Cause & Effect Newsletter Winter 2009

WINTER 2009

• A Note From Rick
• Making the Case for Custom Campaign Web Pages

A Note From Rick
"I don't see much sense in that," said Rabbit.

"No," said Pooh, "there isn't. But there was going to be when I began it. It's just that something happened to it along the way."

Winnie the Pooh may be a "Bear of Very Little Brain" but he sums up quite well the conundrum of integrated direct marketing campaigns. What starts out as a great idea for engaging constituents through multiple communication channels often doesn't deliver the goods when it comes to execution.

Don't get me wrong … when done right, integrated direct marketing is a beautiful thing. Here at PMG, we've seen firsthand how tightly orchestrated mail-web campaigns can boost response, strengthen donor relationships, and open up new opportunities for future outreach.

But too often in our business, we see campaigns that are missing the whole point of integration, which might best be defined as creating a compelling and consistent donor experience that makes sense in word and image from the first contact through the final close.

When this donor experience falls apart, an integrated direct marketing campaign can have the unintended effect of confusing and even alienating donors.

In this issue of Cause & Effect, PMG addresses a frequent but avoidable mistake many integrated mail-web campaigns make: They engage donors with a compelling direct mail package only to lose them by redirecting them to a generic home page or online donation form.

Experts agree that a small investment in campaign-specific landing pages or microsites, accompanied by custom donation pages, not only makes for a better donor experience but has the added benefits of greater trackability — and ultimately campaign profitability.

Regards,

Rick Powell
PMG President & CEO

P.S. Don't just take our word for it … here's what others have to say about the benefits of custom campaign web pages:
MediaPost's "Performance Insider" Blog
Merkle's "DonorPowerBlog"

Making the Case for Custom Campaign Web Pages
Think about it from the donor's perspective …

You get a compelling letter in the mail from your favorite charity — let's call it "The Hundred Acre Woods Foundation" that inspires you to want to make a donation to their "Save the Hunny Tree" fundraising campaign. Rather than hassle with a reply form that you have to mail, you prefer to make a donation online — and, conveniently, the letter provides a website URL to do so. You type the URL into your computer only to find yourself dumped unceremoniously onto their homepage with no mention of the Hunny Tree campaign or how to donate.

In the best case scenario, you're annoyed but click around until you find a general donation page to make your gift. In the worst case scenario, you click that little "X" in the upper right-hand corner of your computer screen, exit the website, and move on to other things.

Now put your direct marketing hat back on and think about it from the campaign perspective …

You've launched a great mail campaign that provides donors with the option — and even encourages them — to give online. But because you are repurposing an existing online donation form, you have no way of distinguishing campaign gifts from any other donation made through your website. In other words, you've sacrificed the ability to measure the performance of your integrated mail-web campaign.

Either way you look at it, the situation is less than ideal.

So, why do so many nonprofits subscribe to this model of integrated mail-web fundraising that, when you think about it, really isn't so integrated? We've got a couple of guesses.

First, it may be a question of time and resources. In an effort to get a campaign out the door quickly, the nonprofit may view using existing web pages as a convenient — and harmless — time-saving shortcut. Or perhaps they don't have the technology or personnel to easily create new web pages beyond what exists on their current website.

Another possibility is that the nonprofit sincerely believes that sending donors from the campaign-specific mail package to their generic homepage is the best way to educate them about the breadth and depth of their organization and reinforce their brand. What they don't consider is that they are actually distracting donors away from the immediate purpose at hand — that is, making a direct donation to the campaign that sparked their interest in the first place.

We don't buy those arguments. Our experience with dozens of integrated mail-web campaigns has shown that creating campaign-specific landing and donation pages pays off with a better donor experience, more completed donations, and the ability to track and measure those donations at the campaign level. And, when it comes right down to it, the additional investment required to do so is pretty small compared to the benefits.

That's what the Philadelphia Horticultural Society (PHS) discovered when they created a unique landing page for their 2009 Flower Show Membership Drive — their biggest annual recruitment campaign and fundraiser.

Suzanne Betts, PHS' Membership Director said, "The little bit of extra effort it took to create a dedicated landing page for our Flower Show Membership Drive really helped 'connect the dots' between the mail and the web. We'll definitely be using this strategy in the future."

Take a look for yourself …

PHS's Direct Mail Invitation (Reply Form):	PHS Campaign-Specific Online Landing Page:

So, whether you are recruiting flower lovers or saving Hunny trees, consider the total donor experience the next time you launch a mail-web campaign. Make it easy for them to join or give online with a campaign-specific landing page that is relevant, informative … and simply makes good sense.

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