As the holidays approach, churches and worship centers of all kinds are pulling out all the stops to increase event turnout and to maximize giving. When constructing your strategy for getting the word out about your Church’s food drives and holiday plays this year, don’t underestimate the impact an automated direct mail campaign could have. Some of the reasons why a Direct Mail API could be essential to making this holiday season one to remember include:

Using Automated Direct Mail Allows You to Personalize Your Postcards

Nowadays, you can’t underestimate the impact of personalizing your outreach efforts. And there are numerous ways Direct Mail Manager makes doing so easier than ever. First is the fact that numerous integrations enable users to import data about their members directly into DMM. This enables you to tap into its robust segmentation capabilities to create mailing lists based on criteria like length of membership, age or gender. These integrations also enable you to use the first-party data about your members that you’ve collected.

Some of the most commonly used integrations include Zapier, PlanningCenter and Salesforce. But if you’re not using any of those programs you can still leverage Direct Mail Manager’s segmentation and variable data printing capabilities. All you have to do is upload an excel spreadsheet containing your mailing list, along with the variable data you’d like to include in your postcards. The power of segmentation and personalization could result in more donations or event attendees than you originally anticipated!

Using a Direct Mail API Enables Recipients to Give Virtually or In Person

Giving your congregation options when it comes to RSVPing for an event or donating to a cause could be crucial for maximizing your efforts. And sending postcards that inform your audience about your holiday donation drive or events is a great method for doing just that. A few methods for using direct mail to encourage virtual donations include:

• Include a QR Code That Takes Recipients To A Donation Page

By including a QR code on your postcards this holiday season, you’ll accomplish multiple goals. First is the fact that recipients can navigate to a webpage where they can donate instantly by giving it a quick scan. And at the end of your campaign, you’ll receive a report informing you of how many recipients scanned it which provides valuable insight as to how much your campaign resonates with your audience.

• Put a Link to Your Donation /Event Sign Up Page on Your Postcards

Another way to encourage your audience to donate or to RSVP from wherever they are is to include a link to a webpage where they can take your desired action right on your postcard. And similar to with QR codes, once your campaign ends, you’ll be able to receive a report at the end of your campaign that informs you how much traffic that link received.

• Allow Recipients to Call in To Donate

If either of the above methods are out of the question for you and your church at the moment, here’s another route you can take. Including a unique phone number strictly used to accept donations, or to make reservations for an event can also encourage recipients to donate even if they haven’t been in your congregation in a while.

Sending Postcards Makes Remembering Key Event Details Easier

It’s no secret that this is the busiest time of year for many of the members of your church. That’s why making it easier for your audience to remember main details about your events is a must. Considering how much advertising and marketing audiences deal throughout the holiday season, you can’t rely on digital methods alone. That has the potential to allow those important details to go in one proverbial ear and out of the other. But providing a postcard with reminders about your event details enables recipients to take note of your event details by keeping it somewhere handy.

Suppose you rely on Facebook posts for your event and donation drive announcements. In this case, the people that view it may forget the details of your announcement once they scroll down and see photos from their niece’s baby shower. By reinforcing that message with a well-designed, informative postcard the likelihood of your recipient having questions about key event or donation drive details is drastically reduced. Additionally, providing your audience with a tangible event or donation drive reminder enables them to take a quick picture and share it with a friend that might be interested.

Automated Mailing Campaigns Break Through The Digital Landscape

If you’re overly reliant on digital communication channels for getting the word out about your events or donation drives, you could be shutting out your offline audience. After all, if your main vehicle for outreach is social media, how will you spread the word to people in your community that aren’t connected with you online? By sending postcards that provide audiences with vital information about your holiday events, you’re capable of attracting visitors that are familiar with your church and brand-new members of your community.

And during the holidays, you want as much participation in your events as possible. Mailing campaigns enable you to cast a much wider net to capture attention than many other marketing methods. The fact that implementing these campaigns is just as simple as kickstarting an email or a paid social media campaign is an added bonus.

Begin Automating Your Mailing Campaigns In Time For The Holidays By Signing Up For Direct Mail Manager Today!

There’s still enough time to begin planning your mailing campaigns in time for your holiday events. But that won’t be the case for long! In order to begin mailing your event invitations and donation flyers in time for the holidays, sign up for a Free or Pro Direct Mail Manager account today. If you’ve got questions about getting your first campaign up and running, one of our knowledgeable, friendly automated direct mail specialists will gladly answer any of the questions you have.