Deliver Magazine

Entrepreneur Robert Smith hoped that sending an event invitation via a well-known international shipping brand would help his seminar stand out. Instead, the marketing effort for his two-day “Next Level” seminar in suburban Chicago fizzled. Smith quickly shifted to postcards and began working with the U.S. Postal Service.® The more cost-effective format allowed for a larger mailing of 1,600 pieces and generated a much-improved 2-percent response. “Direct mail lets you pick a niche and test your offer without spending a lot of money,” Smith says.

In addition to changing the look and content of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s fundraising mailing this year, Hemp and her team worked to test a new affinity group list. Shifting away from past lists for individuals interested in military aviation, EAA used a list from an organization that shared its cause: World War II education and artifact preservation. The mailing generated a 361-percent response increase over the previous year’s numbers, and the number of donors from the test list was nearly equal to the number of total past donors.

Schulte’s organization sets an example for mail-order marketers by using direct mail to solicit members, sending prospects a postcard with a crossword puzzle. To get the answers, recipients must visit the group’s website, where they are invited to join or sign up for a free e-newsletter. In a twist that might also inspire, the NMOA receives free postcard printing in exchange for a text-only printer ad positioned as a sponsor announcement alongside the recipient’s address.