by Thom Hiatt
Did you know that “direct mail” can be a highly-effective way to promote a parish or school, and engage members of the community? It’s true. Faith in Marketing regular assists both parishes and schools with direct mail projects to reach highly-targeted members of the nearby community.
Sure, you can do the same with social media. But while an electronic message comes and goes, direct mail is the best and fastest way to put a tangible message directly in your neighbor’s hands, while you also maintain full control of the surrounding message. Here are some benefits of sending direct mail:
- Personalization & Targeting: Direct mail allows you to personalize your messaging and target specific demographics within your community. For example, a school can send an “Open House” mailer to married Christian families that have young children and a household income of at least $60,000… Or a church can send a message about “Planned Giving” to local seniors age 70+ who have owned their home for at least 30 years.
- High response rate: Direct mail tends to have a higher response rate compared to other marketing channels, such as email or social media. This is because people are more likely to pay attention to physical mail that arrives in their mailbox, especially when you build a “mailing relationship” and follow up with a variety of important messages throughout the year.
- Cost-effective: Direct mail can be an affordable way to reach a large OR small audience. With careful planning and targeting, you can maximize your budget and reach 500 to 50,000 people with a single mailer, letter, or postcard. Even better, we will send your mailers using the lowest possible postage rates allowed by law.
- Branded: At Faith in Marketing, we can design your direct mail to perfectly match your campaign, your website, your social media, your on-campus look and feel, your signage, etc. This way, the people who receive your message can make an immediate visual connection with your other marketing in the area.
Let’s take a look at some examples of messages that could be shared as part of a direct mail campaign to promote your parish:
- Invitations to mass: You could send a mailer inviting people to attend mass on a particular weekend or holiday. This could be a great way to introduce people to your parish and build community. By reaching them regularly over the summer, before Christmas, and for Easter, you can begin to build a relationship with those living nearby.
- Announcements about events: If your parish is hosting a special event, such as a fundraiser or retreat, a direct mailer is a great way to get the word out. You can include details about the event, as well as a call to action encouraging people to sign up and attend.
- Updates about parish news: Keep your community informed about what’s happening at your parish by sending regular mailers with news and updates. This could include information about new programs, ministries or initiatives, as well as updates on ongoing projects.
- Call for volunteers: Everybody wants to help and use their talents. Use direct mail to reach out to the community and let them know you need their help for a campus cleanup, a painting project, a technology upgrade, and so on. By sharing their talents, they build a relationship with the parish.
- Visit to learn about a better education: There is a lot to be said about the benefits private school, and so much of it is unknown by those in attendance at public institutions. Your direct mail message is an invitation to find a better path forward for your family, and to learn about tuition assistance and scholarships that are available.
It’s a good idea to send multiple mailers throughout the year to keep your parish top-of-mind for members of the community. We call this “building a mailing relationship.” You could consider sending a mailer once a month, or on a schedule that makes sense for your parish or school. This way, you can keep your community informed and engaged on a regular basis, and they can get to know you before “sealing the deal.”
Whether you want to mail to your existing constituents or mail to brand new households in the area, Faith in Marketing can help with your entire direct mail project from design, to print, to folding and stuffing, to postage and mailing. Simply tell us your need, or your ideas. We will work with you to craft the message, create the design, and target your specific audience. Then we’ll print and mail, and plan the next mailer. Call Faith in Marketing today at (858) 877-3733.