How to Avoid Mistakes in E-Mail Appeals

June 05, 2008

How to Avoid Mistakes in E-Mail Appeals

Fund raisers are increasingly sending e-mail messages to prospective donors in the hopes of persuading them to donate more.

But figuring out what to send can be a challenge, so the marketing expert Seth Godin offers a comprehensive checklist that you should pay attention to before you hit the send button.

Among the key items on Mr. Godin’s list:

Could I do this note better with a phone call?

Did every person on the list really and truly opt in? Not like sort of, but really ask for it?

Does the subject line make it easy to understand what’s to come and likely it will get filed properly?

If I had to pay 42 cents to send this e-mail message, would I?

For more marketing advice from Mr. Godin, read the transcript of his recent live discussion with Chronicle readers.

— Peter Panepento

Comments

The last comment from Seth is that brochures are dead and buried. This is an absolutely anecdotal comment on my part: most of my audience responds when asked that they were hit by a direct mailing of my brochure. I would suggest that Seth’s points about asking permission and having earnest dialog with people through whatever medium is the best way to proceed – and that in order to understand what that conversation is and how to have it requires intimate knowledge of your people.

— Chris Casquilho Jun 7, 07:53 AM #

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How to Avoid Mistakes in E-Mail Appeals

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