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11 more design tips for maximum response

November 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Last time we looked at how to design your fundraising letter for maximum response. This time we’ll look at a few other aspects of design in the fundraising package that will help you achieve maximum response. For example…

1. If you have an element in your package with a photo or illustration, always use a caption with it. The visual will attract attention so you should take advantage of that by having a caption that relates to the photo or illustration plus builds the case for a donation. Simply, a photo or illustration without a caption is an opportunity lost.

2. Do not make the mistake of running a headline or even worse, running body copy across photos or illustrations. It reduces the effectiveness of the visual and makes the copy hard to read.  Usually best to have the headline above the visual with a caption below.

3. And speaking of a lost opportunity for copy, most mailers don’t use the back of the envelope. Think about it. In order to open the envelope, you have to turn it over to get under the flap, so you spend a fair bit of time on the back. It’s a good place to write some extra copy.

4. Here’s a small tip that will help get the letter read in its entirety. It’s a tactic that takes a bit of effort but should help get the reader to turn to page two. What you do is, ensure that the first page of your letter ends in the middle of a sentence and if possible in the middle of an important thought. This forces the person to turn the page to find out how the sentence ends. One problem is that the “board” or others who must approve the letter will tell you that you shouldn’t do this. But they are the same people who tell you not to begin a sentence with “and” or “but”. And they must be reminded that they are not professional copywriters.

5. Usually we want the reader to read the letter first because it is the most powerful selling tool in the package. One way to help that to happen is to repeat the envelope copy at the top of the letter. That way, especially if the letter is nested in the envelope properly, the first thing the reader sees when they open the envelope is something familiar. They go to it and read from there as a continuation of the process that enticed them to open the envelope.

6. Here’s something that is not a “must” but is almost sure to increase response. If your budget can afford an involvement device, like a sticker, use it. It almost invariably will increase response. But it does add cost so you have to test to be sure that the increase in response pays for the increased cost.

7. Here is something to avoid – setting type in reverse (white type on a black or coloured background) when there is more than just a sentence or two. More than that and reading is too difficult. Readers hate copy set in reverse but unfortunately, designers love it and continue to use it.

8. And another thing to avoid – not having enough contrast between the type and the background. Setting blue type on a 20% blue screen background may look nice but it won’t get read. You need to have lots of contrast and best of course is black type on a white background.

9. Do not put a period at the end of a headline, even if it is a sentence. The purpose of a headline is to attract attention and motivate the reader to read more. A period is a subconscious message that says “the end” so the reader is getting a mixed message. Granted this is a very small thing but all the small things can add up to make a difference.

10. Avoid numerous type-styles and faces within your package. Some people are still smitten with the ability to use various faces and then reverse, bold, italicize or outline each one of them. Remember, the best typesetting is never noticed by the reader.

11. And finally, avoid using too small a type face in the letter or in the brochure. This is absolutely critical when your audience is older. And if you absolutely must use a small typeface because of space limitations, use a sans serif face – it is easier to read when small.

Filed Under: Direct Mail, Donation Thank-You Letters, Donor Acquisition, Donor Communications, Donor Cultivation, Donor Newsletters, Donor Retention, Donors, Event Fundraising

How to design your fundraising letter for maximum response

November 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

In the last newsletter we extolled the virtues of long copy. This newsletter will go over a few design guidelines that will help ensure your long copy gets read. And that in a nutshell is the sole purpose of design in direct mail – to get the copy read. Design on its own does not sell. But it is critical because if it doesn’t do its job, the copy will not get read and response will suffer.

In general, design plays a very secondary role in fundraising. When you’re asking for money to support your cause, expensive looking packages may seem wasteful to the reader and convey the wrong impression.

On the whole, most of the same design rules that apply to all direct mail apply to fundraising. One major difference is that the format and the components are not as variable as in other direct mail. You will rarely see self-mailers, postcards, catalogs, magalogs or the like. They don’t work in fundraising because they don’t have the personal feeling and can’t trigger the emotional reaction that only an envelope mailing can provide.

And that’s why in fundraising the format is generally the traditional direct mail package – an outer envelope containing a letter, a reply device and a BRE (business reply envelope – postage paid) or CRE (courtesy reply envelope – postage not paid). Here are a few basic design guidelines for these components that will help maximize response:

White space: How to make your letter look easy to read

As in all direct mail, the letter is by far the most important element. It does the main job of selling. You have to design your letter so that it looks like it will be easy to read. And that means for starters, your letter should have lots of white space. Nothing turns a reader off like staring at a page that is dense with type. It looks like a challenge and hard work so they don’t even begin to read.

To create that spacious look your letter should follow the same basic rules as in other direct mail letters, such as:

  • Short sentences and short paragraphs. Long sentences and long paragraphs will give you that dense look you want to avoid. I try to keep my paragraphs no longer than 3 lines, 5 at most. And sometimes for emphasis, the paragraph may be only 1 line.
  • Indented paragraphs. Again, this will give you a little more of that vital white space.
  • At least a 1.25″ margin on the sides of an 8 ½ x 11 page. Again, more white space
  • Double space between paragraphs. This again creates more white space for easier readability.

7 design tips for your fundraising letter

  • Use black ink. Blue ink may be pretty but black ink is easier to read and it is what people are used to.
  • Use a serif typeface. Designers often like to use a sans-serif face because it is cleaner and more modern. And that may be true but a serif face is more readable. Case closed.
  • Underlining is good but don’t use color, especially don’t use red – it’s too much like “junk” mail. And don’t underline whole paragraphs – just key sentences and phrases. Remember, too much emphasis is no emphasis.
  • One tactic worth testing is to use handwritten notes in the margin of the letter. Just make sure they’re in the same handwriting and the same ink color as the signature (preferably blue). And as with underlining, be careful not to overdo – use a maximum of 2 or 3 notes in a letter.
  • Avoid all caps in the letter. All caps screams your message and screaming is not what you want to do in fundraising.
  • Remember that people who give to non-profits are usually older, so keep type sizes a bit larger – no smaller than 11 point Times Roman, better is 12 or 13.
  • Be careful not to look too expensive, especially with your choice of paper. Stick with inexpensive bond in white or near white color.
Filed Under: Direct Mail, Donor Acquisition, Donor Communications, Donor Cultivation, Donor Retention, Donors

Why long copy works better

October 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment

It is a proven fact. Long copy works better than short copy. It has been tested time and time again and in almost all situations where a response is the goal, long copy gets a higher response. It’s a hard fact to accept because it goes against the widespread belief that “No one has time to read all that copy”.

Is your copy long enough to maximize potential response?

Or do you make the mistake of always writing short copy, regardless of the situation? There’s a knee-jerk reaction by many marketers against long copy and it’s entirely based on personal opinion, not on testing in the market place. The reason given by those against long copy is simply that no one has time to read it. Right. Just like no one has time to watch a 30-minute infomercial on TV. In fact, the success of the 30-minute infomercial is a testament to the strategy of long copy, a strategy that buys into the topic of the last newsletter, the notion of writing to the responder.

Infomercials do get less viewership and long copy does get less readership. But the people who choose to watch and who choose to read long copy are the ones who are interested. They are the responders. They have chosen to read your story. These are people who will respond if you give them sufficient reason. Long copy lets you tell them the whole story. It lets you describe all the key facts and benefits. It gives you a much better chance at making the sale or securing the donation.

There is a very old saying which goes, “the more you tell, the more you sell”. And although that may be a tired worn cliché, it’s also a proven fact. Because when tested, long copy almost always wins: 6 and 8 page letters beat 4 pages, 4 page letters outpull 2 pages, 2 pages outpull 1 page. Just look at the classic direct mail packages over the years. Almost all of the letters have been 4 pagers.

Of course for long copy to work, it has to be good.

It has to be concise and well written with no puffery and no wasted words. It has to be loaded with facts and benefits that are important to the reader. It should be scannable, with subheads and graphic emphasis devices. And it has to flow. One paragraph should lead naturally into the next so that once the reader begins, they’re hooked. In short, it should be a compelling read.

And to create a compelling read in fundraising, nothing works better than a gripping story. But writing a gripping story is hard to do when you must work under the conventional wisdom that says to keep the copy short. An unfortunately there are all too many misguided voices out there to inform you that no one has the time to read all that copy.

There are definitely situations in which short copy will do better. For example, if your goal is to generate a lead, then usually the less you tell the better. Or if you are raising funds for an emergency, why complicate things? Let the KISS principle apply and keep your copy short. Or if your target audience is very young, shorter copy may work better because today’s young people don’t read as much.

According to a study recently published in The Guardian, people over 60 are twice as likely to donate to a charity than people under 30. And people over 60 are more inclined to read long copy than people under 30. That means if you think your audience tends toward the 50′s and 60′s or older, you should definitely use a long copy approach.

Many marketers believe that if you’re writing for the web or email, you should keep your copy shorter than for print. Maybe. On the other hand, some of the longest sales letters you’ll ever see are on the web. And they seem to be working. Agora Publishing is one of the most successful marketers on the web – with hundreds of books and dozens of paid newsletters – and they are masters of the art of long copy. Some of their web sales letters run dozens of pages.

Discover more about why long copy works better . . .

There’s just not enough room here to properly extol the virtues of long copy. So here’s an offer. Send me an email – publisher@expertfundraiser.org – with the subject line “long copy please” and I’ll send you a great article on long copy by BC copywriter George Demmer. He wrote it years ago because he was tired of explaining the merits of long copy to his clients. To build his case he quotes DM notables like David Ogilvy, John Caples, Claude Hopkins, Bob Stone, Robert W. Bly, Gary C. Halbert, Jay Abraham and others. The best thinkers and writers in the business. If these marketing legends don’t convince you that long copy works, nothing will.

Filed Under: Direct Mail, Donor Communications
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