Direct Marketing: What, Why, How and Examples

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What Is Direct Marketing And How To Implement It Effectively For Your Business?

Marketing was never easy for business organisations; over the years, it has only become more complex and challenging. Every day there is a new marketing trend hitting the market. And due to internet access, influencer marketing, etc., smaller companies are splitting the target market into smaller pieces.

At this point, a company’s best approach to staying ahead of the game is to make marketing more personal. And not many marketing strategies work in forming an emotional connection with the customers than direct marketing.

Direct campaigns involve sending personalised messages to the target audience to get the desired response. More importantly, it works on the principle of human relations and sees the customer as a person rather than a target.

It is why direct marketing strategies like direct mail are fast gaining popularity. According to a report by the DMA (Data And Marketing Association)

“87% have been influenced by direct mail to make online purchases.”

And remember, direct mail is just one of the many direct marketing examples. Below we elaborate on direct campaigns, their different examples, and how you can use them to grow your business.

What is Direct Marketing?

Direct marketing is a promotional strategy that allows you to present your company’s products and services directly to the target audience. In other words, direct marketing enables you to cut out the advertising middleman and market your products or services.

It is also worth noting that direct marketing is a highly targeted approach. Finding a high potential target audience is also a part of a direct campaign. Hence, direct marketing tends to have a higher conversion rate than non-targeted marketing strategies.

For instance, a healthcare organisation can target a senior/retirement community with flyers for its arthritis awareness program.

“The DMA research shows a 9% average response rate for direct mail campaigns.” – Data And Marketing Association (DMA)

However, direct mail is just one of the many direct campaigns you can use for your business. But we will explain more about that later. First, let’s look at what makes direct marketing a good fit for your marketing needs.

Reach Your Customers Faster

One of the best things about direct and digital marketing efforts is that they can immediately reach the target audience. For example, take the case of email marketing campaigns nowadays. You can send hundreds and thousands of emails to your target audience with a button.

Highly Efficient Promotion Strategy

Another reason you should use direct marketing is because of how efficient it is as a promotion strategy. With other non-targeted marketing campaigns, you are practically shooting in the dark, hoping to hit your luck. But with a targeted direct campaign, things are a whole lot different.

Direct campaigns target customers who are genuinely interested in your product or service. As a result, your direct marketing campaigns always yield maximum efficiency for your marketing messages. Regular lists are unrefined and can’t efficiently attract the attention of your ideal customers. And as a result, standard non-targeted campaigns often fail to create a connection with the target audience.

Highly Customisable

Targeting the right audience for your direct marketing campaigns is only half the battle. It would be best if you also had customisation to ensure you get the desired results for the direct campaigns. And this is what our Account Manager had to say when a leading insurance provider from California wanted to know how customisation can make a difference to their direct campaigns.

“Whenever you employ direct marketing to sell a product or service, you target a specific individual or company. And this applies to every industry and not just yours. You can’t win over a new customer without forming a personal relationship, and customisation can help you with this.”

Customisation enables you to address the customer directly. You can use customised messages, offers, products, etc. The more customised your direct marketing campaign, the more likely you will get the desired results. Thankfully, this customisation is easily implementable using various automation tools.

For example, you can use PostGrid’s direct mail tool to send customised marketing messages to your customers. It allows you to send customised postcards, brochures, leaflets, etc., to your customers with an automated solution.

Measure Your Marketing Efficiency

The efficiency of direct marketing campaigns is relatively easy to measure. You can track or measure the success of your direct campaigns by analysing different aspects of the campaign, such as

• The number of customers who responded
• The revenue earned
• The overall ROI or Return On Investment

Furthermore, direct and digital marketing is also perfect for finding out the spending capability of prospects on specific products/services. And that’s not automated solutions like PostGrid let you access advanced analytics and insights of your campaigns.

For example, you can use PostGrid to track your direct mail campaigns, including the deliverability of your mailers. You can also access analytics that figure out how to optimise your direct marketing campaigns.

Characteristics Of Direct Marketing

As you know, direct marketing strategies allow you to communicate a brand message directly to the target audience. But that is only the primary feature of direct campaigns. Below we discuss the other characteristics of direct drives. You can use these characteristics to identify a direct campaign from traditional marketing.

Targeting

Targeting is one of the easily noticeable characteristics of a direct marketing campaign. If you go ahead and mail everyone on your database, you will only spend more money for less ROI. You need a highly targeted list of eligible prospects for an efficient direct campaign.

However, you can make this relatively easy with the right tools. For example, you can use geocoding to identify geographical patterns or use address verification tools to identify demographic patterns. Or you could use PostGrid’s address verification tool that already comes with geocoding capability.

Database Segmentation

You’d know about customer segmentation if you are a marketer or closely working with the marketing team. Database segmentation is an integral part of direct marketing. It is where you divide your customer base into small categories or groups using a common characteristic they all have, such as

• Age
• Gender
• Occupation
• Location
• Interests
• Needs
• Income etc.

Categorising or segmenting your customer database like this allows you to pitch them with customised offers. You can cross these categories based on the product or service you want to sell. The only trick here is to ensure that whatever direct marketing idea you pitch is relevant to the target audience.

Tracking Responses

There is no way of knowing how well or how bad your marketing strategies perform unless you monitor them. Continuous or regular monitoring can determine which direct marketing strategy works best for your business.

Using online direct marketing channels allows your target audience to respond to your message quickly. In addition to that, you can monitor the entire marketing process through online channels. However, it is also worth noting that the open rate for online channels is subpar compared to offline channels like direct mail.

Or you can make the best out of online and offline channels using an automated solution for offline communication channels like mail. For instance, you can provide a QR code or PURL in the mailer. It will allow the customer to access your website, landing page, or mobile app.

What Are The Benefits Of Direct Marketing?

Now that you know what is direct marketing, it is time for us to discuss why your business should use it. In other words, we must examine what can your business organisation gain from using a direct campaign. Here are some significant benefits of employing direct campaigns for your business.

Targeted Advertising

As we explained, targeting is one of the essential characteristics of direct marketing. Therefore, it is only natural that direct campaigns include targeted advertising. It involves sending customised marketing messages to your target audience.

When you focus on sending a marketing message to a specific person, your marketing message becomes significantly more effective. And keep in mind that targeted advertising also involves pitching the right product or service to the prospective customer.

Budget Marketing

No matter how many direct marketing examples you consider, you will always find one common thing in all of them. Every direct campaign focuses on a specific demographic. And when you have a well-defined target demographic, it becomes easier to set plausible sales targets and drive sales.

With more reliable data on your side, it is relatively easy to implement a more extensive direct marketing campaign, even on a low budget. Furthermore, using intelligent, direct mail tools like PostGrid allows you better track and optimise your expenses.

“In 2021, direct mail advertising spending in the United Kingdom reached close to 1.1 billion British pounds” – Statista.

One reason direct marketing is gaining popularity again, as the above stat suggests, is the availability of tools like PostGrid. Automated solutions like PostGrid play a significant role in ensuring effective and budget-friendly campaigns for your company.

Boost Sales To Existing and Lapsed Customers

It might surprise you to hear this, but the key to a successful marketing campaign is not always expanding your reach. More often than not, targeting your existing and lapsed customers is easier and much more effective, and direct marketing is perfect for this.

Remember, customers, are always ready to welcome businesses that can solve their problems or pain points. And they are only too glad to seek help from a brand that has helped them. With direct marketing, you can keep track of all your customer data, categorise them and create a well-thought campaign.

But, it is even better when re-establishing relationships with lapsed customers. There are several direct marketing examples to prove this. For example, you can send personalised postcards to your customers with attractive offers or discounts. And since you already know what product they are interested in, you can target them with an offer they can’t deny.

Boost Customer Loyalty

Targeting existing and lapsed customers also implies that you can improve your customer loyalty using direct marketing. It is an ideal choice for building and maintaining good relationships with your customers.

By sending a personalised marketing message and offer, you can show how your brand values its customers and business. You can generate a genuine connection with customers by combining direct marketing strategies with customer loyalty programs. Here are some methods you can use to boost customer loyalty.

• Giving exclusive offers, including discounts
• Sending a personalised birthday card
• Inviting customers to special events, including sales

Excellent Launching Pad For New Businesses

When launching a new business, product, service, or offer to your customers, there is no better launchpad than direct campaigns. Effective communication with your target audience brings more relevant traffic to your business across various channels.

Furthermore, using direct marketing in your customer acquisition program could spark a genuine reaction from the target. As we discussed above, direct campaigns can boost customer loyalty. And it can lead to generating brand advocates for your company.

Besides this, direct marketing strategies also help you adapt and respond to market demands. But that’s not all. You can use direct campaigns for the following purposes.

• Boost sales of specific products or services
• Renew sales
• Boost customer retention
• Clearance sale for discontinued stock
• Ence follow up on promotional offers

Excellent Product Performance Measurement

Another great advantage of direct marketing is that it is perfect for measuring product performance. It lets you find out the demand for specific products or services. But more importantly, it allows marketers to

• Expand their reach to new markets
• Evaluate sales results
• Measure the effectiveness of their marketing strategies

As a result, marketers can quickly modify their campaigns and ensure success. Ideally, a marketer should monitor various aspects of the direct marketing campaign and analyse the results. The information you get from the analysis is crucial in improving your future marketing efforts.

What Are The Best Direct Marketing Techniques Or Channels?

There are numerous techniques or channels you can use for your direct campaigns. Choosing a medium more apt for your unique marketing needs would be best. Several businesses even go for an approach where they use multiple direct marketing channels.

Below, we list some of the best direct marketing examples you can consider using for your company.

Direct Mail

Many business organisations gave up on their direct mail marketing campaigns long ago. And most new companies never tried to use direct mail because everyone uses digital marketing channels. So, then why are we still talking about direct mail marketing?

The truth is that direct mail is one of the best direct marketing techniques you can use for your company. It has an excellent open and response rate. Furthermore, since everyone is busy with their online marketing campaigns, it is significantly easier to get noticed by the target audience.

“32% of managers say they always open their mail, and 30% say they open it if it looks relevant.” – DMIS Response Rates Survey.

If that’s not enough, you can automate the direct marketing process using a direct mail tool like PostGrid. We have helped numerous clients from different industry verticals set up an automated mailing system. You can connect PostGrid with your CRM for easy and accurate bulk mail personalisation. Listen to what one of our clients had to say about their experience working with us.

“We have been using PostGrid for a few months. It works with our CRM, the software interface, efficiency, automation, and integration with no issues” – CTO.

Email Marketing

Another ideal example of direct marketing is targeted emails. In many ways, direct mail and email marketing are very similar. Of course, email marketing is significantly faster, and practically everyone on the internet has an email id. Hence, it is an ideal marketing channel or at least, in theory.

The only downside of email marketing is that it is so widely popular. As you know, everyone has at least one email ID overflowing with unread subscription mail. It is one of the reasons why email marketing has a significantly lower open and response rate compared to direct mail.

Email marketing is one of the best direct marketing examples and a preferred choice for numerous companies. In addition, you can find several email automation tools like Mailchimp to optimise your email marketing.

Social Media Marketing

A fundamental principle in every marketing effort is to go to where your target audience is. Today, that place is social media. Social media marketing is even more enticing because people tend to flaunt their tastes and preferences online. In other words, targeting your direct marketing campaign was never as easy as it is now.

Social media marketing enables you to build a community for your brand and develop customer relationships. But that’s not the primary reason for employing social media direct marketing for your business. The primary reason for using social media is its ability to target audiences accurately.

Take Facebook (Meta), for example. It offers you advanced direct marketing capabilities that help you reach high-potential targets. You can even categorise prospective customers into groups using data like age, gender, etc.

SMS Marketing

SMS marketing is another famous example of direct marketing you can employ for your business organisation. It involves you sending permission-based text messages to the target audience. You can see several similarities between SMS and email marketing.

But one might argue that SMS messages are much more accessible since the user always has their phone. Hence you can use SMS to send all kinds of critical notifications, reminders, etc. Here are some direct marketing messages you send to your customers using SMS.

• Updates
• Promos
• Discount offers
• Event Invitations
• Sales notification
• And more.

It is also worth mentioning that SMS marketing is quick and cost-effective. Besides that, you only need the customer’s phone number to contact them. However, the biggest drawback is that direct marketing only supports text content, and you cannot utilise the power of images in your campaign.

Telemarketing

Telemarketing is one of the classic direct marketing examples for your business. In telemarketing, you can call your prospective customers over the phone and convince them to buy your product or service.

A standard telemarketing campaign involves multiple sales representatives reaching out to potential customers. On the other hand, you can outsource the telemarketing services to a third party, which is often the more convenient option.

The most significant advantage of telemarketing is convincing the target audience to take the desired action. In other words, you can sell a product or service to a prospect even if they do not feel they need it. This convincing power of telemarketing is why it remains one of the best direct marketing examples.

Leaflet Marketing

This list of best direct marketing examples is incomplete without leaflet marketing. Leaflet marketing is perfect for small businesses as it offers a simple and affordable way for businesses to reach out to their customers.

To make things more interesting, you also have special Royal Mail services like Door to Door, specifically designed to send leaflets. It means you can send marketing leaflets at a significantly lower price. But if you want to optimise your expenses holistically, you may consider using an automated direct mail tool.

Other Direct Marketing

The direct marketing examples you see above are only some of the methods used in direct campaigns. Apart from the ones listed above, you can also try the following techniques for your business:

• Direct selling
• Catalogues
• Push notification marketing
• And more.

Conclusion

Business organisations are turning towards direct marketing to convey their marketing messages effectively. But it is easier said than done without the right tools, especially offline marketing channels like direct mail.

Advanced direct mail tools like PostGrid make direct marketing easier for companies. It provides full automation and even includes the complete customisation of your marketing mailers. Similar solutions are also available for all types of direct campaigns.

Hence, business organisations must make it a point to analyse, assess, and find out the best tools for direct marketing. Only with the help of tools like PostGrid can you run cost-effective direct campaigns with zero unwanted delays.

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The post Direct Marketing: What, Why, How and Examples appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/direct-marketing/

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Fundraising Letters Best Practices

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Best Fundraising Letters Examples: How to Draft Effective Letters to Increase Donations

Nonprofit institutions work towards offering the necessary assistance to people who need it. They depend on charitable donations to keep running and helping others. Hence, they need to send a letter asking for donations to individuals and businesses now and then to raise funds for specific causes.  

Sometimes, you may feel that most people are not interested in donating anything to your institution. However, the truth is that UK citizens donated nearly £11.3 billion to charity in 2020. Almost 62% of people donated via cash and in-kind contributions or sponsorships. 

So, it is a myth that your letter requesting donations for nonprofit purposes will not work! All you need to do is take the first step, gather a targeted mailing list, and launch well-thought fundraising campaigns.

“Many people and companies are looking to donate right now. But, you need to help them find you.”

You can start by going through the best fundraising letter examples and getting an idea about the concept. They can help you craft powerful and effective letters you can send on behalf of your nonprofit to bring in more donations.

Let us discuss how to create an impactful charity fundraising letter template in this blog to give you a headstart. Furthermore, we will also talk about the different types of charity appeals and letters you may send for various reasons.

What Is a Fundraising letter and Why Is It Important?

Fundraising letters are handwritten or typed appeals sent to prospective donors asking them to contribute to your institution. It helps you discuss your financial needs and provide donors with ways to contribute.

You can send a fundraising letter alone to people or add your booklet to help them know about your work in detail. The purpose is to create emotional bonds with the community and highlight how your fundraising campaigns make a difference.

Also, they give you the chance to tell your story and get people hooked on specific missions or causes. Thus, you can connect with numerous people and ask them to volunteer for your nonprofit or donate something to help you achieve your objectives.

As said earlier, a letter asking for donations lets you create and maintain a unique brand image. And it boosts your visibility among your target audience, increasing donation levels. Remember, people are more likely to donate to charities they know of for a while.

• A fundraising letter helps organisations reach prospects and ask for cash, auction items, in-kind contributions, volunteer time, etc.
• It helps people know your financial needs and make a donation that suits them.
• Also, it lets them know about the campaigns you support. Thus, you may receive contributions to your causes in different forms from specific communities.
• Use direct mail automation solutions like PostGrid to save money and increase your campaign ROI.

9 Best Fundraising Letters Examples to Help Nonprofits Send Custom Charity Appeals

Every charitable institution needs to send a fundraising letter at some point. The basic format may remain the same, but the contents can vary considerably. This section helps you understand the differences between the letters to let you select and use the ones you need:

General Fundraising Letters

Nonprofits send letters asking for general donations throughout the year to help them operate daily and fulfil their goals. They constitute a standard letter requesting donations for nonprofit organisations to enable them to speak with donors personally.

Best practices to send standard fundraising letters:

• Do not draft a very lengthy fundraising letter. It is typically one page, but you can write up to a maximum of two pages. Remember that you don’t want to distract the reader with too much information and push them towards one prime goal.
• You can send these general letters at any time. Hence, ensure you don’t spam your prospects’ mailboxes by mailing too often. You can space the campaigns over several months to grab the audience’s attention but not annoy them.
• Always add the donors’ full names to your letter asking for donations to make them feel special. Furthermore, sign them to add a personal touch and display that you value and respect your donors.

Sponsorship Letters

Sponsorship request letters contain details about how the donor can benefit by contributing to your institution. These letters are typically for finding sponsors for particular fundraising events, like a marathon or gala.

Instead of pooling the money from their pockets, nonprofits send fundraising letters to potential sponsors. In return, the sponsors receive several incentives, like a website or directory listing, advertising space at the event, or their logos on the event merchandise.

Best practices to send sponsorship request letters:

• Send your sponsorship letter asking for donations from businesses months in advance. It gives you enough time to find sponsors and coordinate other things properly.
• Always address the decision-makers in your letters to make an impact. It helps you to personalise your fundraising letter and increases your chances of getting a response.
• Ask for a specific amount to give potential sponsors an idea of your event budget. Inform them if they would be the only sponsor or if you also plan to raise funds from other sources.
• Provide all the necessary specifics about the event you plan on hosting. Don’t forget to add the time, date, venue, and type of attendees to the fundraising letter.

Volunteer Time Request Letters

These letters help you gather supporters to assist you during your charity campaigns. For example, imagine you want to host a fun run. Now, you need a group of volunteers who can help you run the event successfully.

Some of the best fundraising letters examples are for volunteer time appeals because it helps nonprofits not spend on human resources!

Ensure that your fundraising letter focuses on the work you expect volunteers to do, like helping in food drives, collecting funds, preparing posters, etc. Also, let them know how their effort can positively impact the communities you support.

Best practices to send volunteer request letters:

• Start with a compelling hook to make recipients read your entire letter. Let them know that this is not a letter asking for donations. Instead, you want their support to help you serve society better.
• Add your contact information to a visible spot in the letter. It helps readers connect with you effortlessly to get more details or sign up as a volunteer.
• Thank them in advance to motivate them to join you and create goodwill. Also, appreciate the effort of the people who had already volunteered for your organisation in the past.

Corporate Donation Letters

A letter asking for donations from businesses is similar to a sponsorship letter. But, in this case, you don’t offer anything in exchange for their contribution. Also, you don’t need to tie the contributions to a specific event.

Many companies give charity annually as part of their corporate social responsibility. You can find a list of such companies and get in touch using a personal and well-curated fundraising letter.

However, you cannot ask a company to make an extensive contribution directly. You may need to send a couple of letters and conduct multi-channel marketing campaigns to get them on board.

Best practices to send a corporate letter asking for donations from businesses:

• Try to fix an in-person meeting with a decision-maker or representative of the company. It enables you to introduce yourself, create trustworthy relationships, and spell out your institution’s monetary needs.
• Be specific about how much money you need and its purpose in your fundraising letter. Refrain from making vague requests to show that you have prepared for the project and have a solid plan to make it work.
• Thank them for any previous contributions they have made to your organisation.

Auction Items Request Letter

If you want to host an online, live, or silent auction to raise money, you need unique and valuable items for people to bid on. Naturally, you need donors willing to contribute biddable objects for your auction. Thus, you need to conduct a fundraising letter campaign to spread the word and help you find enough donors.

Remember to print and mail letters months in advance so that people have the time to fulfil your request. Be clear regarding the items you are looking for to avoid getting unwanted objects that are of no use.

Best practices to send a letter asking for donations in the form of auction items:

• Include details about your previous auction and inform donors how much money you raised from it. It makes the donors feel good and confident that your auction can help several people. Also, don’t forget to discuss why you want to conduct another auction.
• Your fundraising letter should have a tear-off sheet that lets donors fill out their contact details and the type of item they can donate. Alternatively, you may also include a separate form they can mail back to you using the Business Reply Mail envelope you sent with the letter.
• Invite the donors to your charity auction to showcase your respect and appreciation for them. Let them know the event date, venue, and time, and ask them to join you.

Church Fundraising Letter

Churches are also nonprofit organisations that rely on the support of their community members. A church fundraising letter can be of several types, depending on its purpose:

• Trip funding
• Church building
• Sponsorship requests
• Event hosting
• General donations
• Missionary support, etc.

Send your letters to your congregation members because they would want to help out. Also, try using these appeals to get the best out of your existing relationships with your members.

Best practices to send a letter requesting donations for nonprofit churches:

• Talk about your congregation’s vision and purpose at the beginning of your letter. Also, express your gratitude for the ongoing support of the community to keep the church functioning smoothly.
• Some people already make generous donations after the Sunday mass. Prevent sending the fundraising letter to such people and focus on the others.
• Spread out your campaigns between different groups of congregants. For example, you may mail letters to people above 60 years for Christmas-related donations. And reach out to the millennial group for church-building contributions and other purposes. Thus, you don’t run the risk of spamming people and tarnishing your image.

Matching Gifts Fundraising Letter

Matching gifts is a corporate philanthropy program where employers donate the same amount as their employees to a nonprofit firm. However, employees often fail to submit a request to their employers to match their donations.

Using a fundraising letter reminds employees to submit the paperwork to their human resources departments. It is an excellent way to double the donations you receive effortlessly.

Best practices to send matching gift letters:

• Try sending these letters to your donors immediately after they contribute. The donation would be still fresh in their minds, and it is the right time to submit a matching gift request to the employer.
• Guide the donors on how to check eligibility in your fundraising letter. Make the process as simple as possible for them.
• Use an accurate matching gift database to determine which donors are eligible, helping you mail to the correct audience.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Letters

Peer-to-peer fundraising is an effective way to collect funds from individuals and companies indirectly. It refers to your supporters creating their fundraising pages online and soliciting gifts through their connections.

Consider offering them a few fundraising templates for donations and assisting them in collecting more money. Then, they can add the campaign-specific details to these templates and post them online. Similarly, they can send the fundraising letter via email and text to their family, friends, and colleagues to ask them to donate.

Best practices to mail a peer-to-peer fundraising letter:

• Find influencers with large networks willing to sign up for your campaign as a supporter. Guide them throughout the process to help them make a strong appeal to their followers and drive donations.
• Provide them with a proper link they can post on their social media handles. Also, let them put up your mailing address for people who want to send you a cheque.

School Fundraising Letter

Schools also need donations for a wide range of activities, whether planning a year-end event, buying supplies, or renovating the school building. Their target audience consists of their students’ parents and alumni. You can pull the potential donor’s heartstrings in your letter asking for donations by mentioning the future of all your students.

Explain how their contributions can help young students grow up and become responsible leaders. Also, give them an idea of how much money you want to raise through this campaign.

Best practices to send a school fundraising letter requesting donations for nonprofit reasons:

• Give readers multiple options to help you because not everyone can afford to make a monetary contribution. Some people might want to volunteer or help you raise funds from other sources.
• Tailor your letters to suit the concerns and preferences of the recipients to get more attention and engagement. Luckily, direct mail services like PostGrid allow you to customise your fundraising letter with variable data without extra effort.

What Are the Elements of a Result-Bearing Fundraising Letter?

Nonprofits should add some standard elements to their charity appeals to make them appealing. But, they cannot settle with the basics alone! Their letters must be thoughtful and persuasive. Below, we have mentioned how to write a donation request letter the right way:

Salutation

Avoid addressing your readers with a generic salutation, like ‘Dear Support’ or ‘Dear Donor.’

Use the person’s preferred name and personalise your opening. It pushes people to read your letter further and take action. You can use a formal or informal salutation, depending on your relationship with the reader.

Introduction

Make your introductory paragraph highly customised to show readers that it is not a random fundraising letter. Suppose you want to mail to a past donor. In such cases, inform them how their previous contribution was helpful to your organisation. Thank them and express your gratitude as you begin to share further details.

Acknowledge the person’s participation in specific activities if you want to mail it to a congregant member. Also, discuss how you use the donations to allow the church to function smoothly. Try making the introduction of your fundraising letter personal and engaging.

Explain the Cause

Always mention your cause in the second paragraph. You can include the amount you want to raise and discuss how you will put that money to use. Furthermore, you may talk about your previous missions and projects to highlight your organisation as a trustworthy one.

You can mention the enclosures in this paragraph if you have attached a booklet or pamphlet to your letter asking for donations.

Make a Request

Make a specific request, like “A small contribution of $100 can bring us a step closer to our goal.’ Or you can give donors numerous options and let them select according to their affordability. For instance, your fundraising letter can say:

• $5 can feed one child today
• $10 can feed two children
• $20 can feed five children, and so on

Call to Action

Remember to include an upfront call to action that tells readers what to do next. Give them multiple payment options, like donating online, sending a cheque, etc.

At PostGrid, we hear clients say that they find it hard to track their campaign results. They are concerned that they won’t find out if their fundraising letter resulted in a specific donation. Well, here’s what mailers can do:

• Add a customised CTA to their letter requesting donations for nonprofit campaigns
• Have a robust tracking mechanism to record the responses

PostGrid helps its clients add QR codes, personalised URLs, and custom contact numbers to their mailers to track results painlessly. Thus, they can now tie every donation to a specific campaign and calculate their ROI precisely.

Add Your Contact Details

It is crucial to have a contact information section in your letter. Print your letter asking for donations from businesses and individuals on your organisation’s letterhead. Also, ensure that your letterhead has your brand logo, contact number, email address, mailing address, and website link.

Thank the Reader and Sign the Letter

In your closing line, thank the reader for their time and donation in advance. It creates a sense of belonging and responsibility in the readers’ minds, pushing them to donate.

Then, add your signature at the end to show that this fundraising letter is from a genuine person. It is always better to have a leader from your organisation write a letter as a representative to create 1:1 relationships.

Include a Postscript

A postscript line helps you reinstate your message and CTA in a few words. Many people skip the letter asking for donations to read this line first. Hence, ensure to make it interactive and meaningful.

Here’s a charity fundraising letter template you can use for reference:

[Full name]

[Your organisation’s mailing address]

[Mailing date]

To,

[Recipient’s full name]

[Their mailing address]

[Salutation]

We at [your organisation name] are writing this letter to inform you of our upcoming charity initiative for [your cause]. Our mission is to always [insert your organisation’s primary purpose], and we would like to ask for your help again.

We want to raise [insert the total amount you want to raise] for [insert the name of your project (if any)]. You can check our website or find the attached pamphlet with this fundraising letter to know us more deeply. It will also help you see how your contributions have been helping people for the past [the number of years since your organisation’s establishment].

With a small donation of [donation amount you want from the reader], you can help [state your cause].

You can donate using this link [your online fundraising page link] or send us a cheque at the return address on the letterhead. Feel free to contact us for further questions, concerns, or clarifications.

I am thanking you in advance for your support.

[Signature]
[The postscript of your letter asking for donations]

Sample Donation Request Letter for Nonprofit Organisations

Here’s a sample fundraising letter you can use for mailing your charity appeals to potential donors:

MILLIE POLLARD

48 WESTWOOD ROAD

SOUTHAMPTON

SO53 5PD

Date: 20th July 2022.

To,

NOAH HOLLAND

20G BAKER STREET

LONDON

SW1H 9NP

Dear Mr Noah,

We at ‘Save the Disabled’ organisation have been working to help the needy for the past 20 years. Along the way, we were lucky enough to meet hundreds of volunteers and donors to help us, and we know you are one of them! We want to thank you on behalf of our team and all the people we support.

Today, we are writing this letter asking for donations for our upcoming drive. This project would empower us to help nearly a hundred people suffering from neurological and physical diseases. Our primary objective is to fulfil their basic needs and create a good life for these people.

The drive is at 7 Parker Street in London on 10th August, from 11 AM to 5 PM. You can join us there or donate now using the QR code below. Alternatively, you can pay on our website or send a cheque to the address mentioned in this fundraising letter.

Please feel free to reach out if you want any more information or have any queries. We would be happy to answer your questions.

Thanks in advance for your previous donations and ongoing support throughout the years!

Yours sincerely,

[Signature]

PS- We hope to change a hundred lives for the better with this drive. Click the link below to get more details about our initiative.

How Should You Send a Fundraising Letter and When?

There are many options to send your letter asking for donations to your target audience. You may use direct mail, social media, email, and other channels to reach potential donors. Let us first consider direct mail:

• Direct mail can produce a response rate of up to 9%
• 92% of people who receive direct mail engage with the mailer online
• UK customers engage with 96% of all offline mail items they receive

On the contrary, the open and response rate for email marketing has been on a decline. Users have abandoned 57% of all email addresses after receiving too many marketing emails.

Hence, sending your letter requesting donations for nonprofit institutions via direct mail is advisable. The best time to send these letters is during pre-tax periods when most people and companies donate willingly. Also, you can conduct charity campaigns throughout November and December because these months see the highest number of donations every year.

However, you may send a general or campaign-specific fundraising letter to your intended audience all year round. Just ensure that you use a segmented mailing list.

You can use PostGrid’s print and mail API to plan and flexibly launch your campaigns. It helps you place orders for any number of letters you want anywhere within minutes. With our 2-business day SLA, we can ensure they are ready to mail quickly and efficiently.

Best Tips to Send a Letter Asking for Donations From Businesses and Individuals

You can use the following tips to write a successful fundraising letter and garner more support for your campaigns:

Make an Emotional Appeal

Unlike business marketing letters, your charity appeal should be emotional. Try to drive donations with a heart-touching storyline talking about your accomplishments so far. You can include links to videos showcasing your work in the community. Or you may add some real-life stories of how you helped others.

Categorise Your Audience

You must segment your mailing lists before sending a fundraising letter to your audience. Mailing the same letter to every person in your database kills the purpose of your campaign. Therefore, try to categorise your potential donors according to their:

• Donation history
• Demographics
• Location
• Preferences, etc.

Younger donors contribute more to nonprofits supporting mental and physical healthcare than the older population. Also, women are more likely to donate to animal welfare, children’s help, and art-based organisations than men. Hence, statistics prove that you need to target the correct audience to see better results for your fundraising letter campaign.

Add Relevant Visuals and Extra Materials

Adding images to your letter asking for donations to depict your work is always a good idea. They make your appeals more interactive and trustworthy. Or you can send postcards and flyers containing relevant imagery if you don’t want to insert them into your letter.

Direct Readers to Your Website

Most recipients would want to donate online right after reading your fundraising letter. So, remember to direct them to your online fundraising page where they can contribute in only a few steps.

You may also include social media links to help people know your organisation better and follow you. This practice can boost your online traffic and bring in more contributions.

Avoid Jargon and Be More Conversational

Please refrain from using internal jargon that can confuse the readers because it can ruin even the best fundraising letters examples. Instead, speak to them personally as if you are having a face-to-face conversation.

Track Your Data

Tracking the responses of your fundraising letter campaigns helps you understand your audience well. It also lets you plan your upcoming campaigns with more knowledge about your key demographics.

Automate Your Mailing Activities

Employing a direct mail API like PostGrid to automate your mailing tasks can help you send a fundraising letter to donors at 75% cheaper rates. Thus, you can save more money for your cause and spend less on printing and logistics.

Also, you can eliminate manual labour, which requires more people and time. Our solutions allow you to mail across the country via Royal Mail conveniently and speedily.

More About PostGrid’s Direct Mail Solutions to Help Nonprofits and Faith-Based Organisations

PostGrid offers a wide range of features to help you create, print, and ship a letter asking for donations to your audience. Our clients send thousands of letters and other mail items monthly via PostGrid. Also, they have several choices to deploy PostGrid for their print and mail activities:

• API: Nonprofits can integrate our direct mail API into their CRM to send letters directly from their system. The API lets them fetch donors’ data in seconds to personalise letters.
• Dashboard: Alternatively, charitable organisations can sign up for a PostGrid account and start mailing their fundraising letter through our dashboard instantly.
• Automation software: There is also a third option, which is installing our automation software on your device. You can use our software to:
  • Trigger campaigns
  • Upload and save contacts
  • Create templates
  • Verify addresses in bulk, etc.

Recently, we met the Chief of a reputed charitable organisation to discuss our membership plans. They had a lot of queries, like:

• What is the maximum mailing limit?
• How much does every fundraising letter cost?
• How to check the campaign results?

Our representative had a lively conversation with them, clearing all their doubts one after the other. First, there is no minimum or maximum mailing caps at PostGrid. You can send your letter asking for donations in any volume you see fit. We can always help you switch to different plans if your requirements grow.

If you aren’t sure yet, you can start with our Starter plan at only $0—which allows you to mail up to 500 letters. And you can check your limit, send a fundraising letter to prospects, and access campaign reports by navigating your dashboard.

Our customer support team is available 24 x 7 to assist you if you have any concerns about our API integration or other topics.

After the conversation, the client went for our Growth plan because they wanted to send around 4,000 to 4,500 letters monthly. Today, they get a response ratio of 6% to 8%, helping them start several new initiatives throughout the country.

Are you also ready to print and mail a fundraising letter to potential donors according to your requirements? Request a demo now, and we will solve your queries and help you conduct cost-effective campaigns!

Ready to Get Started?

Start transforming and automating your offline communications with PostGrid

SIGN UPREQUEST A DEMO

The post Fundraising Letters Best Practices appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/non-profit-fundraising-letters/

source https://postgridunitedkingdom.blogspot.com/2022/07/fundraising-letters-best-practices.html

source https://suzannefcox.tumblr.com/post/690883130660356096

Commercial Printing Companies

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Top 8 Commercial Printing Companies in the UK to Ease Your Print Activities

The print industry in the UK seems to grow every year because of its latest innovations and developments. We can credit the rise in global trade for pushing the demand for printed products, like documents, marketing letters, banners, exhibition materials, etc.

Other possible reasons for the high demand for print items and commercial printing companies are:

• Increasing competition in every sector
• Rising customer expectations and the need to offer customer-centric services
• The need to create more impactful marketing strategies across various offline and online channels, etc.

In 2021, the estimated value of the print industry was £9.1 billion. More businesses are opting to use the services of commercial printing companies UK to boost quality and deduct costs. Also, such solutions allow businesses to expand their reach and connect with more prospects.

All commercial printing companies have different features and costs. You should select the right vendor depending on your requirements and budget. Furthermore, try choosing a company that provides innumerable customisation options and high-tech features.

In this article, you will learn what is a commercial printing company and how to select the best one. We will also discuss why it is high time to outsource your print activities to ensure efficiency and scalability!

What Is a Commercial Printing Company?

First, let’s talk about commercial printing, a popular term among all businesses from every sector. It means printing items for companies for various purposes, like retail, marketing, compliance, etc.

There might be copy and print shops around you. But, they only print in limited quantities and do not offer specialisation. However, commercial printers provide bulk printing services and variable data printing. Also, they can help you with anything, from lithography and digital to large-format printing.

Some commercial printing companies like PostGrid also offer other features, like API integration and mail fulfilment. But, every industry has different printing requirements, and here are a few examples:

A real estate agent may need the following items

• Open house boards
• Marketing flyers
• Home inspection reports
• Purchase agreements and renewals, etc.

On the contrary, a financial services business may employ commercial printing companies to print these materials:

• Customer relationship letters
• Brochures and leaflets
• Onboarding letters for new clients
• Terms and conditions sheets, etc.

Reasons You Must Use the Services of Commercial Printing Companies UK

Using commercial solutions for printing your marketing and transactional items is a need. They help you grow your business and compete with other companies effectively.

So, if you are still thinking about whether you need to look for a ‘commercial printer near me,’ here are the factors why you must:

Make an Excellent First Impression

When you send an item to a potential customer, it represents your brand. Hence, there is a lot of pressure on a small postcard or a marketing letter to create a fantastic first impression. But, you can do it right by sending top-notch quality materials with vibrant colours and sharp graphics.

Customers perceive your brand as good or bad based on how well your mail items look. Therefore, it is a must to outsource your print tasks to commercial printing companies that have the necessary equipment to get the job done right.

Use Scalable Solutions

Scalability is a crucial factor you must look for in large commercial printers. You cannot know how many materials you may need for specific campaigns. Hence, select a well-equipped vendor that provides high-quality prints with super-fast delivery.

Luckily, many commercial printing companies UK like PostGrid are scalable. For example, our direct mail API can handle millions of requests simultaneously. It has no maximum limits, and you can print any number of items at any time.

Cut Expenses and Save Time

Often, it is hard to print more than a few items in-house. You need a dedicated office space to install state-of-the-art printers that can print all types of materials conveniently. Also, you require extra human resources and more time for the same. Using the solutions by commercial printer companies helps you avoid heavy investments like these and print more flexibly.

But imagine that you need large standees for an upcoming trade event. After all, UK exhibitions attract over 13 million attendees annually, and 20% of these visitors are from international locations. If you participate in such trade events, you need standees, banners, advertising postcards, invitations, handouts, etc.

Luckily, commercial printer companies like PostGrid offer impeccable printing solutions to help you print materials to spread the word about your participation and increase booth footfall. Also, you can do all that at industry-best pricing because PostGrid offers the most affordable rates across the country.

Get Numerous Customisation Options

Customisation is another significant reason you search for ‘commercial printing near me.’ PostGrid’s direct mail services enable you to customise your items any way you want. You may select one of our pre-built templates and design your materials within minutes. It gives you enough freedom to experiment with different layouts, insert your brand logo, add elements, etc.

8 Commercial Printing Companies UK to Help You With Your Print Requirements

Now that you know why you need commercial printing for your regular operations, here is a list of seven vendors you can choose from:

PostGrid

PostGrid is one of the top commercial printing companies with several branches spread globally. It offers print and mail fulfilment for your advertising and transactional items.

PostGrid provides commercial printing to numerous sectors, including:

• Insurance
• Retail and eCommerce
• Nonprofits
• Banks and financial services
• Healthcare
• Real estate.
• Education, etc.

The best part is that you can integrate PostGrid’s direct mail API into your system. Thus, you can place orders for printing and shipping items from your CRM, allowing your staff to work more efficiently.

It is also among the few commercial printers that assist you in everything from design to mail tracking. Hence, you can cut costs by paying all-inclusive rates and maximise ROI by sending the best quality materials.

Here are some more features of our all-in-one commercial print shop:

• Zapier integration: PostGrid helps you integrate with over 1600 apps using the Zapier integration. It is one of the most effective ways to reach more prospects and expand your customer base.
• A vast network of printers: PostGrid’s extensive range of commercial printing companies helps you print attention-grabbing and memorable materials. Also, it lets you customise your orders and incorporate variable data printing painlessly.
• Address verification: Our commercial print shop also provides direct mailing services. Moreover, it ensures that your mail items reach their correct destinations. Therefore, PostGrid offers free address verification on all print and mail orders to help you prevent lost pieces and returns.
• Mail tracking: You may track your mail items in real-time by navigating your PostGrid dashboard. Thus, you can save the effort of entering tracking numbers on the Royal Mail website and waiting for an update.
• Campaign monitoring: One of the crucial factors you must look for in commercial printing companies UK is whether you can check your analytics. PostGrid allows you to access the campaign reports and insights, helping you know your ROI and plan future programs.

One of our clients expressed their concerns and objections to our sales representatives during our regular coffee meetings. They said they want to send thousands of documents monthly to national and international destinations. Unfortunately, not all commercial printing companies UK offer highly-flexible plans to help businesses send their items anywhere they want.

We solved their issues within a few minutes. We started by explaining how PostGrid supports international printing and mailing to 245+ countries. Also, our solutions are scalable and can accommodate their ever-growing needs, enabling them to ship in bulk with the same efficiency.

Our representative also helped them integrate our API into their CRM, from where they can draft, print, and ship their documents in just a few steps. PostGrid supports several popular integrations, like Salesforce, Hubspot, Quickbooks, Marketo, etc.

Trade Printing

Trade Printing is best known for the printing of several types of materials, including:

• Calenders
• Notepads and notebooks
• Church envelopes
• Luxury business cards
• NCR books and pads
• Timesheets
• Prospectuses
• Labels and stickers, etc.

It is among the best commercial printing companies UK for business stationery and branded materials. Moreover, they offer free delivery of your items across the UK and Ireland.

Apart from fast turnaround times, it also provides you with Adobe templates. They have different rates for all products, ranging from £20 to £100.

Metro Commercial Printing Ltd

Metro is a big name in the design field, from website design to digital artwork. However, it is also in the commercial printing business for a long time, offering:

• Litho printing
• Branded workwear printing
• Large-format printing
• Digital printing, etc.

Metro commercial printing is based in Watford, but it delivers to all locations in the UK on time.

City Printing

City Printing is also among the best commercial printing companies and specialises in large-format print materials, like PVC and pull-up banners. It also provides printing services for marketing, booklet, and business stationery materials. Its prime features include environment-friendly printing and a wide range of collaterals.

If you need items with intricate finishing, you can opt for City Printing digital commercial printer because it provides:

• Saddle Stitching
• Squarebacking
• Wiro Binding
• Laminating
• Traditional Foiling
• Digital Foiling
• Die Cutting
• Duplexing
• Perforating
• Embossing
• Drilling
• Handwork
• Padding, etc.

Also, City Printing takes pride in working with solicitors, financial offices, charities, local companies, university students, and event planners. Their target audience includes businesses and individuals looking for fancy and appealing prints. Hence, it is among the go-to commercial printers, primarily for fundraising events, parties, weddings, etc.

O’Sullivan Printing

This commercial print shop is situated in Southall, West London, and offers innovative printing to small and medium-sized businesses. It can help you with orders of all sizes and types. Their list of printing services includes:

• Menus
• Magazines
• Catalogues
• Brochures
• Business cards
• Leaflet printing, etc.

O’Sullivan Printing’s commercial printers use the latest PC and Mac technology for pre-press and post-press processes. It allows you to put your vision on paper and conduct effective advertising among your intended audience.

Auto Commercial Printers

Auto Printers allow you to print your files in high resolution in a short period. You can send them your artwork via email or create your artwork using their online tool.

They are one of those commercial printing companies UK that provide individuals and businesses with print services for:

• Promotional clothing
• Stationery and cards
• Flyers and leaflets
• Display and exhibitions
• Presentation folders
• Brochures and booklets
• Greeting cards, etc.

Auto Printers have very affordable rates and can help you print items in any quantity.

Nettl of Glasgow

Nettl has a digital production centre in Glasgow city for short-run and quick print jobs. And it has a litho production facility out of town for large-scale production, making it one of the most specialised commercial printing companies.

It offers a wide range of printing services, from signage to small-sized items like flyers and cards. Nettl claims to print on any surface you want; it doesn’t matter if you need a print on aluminium panels or huge cut-out cardboard.

However, this commercial print shop does not offer mail fulfilment services. Thus, ensure to dictate your needs in advance before making a decision.

Dornans

Dornans provides bespoke commercial printing services out of Oldham. It is best known for printing materials for the education and hospitality sectors. But it also tends to several other fields, like medicinal and construction.

Also, it differentiates itself from other commercial printing companies with its customer-centric approach. Dornans employ the latest technology to mix their expertise with innovation and produce eye-catching print items.

Moreover, you can print all kinds of advertising pieces, like display stands, branded notebooks, magazines, etc. It also allows you to produce and mail your items directly to customers if you need them.

You should know that not all commercial printing companies UK provide mailing fulfilment. Hence, if you are looking for door drops and other direct mail solutions, try using PostGrid’s direct mail API. It also lets you fetch data from your system and auto-fill information to print personalised items.

Therefore, consider your needs in-depth before you select the best commercial print shop for your daily operations. Also, consider the costs carefully because some companies might ask you to sign long-term contracts. Fortunately, PostGrid has several membership plans you can choose from without any commitments.

Conclusion

Most companies employ commercial printing companies to save money and refrain from investing in print equipment. However, these vendors offer many more advantages like various types of printing, customisation, and finishing.

We hope this piece helps you choose the top commercial printing companies UK to outsource your print activities for various occasions and purposes. Some of them, like PostGrid, enable you to get everything done online, increasing efficiency. Furthermore, PostGrid offers a 2-business day SLA to allow you to process orders almost immediately.

Our professionally-built design templates and API integration help customers conduct on-demand and bulk printing.

Want to know more about how commercial printing companies like PostGrid can transform your print works? Request a demo now!

Ready to Get Started?

Start transforming and automating your offline communications with PostGrid

SIGN UPREQUEST A DEMO

The post Commercial Printing Companies appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/commercial-printing-companies/

source https://postgridunitedkingdom.blogspot.com/2022/07/commercial-printing-companies.html

source https://suzannefcox.tumblr.com/post/690792547786915840