To Tease or Not to Tease... |
Apr 13, 2010 |
...that is the question when putting together your direct mail letter. (Just in case you're not sure what a teaser is, it's a pithy message on the front of your envelope to hopefully cause the receiver to open it up - afterall, if we can't get people to read the letter we poured hours over creating, what good is it?)
I'm not against teasers, per se, as they can be helpful to the recipient in distinguishing between what's trash and what's not (for example "year end statement enclosed" is a fine teaser).
What I don't like are teasers whose purpose is to benefit the organization and NOT the recipient. And worse yet are teasers that are manipulative and bring about feelings of guilt or obligation. Let me give you an example...
Recently Tom Ahern gave praise to a teaser that the Smile Train uses regularly (I know because I receive the same mailer regularly). The teaser is "Make one gift now and we'll never ask for another donation again!" Tom calls this teaser bold and compelling. Really? Let's think about this for a minute.
What message does this teaser send? Or easier yet, what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you read this?
What comes to my mind is that old '90's milk commercial where a suspect is getting interrogated by a cop. The cop says "What's it goin' be Tommy? You lookin' at my cupcakes? Take a bite!" Tommy grabs the rich chocolate cupcake and starts chomping it down. Then the cop says, "Now, we can do this the easy way (pulls out a carton of milk)...or the hard way (pushes the milk away)." It's hilarious, unless you're Tommy. And, that's how I feel every time I get one of these letters from the Smile Train.
"We can do this the easy way (you send us a check now), or the hard way (we'll keep harassing you with letters until you finally give in)!"
As much as I love what the Smile Train does, how does such a tactic get people excited about the CAUSE, in fact, how does it encourage people to begin learning about the CAUSE at all? Instead, the recipient is forced to make a decision: do I give so they stop sending me this letter, or do I just wait and see if they really will keep sending me mail until I give (yes, they keep sending you the same letter until you give!)
Following a Transformational Giving mindset, there is an understanding that "champions connect with organizations for the purpose of enhancing their mutual impact on the cause, not primarily for the purpose of funding organizations to impact the cause on their own." People really do want to be involved and they will give too.
Let's not stifle people's interest and passion for the causes we also have interest and passion for. Why not make every effort to encourage people to take a step to learn about, experience, and grow in their own personal faith through involvement in the cause?
We can start by NOT using teasers that are focused on our organization and our needs. If you choose to use a teaser, let it be one that benefits the recipient - that draws them in. Let it be a message they are interested in hearing and need to hear.
Any examples of good or bad teasers you'd like to share??
| Topics: Direct Response | 0 Comments » |
