Mail Does Not Work

If you are in the church world, you have no doubt been marketed to and perhaps even used, mass mailings. These mailings, or every door direct mail (EDDM) have been around for years, and churches across the country utilize them as a part of their marketing platform every year. But is that a good idea? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Here’s an insider’s perspective on EDDM: The ROI (return on investment) on your mailings is one half of one percent, for four to five rounds of mailing. That means in an area that is 16,000 homes ($3000), with five rounds ($15000), you are most likely getting a return around 80 people. That means you are spending $15000 to have 80 people just visit your church.

That’s when basic church math comes in. The agreed upon numbers of attendance and guests state that about half of your guests will return for a second visit, and the numbers go down incrementally after each visit. Assuming it takes three visits for someone to become “stuck” to your church, that means the guest audience goes from 80 to 40 to 20. That means your $15000 is realistically being spent on reaching 20 people (That’s $750 per person!).

Is that worth it? You have to make the call on that, but there are better options. Improving your website and increasing your SEO will drive you much higher up the search results for people who are looking for churches in your area. But if you’re not looking in the digital sphere, let us give you another option: Doorhangers.

What we regularly see with doorhangers is a 25-45% ROI with just one round. Here’s the crazy thing: what happens if you build a massive foot team, do multiple rounds, canvas the whole area for five rounds of hanging, and pray? Not only do you create massive buzz in your community because you’re involving a sold-out team, you’re saving the church money, managing your market more efficiently, and freeing up vital cash flow for larger community service and outreach opportunities.

Are we saying stop mass mailings? Well, yes; It’s $15000 to reach 20 people! It’s just poor math. Instead, invest in your team, in effective mass marketing, and serving your community in real and practical ways.

We can still design your mass mailers, and they will be the best pieces out there, but there are better ways. If we can help you do that, let us know. We start and end with the church in mind, and our doorhangers are absolutely amazing!