WE WANTED TO SHOW YOU THIS direct mail appeal, hot off the press for Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

It has been our experience that event marketing drives the success of direct mail acquisition for regional organizations, most notably in conjunction with high-profile exhibitions, anniversaries, and grand openings.

The member event promoted can take many forms: exhibition preview, reception, private viewing (once an exhibition has opened), discovery tour, open house, member appreciation day, and holiday or anniversary party. What’s most important is that the event be exclusive to members and held a minimum of eight to ten weeks after the mail date.

In this example from Brooklyn Botanic Garden, we are promoting a series of special events for members during the spring and summer, all celebrating BBG’s centennial. We also enclosed in the direct mail package a “free pass” to the main centennial event in June, redeemable with a current membership card, which serves as a front-end premium to lift response.