By Sally Funk

Websites, social networking, e-mail, instant messaging, smart phones, video streaming, even telemarketing – how’s a slow, increasingly expensive media supposed to compete? A long time ago, in a very different world, direct mail was easily the most efficient, cost-effective method for reaching a large group of people with a compelling message. Those days are already long gone.

But is direct mail actually dying? Perhaps not.

After all, there is something satisfyingly tangible about holding that letter in your hand that the “virtual” world just can’t deliver. Some things just seem more real when they’re on paper – and there are some people who just like that feeling. Then there are the people (some are your donors) who are not yet online or who prefer to avoid the online world altogether.

The good news is that the sloppy, clumsy, one-size-fits-all, just plain ugly mail that earned the nickname “junk mail” is definitely on the way out. But the direct mail that will survive in the days to come won’t be at all like your Great Aunt Bertha’s direct mail.

Except that – in some ways – it will. Because the factors that made direct mail effective for many years still apply – not just to paper and ink, but to the newer avenues of electronic mass communication. The difference isn’t so much between an envelope and stamp versus the Internet as it between old and new ways of approaching direct response communication.

We used to think in terms of the organization controlling the message and inspiring response from our supporters. Today, it’s the donors and stakeholders who have the control. Thanks to the variety of media available, they can now choose both how they receive information and how they respond to it.

This means that you still have to master the details of delivering your message and managing the response for each of the various media avenues our donors use. Plus, you have to be able to execute your strategy along parallel avenues – both sending and receiving – and integrate them into a single message with multiple interaction points.

But competent execution is no longer enough. To be successful, you need to understand the foundational elements that have always been at the core of effective direct response communication:

1. Know your audience – Preferences, demographics, giving history, and interests all give you help in getting your message to your stakeholders. Yes, you may need to segment and personalize.
2. Tell your story – Who are you and what do you do? How are you changing the world? The neighborhood? What do gifts accomplish?
3. Ask! – Be specific. Tell them what to do: write a check, click on the ”donate now” button. Tell them how you’ll use their gift.
4. Make it easy to respond –Sometimes this comes down to making sure the response card fits in the envelope, or that the link to the web site actually works. Find the hurdles and remove them.
5. Measure and adapt – Folks will tell you what they like – and dislike – by their response (or lack of it). Really look at your response numbers.

• Compare groups.
• Compare different appeals. What works for regular donors may not work as well for lapsed donors or for new donors.
• Figure out where your “point of no return” is (when lapsed donors no longer respond) and stop spending money on people who are no interested.
• Figure out the unique characteristics of your stakeholders. (Hey, that sounds a little like #1…)

Each of these principles go hand in hand with solid execution. Whether the media is paper or electronic, it is crucial to take full advantage of the strengths and mitigate the weakness of each. This includes coordinating your message across multiple media and providing multiple response avenues. This type of integrated interaction is already possible – and appreciated. Tomorrow, it will be expected.

Direct mail isn’t dead yet – but it’s going to take more work, and more thought.