Direct Mail – Response rates are higher than you think and packs are prompting younger audiences to act

A common misperception with direct mail is that you have to send out a truly massive campaign in order to get any worthwhile results, as most of it goes unopened or straight into the recycling bin.  However, response rates for direct mail post GDPR have boomed over the last two years. Where campaigns were considered successful with response rates of 0.5 – 1%, campaigns today (yes, mid-pandemic) are reaching up to 6%.  

The implementation of data protection laws in 2018 impacted what data is available for cold mailings and how it could be used. As a result, campaigns now tend to be smaller but much better targeted. And people are receiving significantly less direct mail than they used to, giving it greater standout on the doormat.  

This makes direct mail such a valuable tool for supporter acquisition, as well as retention. The amount of copy you are able to deliver in a mailing enables you to tell a story and tell it well, in fact more is generally better than less. Because of this it’s great for building engagement and relationships with donors.

And don’t put direct mail in the too niche to bother category. While the pool of cold data available may be smaller than before, there are still over 5 million records available for charities seeking new audiences. And these are all people who are likely to donate when asked, rather than needing to wait to build engagement before making a donation.

People do respond. Figures released by JICMAIL and Trinity McQueen this month show that consumers have engaged with 96% of all mail during lockdown, with 88% paying as much or more attention to door-drops than ever before.

Delving deeper, JICMAIL (the Joint Industry Committee for Mail) recently held a webinar on Q2 2020 data from its panel of 1,000 UK households. This revealed that overall during this period, 72% read their direct mail, with 12% donating.

And, in terms of who responds, as well as still reaching its traditional audiences, the data shows that charity direct mail is increasingly reaching younger people too, prompting 24% of 17-24 year olds and 15% of 25-34 year olds to discuss it, and initiating online actions with almost a tenth of both age groups.

Of course, the response you can expect hinges very much on you getting a number of key factors right across the targeting, formatting, messaging and the ask. What determines success also depends on your goals, so these must be crystal clear from the outset. Whether you want people to give a one off donation, sign up for a regular gift, take part in a raffle or lottery, or complete a survey, if you are clear about who you are talking to and deliver engaging and compelling content, then mail can, and does, perform well.

For help on sourcing data and insight-driven targeting for great results, contact Arc Data.

Training Course: Adding Direct Mail to the Fundraising Mix, 19th January 2021

Arc’s founding director Suzanne Lewis is running a course in partnership with UK Fundraising, in which she will explain and dispel the common misconceptions associated with using direct mail, and guide attendees through integrating the channel into the fundraising mix, planning and executing a successful campaign. Find out more here.