What do direct mail fundraising success and Website traffic have to do with each other in your fundraising organization?
They must be connected . . . right? Everyone knows that today our primary engine of generating donations is direct mail. But then, everybody also talks about how important Website traffic is. I mean, every Website provider offers analytics to measure traffic on your Website . . . so, they must be connected in the process of fundraising . . . right?
Now if you were to take down your Website, that action would definitely have a negative impact on direct mail donations, especially acquisition mailings . . . those people who are just hearing about you for the first time. What does everyone do when they hear of something for the first time? They Google it . . . right?
But other than having a Website, is there a correlation between Website traffic and the success of your direct mail appeal, especially among current donors?
There is no correlation.
Why do I say that? Because direct marketing is, well, direct marketing. Your organization is spending big bucks to create and mail your direct mail appeals. Those direct mail appeals had better generate a return, regardless.
Whereas your Website, your Facebook page, even your e-newsletter are neat and all, but are they paying the bills?
So why is Madison Avenue and the world of advertising being decimated? Why is Google (a 16-year-old company) generating 50 billion (with a “B”) dollars a year in gross revenue? In fact, where does all that Google revenue come from?
Do you really get Google?
Do you get that Google is the new marketing? Google is sucking up marketing dollars that used to go into all forms of traditional media. Direct mail is traditional media. Traditional media declines as Google booms!
Huge companies down to small companies are now spending more and more of their advertising and marketing budget with Google. That’s where the $50 billion comes from.
How much do you spend with Google?
Exactly!
That is probably why your donor database represents only the oldest 15% of the population, and that’s why you can’t exactly answer my original question regarding the correlation between direct mail success and Website traffic.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Join us.
-Mike
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
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