to conceal part of the writing, and then passed it to the next player for a further contribution.
Facts are such annoying things. I have watched those in the Social Media movement decry the use of direct mail for months now. While I love Social Media I do see that it has limitations. Above all else it is so new that as of yet we have not been able to fully track its affects. What we can say is that in your rush to embrace Social Media you had better not throw the baby out with the bath water as traditional mediums still work.
Also of interest today was an article in the Wall Street Journal that talked about how despite our new digital age marketers were still using catalogs. The smart marketer is combining both to be even more effective.