|
For special appeals and renewal mailings sent to those who already are donors, we like to find out for which groups or segments of donors a “live stamp” reply envelope makes a difference. Adding a postage stamp to each return envelope does dramatically increase costs, but in many cases it can double the response rate.
For some acquisition programs, it also might be worth testing whether sending your mail via First Class rather than bulk (the new “standard mail”) can significantly boost returns. If you struggle to acquire new members, investing in First Class postage just might be worth it.
3. Involvement techniques — surveys, petitions, post cards to elected officials, etc. — often can boost response rates. You also might try a test that involves asking prospective or current members to sign a “Statement of Principle” or a “commitment to act.”
When you test these involvement devices in acquisition, be prepared to receive more responses without any contribution enclosed — or with low-dollar contributions. You could end up acquiring no more renewable members (typically, those whose initial gift is at least $15 or $20), but you’ll have some additional income to offset the investment cost of your acquisition mailings.
There are some tests that I give lower priority — except for all but the largest organizations that regularly mail in quantities of 250,000 plus. The most notable example is testing the size of envelopes. Using bigger or odd-size envelopes hasn’t had much of an impact for our clients. In smaller quantities, those special envelopes haven’t increased the response enough to justify their increased cost.
Stephen Hitchcock is vice president of client services at Mal Warwick Associates. www.malwarwick.com
Page 1 | 2
Companies Mentioned:
 |
|
Insurance Marketing: The Competitive Intelligence Report
Secrets of Direct Marketing Testing
