Recently I received a mailing from a nearby arts group. I’m always interested in what groups are doing as well as how they market themselves. The brochure was very fancy with a glossy layout. Clearly some money was spent on the project. Enclosed with the brochure was also a signed (with a real signature and not a scanned one) letter inviting me to a special reception that would be held in my area.
So why was I turned off? The dance company made a big marketing mistake. Inside the brochure was a another letter, one that I wasn’t supposed to have seen.
It’s from the General Manager of the company and is meant to be viewed only by staff. Basically it says that there are only 9,000 copies and most of them are being used for VIPs. Staff shouldn’t take more than one unless they have his permission.
Obviously the note was mistakenly not removed from my copy of the brochure before it was sent out. This got me to thinking about a few points:
- This fancy publication is old as the staff letter is from mid-October and I’m receiving it in late December. Gee, that makes me feel special as a potential supporter.
- Staff and dancers are not looked at as having good judgement about how to promote their organization.
- Details matter in mailings, especially when they are tied to solicitation. One extra moment of checking could have removed the 2nd letter. There’s obviously a gap between the people who are making decisions about mailings and the people who are putting them together.
