Here is how you can evaluate a winner from a loser…and one of several formulas I use in creating winning direct mail.
In our last issue, we talked about 2 useful copywriting formulas: AIDA and AIDPPC.
Now let’s take a look at one more, known as the 4 Ps:
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I recommend starting or boosting a loyalty club in a recession. Loyalty programs are getting a lot of attention in this economic climate—and that’s because customer loyalty is more important than ever for the success of your business. (Read last week’s article here: Build real value into your loyalty program.) Here are 3 loyalty-building rules to consider when building your program:
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Picture this: Your prospect is happily surfing your website when suddenly, he or she comes across the dreaded error message, “404 not found.”
Finding a bad link can cause frustration and anger…and ultimately cause site abandonment. Though there are tools available to help you fix bad links, it’s impossible to guarantee that errors will never happen. On average, 7% of your site visitors will get an ugly error message as the result of a bad link.
To save customers from clicking away from your site, never to return again, put some personality into your error message. Here is what I do for websites, microsites and landing pages we create:
There are 3 categories to choose from:
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The headline for our last copy tip raised a lot of eyebrows…and taught us an important lesson about the power of punctuation. (If you missed it, go to Punctuation Rule #1 to catch up.)
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Prospects seemed to like Rafting America, an informational site with links to rafting trip organizers, outfitters, equipment retailers and more. Seventy percent of visitors clicked through from the home page to a content page…but they weren’t likely to register for brochures.
To get more brochure requests, Rafting America tried a new website layout. Take a look:
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When I write or critique a direct mail program, I find it helpful to follow tested and proven copy formulas to create a winning campaign. You should check your direct mail now and see if they match any of these response-boosting guidelines.
For now, let’s take a look at just 2 useful copywriting formulas…
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This recession has launched price wars in some industries (like the airlines, for example). Many other businesses are suffering from dramatic cuts in consumer spending. Many more struggle with declining brand loyalty to others.
But there are some smart marketers out there who are still finding ways to compete.
Loyalty programs have been one of the most successful tactics. For example, although Talbots Inc. has faced trouble with some brands in this economy, its Talbots Classic Awards program could be a bright spot.
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If you want to boost your average ticket sale—and, really, who doesn’t—you need to use this easy upsell strategy on your shopping cart. The easiest upsell strategy you’ll ever find is this…Structure your offer into three parts: Best Deal, Great Deal and Good Deal. Take a look at this example: Another easy fix is to add the word “Recommended” next to your Best Deal or paired with other products that you want to highlight. My testing has shown that people respond to this one powerful word.
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I’ll bet this headline got your attention. It’s a prime example of how punctuation can change everything about your copy…so you should take special care to do it right.
Take another look at the headline:
Woman without her man is nothing
How would you punctuate this? Can you figure out how a simple change in punctuation would dramatically change its meaning? You’ll find the solution by following this rule…
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Keeping in touch with your customers and expressing your appreciation should be at the top of your to-do list, now that this down economy has sparked such fierce competition. Many marketers accomplish this by offering a discount for future purchases in their thank-you emails. Here’s how a large florist with an online presence decided to test their approach: Subject line A: Thank You for Making Us Your Florist of Choice Subject line B: 15% Off—Our Way of Saying Thank You!
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Many marketers underestimate the power of the personal sales letter. It’s the reason why an envelope package almost always beats a postcard, brochure or self-mailer.
In any direct mail campaign, the way that you begin your sales letter is critical. Here are 3 guidelines to help you construct a winning opening that really pulls readers in…
- Skip the warm-ups. Don’t waste valuable time with long introductions that don’t have anything to do with your sales message.
- Always start with your strongest selling point. Why not hit the ground running? If you save the best for last, you’re likely to lose your prospect along the way.
- Surprise your readers. Build curi
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Let’s look at a common copy blunder: You'll got a fantastic product or service. You sit down to write your sales copy and extol the virtues of this great product or service. You read through it and something seems wrong. It seems a little forced; maybe a little harsh. What’s not working? You could be bragging. Bragging is when you stop writing direct response copy and simply repeat how wonderful your product is in a myriad of ways. Bragging about your product or service is not only bad salesmanship, it’s counterproductive. Bragging creates red flags in the eyes of your prospect. Believability is hindered and it’s a big turnoff to readership and to response. So how do you tout the great benefits of your product or service without bragging? Here are some ways to make your case:
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It’s an established fact that deadlines in your direct mail piece will result in higher response rates, but does a deadline work for Internet marketing? Test: A recent study sought to examine Internet response rates for a 2-day seminar. There was a $100 discount on the registration fee if the prospect signed up before the January 31 cutoff date. The offer was promoted using proper direct response web rules the offer was near the bottom of the page, and had limited navigation options. In addition, an email was sent out on the morning of January 31 the day the offer expired to see how that affected response. How do think the deadline affected the flow of sales? Results: The answer may astound you. Sales increased by an average by nearly 1,000% during the three days before the deadline!
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One of the most powerful boosters of response in a traditional direct mail letter is the superscript. Simply put, a superscript is placement of powerful direct response copy in the area above the salutation. It's an incredible way to hook the reader and create a compelling interest to read the entire letter. Before I elaborate, let's look at an example of a superscript my agency created for The Weather Channel:
As you can see, a superscript teases your reader's interest before the letter even begins. It also immediately draws the eye with large and dynamic type. It truly begs to be read.
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In the past couple of issues, we've covered two of the seven major direct marketing website strategies. So far we've looked at the pitfalls of using your corporate website as a sales avenue and we outlined some critical strategies for paid search success. This week we're going to look at a third strategy: creating a product microsite. A microsite is one of the most effective, efficient and powerful ways to generate a lead or make a sale. With a product microsite, you're able to focus your message on your target audience without navigation distractions, using direct response sales copy and graphics.
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As the results come in on 4th quarter retail profits, one thing is for sure: Gift cards were a massive hit last Christmas season, generating millions in sales for marketers. For some Direct Marketing Update readers, gift cards may not be appropriate but before you disregard the idea, think about it carefully...is there a way you can use gift cards for your product or service? Last year, 70% of Christmas shoppers bought gift cards...to the tune of $18 billion dollars. No small change. Here are some reasons gift cards could benefit your bottom line:
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Any product or service has weaknesses that prospects are concerned about. A major online and offline direct marketing copy technique is addressing these negatives...but not by glossing over them. Instead, much can be gained by confronting them and turning them into benefits. If you're selling, for example, a health supplement that hasn't been FDA approved, don't just sweep that fact under the carpet with an asterisk.* Instead, you could bill it as a benefit. “A product so revolutionary, the FDA hasn't even approved it yet!”
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In both consumer and business-to-business mailings, it's tempting to plan a postcard campaign. After all, a postcard has a much lower cost. Test: Recently, cell phone service provider NEXTEL sent out an offer for a pre-approved service plan that came with a top-of-the-line phone for 99 cents. They sent out an oversized postcard with a graphic on one side and the offer on the other.
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In the last issue, we talked about a major blunder direct marketers commit when they don't consider the three primary postage options: metered mail, printed indicia or a precancelled stamp. We explained that a precancelled stamp would increase your response by a full 12% to 15%. But another major blunder is using standard class delivery for your in-house prospects (or clients). In-house prospects are qualified, potential buyers and will likely produce a higher response than a rented mailing list. So this is one situation where you don't want the post office dumping or destroying your mail. The unfortunate truth is that 5% to 15% of all standard mail vanishes during the delivery process. The major benefit of precancelled stamps is that postal employees think it's first class mail...leading to greater care and respect.
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In the last issue we talked about the danger of using a corporate website for marketing purposes. The last thing you want to do is have your prospect or customer see your corporate website, since most corporate websites are antimarketing. Another common website misstep happens in paid searches. Paid search is when your company purchases search keywords through Google or Yahoo! that relate to your product or service. The advantage of paid search over organic search is that your company is placed on page one of the search results, usually to the right hand side of the organic search.
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