In our earlier blog post “Typical Response Rates for Direct Marketing Efforts,” we identified that while telephone marketing led direct marketing with a 10–20% response rate for in-house lists, direct mail achieved 3–6%, well above social media at 0.1% and email at 0.5–3%.
So what are the stats that demonstrate the vital contribution that direct marketing, and in particular direct mail, can make to your fundraising efforts?
Here are a few stats compiled from various print marketing sources:
- 79% of households read or scan direct-mail ads.
- 78% of donations for nonprofits come from direct mail.
- 56% find print marketing to be the most trustworthy type of marketing.
- 48% of people retain direct mail for future reference.
- 44% of customers visit a website after receiving direct-mail marketing.
In addition to these stats, take into account that since 2004 direct mail response rates have increased by 14% and email response rates have declined by 57%. All this says that direct mail is essential for your fundraising efforts.
If that isn’t enough data, Compu-Mail reports that:
- 73% prefer mail over other promotional methods.
- 70% say postal mail is more personal that the Internet.
- Consumers spend 25 minutes on average with direct mail.
And, there’s more:
- 70–80% say they open most of their mail including what they label as “junk.”
- 50% of consumers prefer direct mail over email.
- 42% of recipients read or scan direct mail pieces.
- 19.1 is the current average of number of mail pieces received per household per week versus 24.7 in 2008.
That last stat demonstrates that many marketers are moving away from direct mail. Yet the stats show that it can be highly effective. All this adds up to the fact that your direct mail pitch has less competition and can more readily stand out in your donor’s mail box.
Hmmm. I seem to have exceeded my promise of 10 stats. Even so, I’ll bet you’re eager to dig into more. If so, try our posts “Increasing Donations with Direct Mail Campaigns” and “Testing and Measuring – Optimizing Your Mailing to Maximize Your Results.”
Campaign Now can also provide direct hands-on help with all your fundraising efforts. We bring years of experience and a broad range of expertise to all types of fundraising campaigns. We can run the full campaign or provide services to support your own efforts. We can also provide consulting insight.
Give us a call and let's discuss how we can help.
Contact us at (855) 329-4327 or info@campaignnowonline.com.
