Award Winning Blog - Agitator

More Copywriting Lessons

Given that we’ve been commenting on copywriting lately, I’ll continue down that path with these two observations from How the Web Makes Direct Mail Better by Douglas Broward of Grizzard Communications, writing originally in Convio’s Connection Cafe. First, on direct mail copywriters learning from the web world … ” … reading — still the most […]

Learn More May 3, 2011

The Role Of Sex In Fundraising

Poor Tom. Battered by Agitator readers (rightfully!), all in response to his Direct Mail Package 101 post offering the healthy admonition to use good copy produced by good copywriters. Unfortunately, he neglected to cite any female copywriters. I know for a fact that Tom isn’t a copy misogynist. For the nearly 40 years we’ve worked […]

Learn More May 2, 2011

Direct Mail Package 101

An experienced direct mail copywriter, with a proven track record, can command thousands of dollars for creating a direct mail package. But of course that investment can — should — pay off in spades when the returns start piling up. Especially for prospecting packages that survive as controls … sometimes for years. [I’ve often wondered […]

Learn More April 29, 2011

Ghosts Of Fundraising Past And Future

Fundraisers, unlike practitioners in most other sectors, mostly navigate their way forward by steering through the rear view mirror. Off hand I can’t think of any other group, with their future so dependent on the economy and other key events, who live by the “past is prologue” mantra. In today’s world, that dependence can deliver […]

Learn More April 28, 2011

Online Personalization Builds Loyalty

About nine months ago, The Agitator noted the online approach taken by CARE International in the UK. There, with mycarezone.org, personalized online reporting of the charity’s results connects donors with the specific projects they initially joined to support. This approach cut attrition amongst face-to-face acquired donors in half. The same agency behind that strategy, Bluefrog, […]

Learn More April 27, 2011

More Direct Mail Test Results

I love testing! Every marketer/fundraiser should have an addiction to testing built into their genes. Here are some tests reported on SOFII by Willis Turner, senior copywriter at Huntsinger & Jeffer. His examples — all dealing with direct mail acquisition packages — cover … Two-color vs four-color carrier Short vs long letter Mailing labels gift […]

Learn More April 26, 2011