Using Visuals in Your Mail

In honor of today's post, I'm going to try my hand at adding visuals to my blog. The results will probably be rough, as I'm still trying to figure out how best to use all this exciting new technology.

Which shows my age, I suppose. Here's another age-related confession: When I started out writing fundraising copy, the Internet was a fairly new phenomenon. My first copyediting job provided me with maybe (oh, fuzzy memory!) my second e-mail address.

When we put together direct mail packages, the proofs came to us via FedEx on stinky bluelines. The designs were by necessity simple, two-color and stuck as closely as possible to the old type-written letter model. We did occasionally try to add photos and other visual elements, only to have those mailings bomb.

My, how things have changed. More and more organizations are exploring the use of photos, sophisticated design and interesting package formats. It’s exciting and frees up a lot of creative restraints that have been in place for decades.

But are all those packages working?

There are a few simple rules you should follow if you want to use visuals effectively in your direct mail:

1. Choose your photos with care. Got a photo of your Executive Director shaking hands with the Pope? Save it for the Web. If you want to use photos in direct mail, they need to be evocative, emotional and representative of your mission.
2. Be mindful of what component you’re putting them on. Each component in your direct mail package serves its own purpose. Your outer envelope needs to get opened, so you want to use a picture that intrigues, that makes your donor ask, “What does this mean?” On your reply, though, you want to use a picture that pushes your ask.
3. Be mindful of what you’re mailing. A great photo for a special appeal might not be the best choice for an acknowledgement.
4. Don’t go crazy with your package design. Stick to more economical papers and traditional package formats. If it looks too slick, your donors are going to start wondering just where their money is going.

Above all, make sure you’re testing your image-heavy packages. Because, after all, what good is a pretty package if it’s not performing up to snuff?

And for a comparison of the different kinds of direct mail packages and why they look they way they do, check out this article from direct marketing firm Adams Hussey & Associates.

More questions or comments? Ask away in the comments section!