A Direct Mail Campaign with 2400% ROI? Wow!

I think everyone would agree that the struggling economy is putting more pressure on businesses than ever before, and obtaining new business has reached new heights of difficulty. That’s what makes this story of what the Felsted School in Essex, England was able to achieve so impressive. The Felsted School was faced with the daunting assignment of obtaining donations from alumni, which as we all know is imperative to expanding educational programs and maintaining facilities. To do this successfully, they knew they would need to create a cost effective piece that encouraged alumni to get actively involved in their former school, both emotionally and financially.

By working with the Dagenham-based dsicmm group and design agency STM, Felsted School produced a high-quality personalized memoir of the school for alumni, which was produced on the Xerox iGen4 Press paired with a Creo Print Server. One of the first things I noticed was that this personalized piece included the recipient’s name and years they attended the school embedded on the cover. The book subtly illustrated the emotion and passion of the former students, and captured the spirits and history of the school. There was also a leaflet inviting the alumni to leave a legacy for Felsted in their wills.
If it sounds impressive so far, prepare yourself for the next piece of information. The campaign generated a pledge sum amounting to an astonishing 2,400 percent return on investment, with a single donation covering all print, development, production and postage costs! After receiving great coverage from the press (and rightfully so!) as well as being the focus of a free editorial feature in a school trade magazine, potential customers have been contacting dsicmm group. I suspect that trend will continue, as well. This illustrates that a well developed direct marketing campaign coupled with the the iGen4 can have limitless possibilities. If you need proof, just look at what it did for both the Felsted School as well as dsicmm. In addition, it was deservingly awarded as a winner in the Xerox Best-of-the-Best Contest, which recognizes excellence in digital printing using Xerox Production Equipment.

To learn more about the Felsted School Legacy Book as well as dsicmm, please click here (or the image to the left) to read the entire case study.
Click here for more information on the Xerox Best-of-the-Best Contest.
– Bill Michael