It’s never too early to start planning for the next election. Campaign consultants and political campaign managers understand that they need to be prepared with a comprehensive fundraising plan, including targeted mailers.
The goal of political fundraising letters is to raise money and build support and understanding among potential voters in your district. You want to keep in mind what type of audience you are appealing to so that you don’t come off as pushy or manipulative.
The way you write your fundraising mail will have a huge impact on the success of your campaign. Your message is key- make sure it’s clear, concise, and compelling.
Embrace storytelling!
Email marketing and storytelling go hand-in-hand. The best email will narrate and build meaningful relationships. So what makes your impact so valuable to your supporters? What lures your organization?
Do it in the right way:
Tell the stories of people you are helping and use their names. Share firsthand accounts from your staff, list exciting facts about yourself in a clear, concise manner that will leave readers wanting more!
Most important test you’ll run – Subject lines!
When it comes to opening your inbox, the most important test you’ll run is subject lines.
A good sender will use all five senses, so they know what strikes a chord with their recipients and can craft better messages that are more likely than not going viral because people want input on things from those involved instead of just getting bombarded by ads or other brands trying to sell them something!
Keep in mind that the overall goal of political campaign strategies is to organize an email to invite supporters. And also, it takes action beyond the opening.
Keep formatting simple
Successful fundraising emails should make the recipient feel like they are in control. Keep formatting simple and use an engaging tone of voice for your email, which will keep them on message throughout their journey with you!
Use a single sentence with an opening line like “We need YOU!” or “Help us reach our goal of X dollars by Y date.” Stay away from long paragraphs that discuss the details because they’ll be boring for readers who want to do something about it!
It’s time to focus on crafting a relationship that conveys a story or feeling, human to human.
Do it in the right way:
Testing is important—images vs. no images, video vs. no videos, and see what works better with your audience. Avoid using stock images instead; use real photos of people actually helping.
Keep your email layout simple
Don’t make the style rule over your substance. A complicated design will lead to distracting supporters from donating. The key element of fundraising email is – logo, headline, image, supporting details, CTA and donate button. The email should be as precise as possible and have a clear layout.
The email should merely be 50 words or so and ends with a catchy CTA. Keep your design simple with a clear font that makes it easier for those who view it on mobile devices.
Email schedule: How often should you send?
You want to send emails at regular intervals, so you need a healthy grassroots supporter base. Political fundraising consultants’ goal is for the people who are on your email list and following what’s going in their inboxes every day or week. They’re not getting any spam mail from some random stranger trying hard to sell them something that isn’t relevant just because they can make money off of it (though there might be some exceptions).
Sending consistent good quality information shows subscribers how much time has passed since the last contact. And also without overwhelming anyone by sending too many messages all at once. It is one of the proven ways to skyrocket your political campaign and makes building trust easier over time as well.
Your email schedule relies on the size of your organization. Make sure that every email you send is important and unique.
Segment your email list
It is crucial to ensure that contacts are only getting messages that are relevant to them. Separate your audience in the best way to create targeted communications.
How to segment your list in the right way:
Break- down your contact list into small segments that are based on similarities or any shared characteristics. You can easily divide your list with custom fields and tags.
Improve deliverability and avoid spam
Why is it important to improve email deliverability? When your message gets through, you’ll be halfway there with the customer. Spam can easily confuse or annoy recipients when they receive multiple emails from the same sender about similar topics without any indication which email was meaningful enough for their inboxes in amongst all those other messages people don’t want clogging up space on our devices!
New techniques like encryption make sure only someone who knows what’s being said will see that extra personal touch, so we never have spam-like issues again, and customers always know where individual attention lies – with them directly.
Include a Call-to-Action
A CTA is a vital element of a fundraising email. It should direct your donor with just one click. Don’t create any friction points that make people click through multiple pages. With every step, you give your donor a chance to walk away.
Do it in the right way:
Get creative with your CTA to see what allures your audience. For example, “Help us to accomplish our goal” will be more effective than saying “Donate Now.”
Don’t roll around the fact that you are asking for a donation; instead, ask clearly. Make it simple for the recipient.
Conclusion:
You’ve had a great campaign so far. It’s time to make the last push and get your supporters on board for one final, high-stakes fundraising mail. The tone and content should be considered carefully before sending it out to your supporters, as this might make or break the success of your fundraiser. If you’re looking for help with composing an effective political fundraising mailer, contact our team at campaign consultants today!