We wanted to share with you a couple more case studies from Avalon’s MAXI Award submissions – the first is a direct mail donor acquisition test, and the second a multi-channel campaign.

 

While our primary objective was to acquire new and valuable donors for our client Farm Sanctuary, it was also important to know if an acquisition audience would be more responsive to tragic or cute animal images on the carrier. The control package focused heavily on the cruelty of the factory farming system and featured a bleak image of a downed pig on the carrier. Conversely, we had had much success with an email campaign featuring a cute animal.

Having recently submitted Avalon’s Maxi entries (the Direct Marketing Association of Washington’s Marketing Award for eXcellence and Innovation), I’d like to share a few of our client success stories we’re most proud of:

 

League of Women Voters

Our donor acquisition control package for the League of Women Voters was performing respectably, but in 2011, on the eve of an election year, we decided to test a more timely message, and pare down our costs a bit.

We mailed a new Voter Protection package, including an official-looking "National Opinion Survey" carrier, a four-page survey involvement device, a letter, and buckslips that outlined how our voting rights are under attack and how the League is the only organization that’s qualified and able (with your help) to put the control of our democracy back in the hands of the people.

To create a successful control package, advocacy/political groups need to balance two competing needs.  First, the package must be pertinent to the ever-changing political climate. Second, it needs to maintain enough of an institutional focus for prospective long-term donors.  The League of Women Voters’ current control is a great example of achieving that balance.

Two noteworthy accomplishments from the National Parks Conservation Association and the National Breast Cancer Coalition – two Avalon clients that have recently been in the news.  Their success stories are worth sharing …

It’s a critical part of any DM 101 session: don’t forget to welcome your donors as soon as possible after the first contact.  But what about new subscribers to your email list – wouldn’t it be more efficient to create an automated welcome series that not only solidified initial contact but also secured a gift?

We’re thrilled to report some exciting Avalon news: the Galapagos Conservancy has won a Gold Direct Marketing Association of Washington MAXI (Marketing Awards for Excellence and Innovation) and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has won a Silver MAXI in the “workhorse” category. Congratulations to everyone on these teams for two innovative and successful campaigns!  How did they do it?

Targeted marketing … modeling … predicted response ... techniques we all talk about that are frequently used to go beyond traditional segmentation strategies.  But what do they really mean?  How do they really work?  To follow is an article I wrote recently published in the April issue of AdVents – DMAW’s monthly member newsletter – that outlines how one Avalon client used predictive modeling to maximize their net returns.

If you have any questions, I’d love to share other successful predictive modeling case studies.

So you’re looking for a new and innovative campaign to acquire new donors and retain those already on your file.  It’s not year-end and you want to try something different despite your compelling case for support that has worked well.  This was our recent dilemma for Farm Sanctuary’s March email campaign.

Two campaigns are worthy of Show & Tell bragging rights this month – one direct mail appeal and one online appeal …

The Galapagos Conservancy faced a quandary at year-end.  Due to expense budget restrictions, the Conservancy’s high-dollar ($1,000 +) Ambassador members were mailed a mass-produced version of the low-dollar effort. Accustomed to high-end, high-touch mailings with substantial requests for support, sending this high-dollar file a version of the low-dollar effort presented a risk in terms of package quality concerns and the ultimate need to meet revenue goals.  In order to boost response, additional personalization and first class postage were added.

What did we learn?

Testing has to be one of the most fascinating aspects of direct marketing—from the art of identifying and prioritizing which tests matter most, to the science of analyzing the results. Sometimes, it’s the major package overhaul that delivers a winner. More often than not, it’s the small incremental content or design tweak that succeeds in toppling a control. But whatever the nature of the test, a winner is a winner. And testing is part of the continuous learning and improvement process that makes direct marketing so dynamic and exciting.
 
At a staff meeting earlier this month, Avalon account teams shared recent client tests that beat their controls by 10% or more based on at least one performance metric. Here are some of the interesting themes noted among the “performance breakthrough” winners …