Direct Marketing

Direct mail reality check (Part 2)

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:50:00 GMT

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:

Web strategy: Don’t let an error message drive visitors away

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:36:00 GMT

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:

Testing corner: Which website design generated more leads?

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:20:00 GMT

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:

Direct mail reality check

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:36:00 GMT

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…

Web strategy: The world’s easiest upsell strategy—that actually works

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:32:00 GMT

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.

Copy tip: “Woman without her man is nothing”

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:30:00 GMT

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…

Testing corner: Which thank-you email worked best?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:26:00 GMT

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!

Direct mail: The secret to success

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:00:00 GMT

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

Direct Response Copy Tip of the Week: A Blunder to Avoid

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:24:00 GMT

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:

Testing Corner: Surprising Offer Results

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:21:00 GMT

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!

Janu

Direct Mail Tip: Use Superscripts to Superpower Your Response

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:59:00 GMT

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.

Web Response Secret: Microsites vs. All-In-One Websites

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:47:00 GMT

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.

How Gift Cards Can Boost Your Profitability

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:33:00 GMT

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:

Direct Response Copy Tip of the Week: Confront Your Prospect's Objections

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:23:00 GMT

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!”

Testing Corner: Postcard vs. Envelope Showdown

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:21:00 GMT

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.

Direct Mail Tip: The #1 Postage Blunder for Mailings to In-house Prospects

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:43:00 GMT

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.

A Common Paid Search Misstep That Kills Response

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:37:00 GMT

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.

Direct Response Copy Tip of the Week: Are You Answering Your Prospects' Questions?

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:23:00 GMT

Always remember compelling, powerful, motivational copy will anticipate the questions of a prospect and answer the question before the prospect even has time to worry about it.

Before you write a word of online or offline copy, start by tapping into your prospects' concerns: What do they need? What is keeping them up at night? How can your product or service make their life easier?

And most importantly...why should they choose your product or service over your competition?

If you can't answer all these questions, your campaign is bound to suffer. In direct marketing, you must anticipate your prospects' apprehensions and answer their questions. Once you have the answers, you're armed to craft great copy.

Here are 3 examples of sentences in which the prospects' questions are being answered:

Testing Corner: Testing Your Offer Can Bring Knockout Results

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:16:00 GMT

Testing the variables of your offer is a crucial step in maximizing the profitability of your campaign...and avoiding huge losses.

It doesn't matter if the campaign involves email, direct mail, website, radio or TV. It's a good idea to test one or two variables to see which creates the greatest response.

One of the best variables to test is the offer. There have been situations where I've suggested that the marketer test the price: for example $29.95 instead of $39.95 And just by making this change, the offer had a dramatic increase in response.

Test: Recently a test was conducted to compare an offer for e-book sales. The webpage posted an offer of $47 for a particular report and another offer, which included two reports, for $99.

Direct Mail: A Little-Known Secret to Boost Response

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:34:00 GMT

One of the most overlooked but important factors in direct mail response is postage.

The very first things your prospect will do when he or she gets an envelope is:

Look at the name.
Look at the return address to see who sent it.
Look at the teaser copy (if there is any).
Look at the postage.

These are the key factors that determine whether your envelope gets opened or tossed.

Antimarketing Web Trap: Corporate Home Page vs. Microsite

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:27:00 GMT

I have talked several times about the importance of having a direct marketing website.

It is critical to achieving maximum response to have a specific site for your products or services rather than just relying on the corporate home page to do the job.

The fact is, using your corporate home page as an entry point for all your different products and prospects is death to response. It's an obsolete trap hurting many marketers.

Microsites and landing pages are individual websites geared toward specific products and promotions. For example, one page may seek to capture emails for further contact based upon a promotion, another may focus on showcasing a particular product based on a different promotion.

The Importance of a Microsite

Studies show corporate home pages are stagnant billboards that are navigation nightmares, whereas microsite pages that have direct response copy and art selli

Direct Response Copy Tip of the Week: Critical Tips on Speaking Directly to Your Prospect

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:16:00 GMT

One of the major direct response copy blunders is writing from a corporate or company point of view.

This is true for direct mail, website, email and any marketing communications. It breaks not only one, but two golden rules of direct response copywriting: Write from one person to one person...and the importance of “you”-driven copy.

Chances are, if you’re writing from a company perspective, it’s “we” directed.

The fact is, writing from a company point of view is colder, more distant and ensures depressed response. To generate outstanding response, write copy from one voice, such as a spokesperson or company president. It humanizes your copy and presents an authority to your prospect. It also injects personality into your campaign.

Testing Corner: Testing Web Headlines for Greater Response

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:11:00 GMT

Successful direct marketing should always involve testing. One bonus of the Internet is the ability to continually test a website campaign and make changes based on your response.

You may have spent weeks testing your search terms, but how much time have you spent testing your page headlines?

Testing Corner: Testing Envelopes to Discover Winners

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:54:00 GMT

Your envelope is the first sales piece your prospect lays their eyes on. It determines if they are going to read your sales letter or toss it in the trash.

The copy that goes on the outside of the envelope needs to be convincing enough to make your prospect want to tear open the envelope and read what is inside.

But besides the copy, there are several other aspects you need to consider, such as—do you want a return address on the upper left-hand side? Will you include any pictures or graphics on the envelope? Do you want to offer any free reports or other benefits?

In direct marketing, you test. We often test two or more envelopes. You will often be surprised at the results.

The 4 Greatest Online Response Depressants

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:02:00 GMT

Some people forget that although marketing on the web involves technology, human psychology hasn't changed with this technology.

This is why you have to be careful to apply the same direct marketing strategies on the web as you do to your direct mail campaign.

It has been observed that there are 4 very common online response depressants marketers cause with their email, websites and online initiatives.

Here are 4 tips to avoid those specific blunders and make your online direct marketing campaign a success:

Direct Mail: The Secret Power of Numbering

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:59:00 GMT

Oddly enough, one of the strategies that can really help incrementally increase response is numbering the pages of your sales letter.

Here are simple rules to follow when numbering:

If it is a 1- or 2-page letter, do not number it.
If it is a 3- or 4-page letter, only number pages 2 and 3.
If your letter is 11x17 folded, do not number the pages.
Some of the most successful sales letters have been more than 4 pages long. If your sales letter is more than 4 pages, number each inside page; do not number the first and last page.
If it is a magalog, number page 2 but don't number the first page (cover) or the last page (back cover).

Video and Your Website: A New Trend Continues

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:19:00 GMT

As you know, I am an advocate of adding a video component to your direct response website. If you have been to my website, www.cdmginc.com, you have seen an example of how I have incorporated video to my site.

Want to enhance your direct marketing website by adding video? Email me at inquire@cdmginc.com or call me at 310-212-5727. We can take care of the script and production.

Direct Response Copy Tip of the Week: Critical Tips on Speaking Directly to Your Prospect

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:10:00 GMT

When you sit down to write your direct response copy, it's poison to think of writing to just any group of people. You shouldn't write to a group or a company, you should only write to an "individual."

How do you write to the individual? In the business-to-business world, consider what is their position in the company? What is their income? What about their family life, their work life? Their hobbies? What are the pressures and stresses they feel at work? Are they male or female? How old are they? How long have they been on the job? You need to speak directly to them.

Supercharging Direct Mail and Online Sales: The Power of Indentation

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:45:00 GMT

Indenting is one of the many proven tools available to direct eye flow when creating direct mail (it also works for email and websites).

By indenting a paragraph within the body copy of your direct mail piece or on your direct marketing website, you are calling attention to a particular piece of information.

Most of the time the indented paragraph will be in second color; for example, if the body copy is black, we may use red for the indented paragraph. Using second color reinforces what you are trying to emphasize to your prospects.

Make sure the information you indent is copy that will entice the prospect to read the rest of the website or sales letter. Give your prospect enough information to get the main idea, but not so much that there isn’t a need to read the rest of the copy.

Direct Response Copy Tip of the Week: How Specifics Will Increase Your Response

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:38:00 GMT

In any direct marketing piece, your challenge is to gain the prospect’s trust in a matter of minutes.

Once you get the prospect to open the envelope, read the email or visit your website—your copy needs to do its job of building the trust between you and your prospect. This is why it is critical to offer specifics to support your product or service.

The fact is—generalities kill response, but specifics increase response.

Giving detailed information makes you more credible and trustworthy. It gives your prospects the assurance they need to believe in your product or service.

Here are three examples of sentences without specifics and with:

Testing Corner: How to Increase Your Conversion Rate

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:26:00 GMT

How can you improve your website conversion rate?

Here is a test of a landing page. The test involved a 2-week time frame of the responses.

The test consisted of these two web pages: Landing Page A and Landing Page B.

3 Overlooked Direct Mail Rules Never to Break

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:05:00 GMT

In direct mail, when you follow certain rules you increase response, but when you break the rules you suffer a declining response.

Many of these rules are what a casual observer would think of as minor or inconsequential. But that is false; they are significant and they do impact response.

#1 Secret to Increasing Your Database from Your Website

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:57:00 GMT

A direct marketing website can have a variety of purposes. Most marketing sales websites will have an objective of collecting email addresses in their database for future marketing campaigns.

Here are 6 tactics that I recommend:

Increase Your Marketing Budget in January?

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:54:00 GMT

Should your budget be increased for January? For marketers, this is the best month of the entire year for direct marketing response.

Traditionally, the day after Thanksgiving, known as “Black Friday,” is considered the busiest retail shopping day of the year.

Direct Response Copy Tip of the Week: Use an Active Voice

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:49:00 GMT

When you write your direct mail letter, magalog, website or email copy, you need to follow an important direct response copy rule.

This rule is to use an “active voice.”

Here are 3 examples of active voice versus nonactive voice:

Testing Corner: Critical Shopping Cart Test

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:39:00 GMT

How important is it to simplify your website's shopping cart for leads or customers?

Here is another test confirming the importance of an issue I have discussed in Direct Marketing Update several times: shopping cart simplicity.

Test: Version A, which had 10,245 unique visitors, required its users to click 9 times before they could purchase the product. Version B, which had 10,314 unique visitors, reduced the ordering path to 4 clicks.

Direct Mail Secret or Heresy?

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:57:00 GMT

One of the little-known secrets of successful, profitable direct mail strategies is something that would make many executives of corporations, or traditional graphic artists, cringe: copy on the back of the envelope.

That's right, we have seen copy on the back of the envelope increase response by as much as 15%. It can be a powerful curiosity stimulator.

Avoiding Common Web Sidebar Blunders

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:49:00 GMT

Using a sidebar can help you generate sales and leads on a website, a direct marketing microsite or a direct marketing landing page.

When we create a website for our clients, we typically design it 70% main copy and 30% sidebar copy.

Here are 7 more rules that will help increase your response and avoid a costly blunder:

Direct Response Copy Tip of the Week: Creating Authoritative Copy

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:42:00 GMT

Always approach copywriting from a position of authority. The feel of the copy, the tone, the energy—must come across as authoritative.

Authoritative copy is copy that uses specific information, details, figures and facts that will resonate.

Your prospects must feel that the voice behind the copy knows the subject matter and speaks with authority.

Your readers must feel confident that the copy is speaking to them with conviction. Your copy has to relate to their challenges and solve their concerns.

Testing Corner: Surprising Results When Testing Gender Response

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:31:00 GMT

Through the years, we have found the response between genders can sometimes be surprisingly different depending on the look and copy content of a direct mail campaign.

Males and females respond differently to format, creative approach, color, pictures, offer, benefits and copy.

Increase Your Magalog and Direct Mail Response with Tactics Designed to Sell

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:17:00 GMT

6 Powerful Tactics to Boost Direct Mail Sales

Below are direct mail tactics proven to lift response for magalogs, but these ideas can also be applied to other direct mail formats.

7 Steps to Successfully Generate International Web Orders

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:06:00 GMT

One of the great benefits of the Internet has been the ability to direct market internationally. Marketers are finding that orders multiply especially if they take the following steps:

Permission-Based List Rental Income for Email and Postal Lists

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:18:00 GMT

Did you know that a significant source of your business' income can come from renting your current, inactive and inquiry lists?

For example, I just sent a client of mine, who has a list of about 50,000 names, his monthly check of $53,000. This adds up to more than half a million dollars a year—just for renting his list!

What you must know

You always need to give permission before someone else can use your list, even for a one-time rental.

Direct Response Copy Tip of the Week: How to Create a Buzz by Using Newsworthy Copy

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:03:00 GMT

One way to supercharge your response is to take a newsworthy topic that relates to your product or service and integrate it into your sales copy.

What is going on in your prospect’s mind? Think about a hot business, political or current issue that is being talked about on the news, in magazines or in the papers—an issue that your prospect will recognize, be curious about and be interested in.

Testing Corner: The Little-Known Truth About Sales Deadlines—How They Increase Response

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:53:00 GMT

Consumers tend to pay more attention to your product or service when you offer them a discount or “special” offer.

However, how much more of a response do you think you would have if you attached a timeline to your discount or special offer?

Recently, a test was conducted to show how consumers responded when given two limited-time offers to react to a discount.

Little-Known Direct Mail Secret that Can Boost Response

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:13:00 GMT

One of the little-known and overlooked ways of boosting response is dating your direct mail piece.

There are several different ways to date your direct mail, some more effective than others.

The most effective way of dating is to put the actual month, day and year on the top of your sales letter as you would a personal letter.

By duplicating what you use for traditional communication, it will make the sales piece more personal, immediate and newsworthy.

Why Most Home Pages Are Obsolete

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:06:00 GMT

In order to design your website to maximize your sales or leads, you need to understand your audience.

What prompted them to come to your URL? What is it that they are looking for or expecting?

To the extent that you are able to identify why prospects are there and identify their desires, you are more likely to generate leads and sales from their visits to your site.

Your prospects have a variety of reasons why they visited to your website.