Often, someone will approach me after one of my seminars and tell a story where their response rates on a campaign were double what they expected.

    And just as often, someone will approach me saying they followed all the direct response rules, but their campaign was a bust. And they don't know why.

    The reason? It could be external factors determining the response. In the next few months, two major external factors could determine the success of your campaign, no matter how great your creative or mailing list.

The 2008 Presidential Election

    The 2008 Election is the first time since 1928 that there won't be an incumbent on the presidential ballot. Both parties are vying for their candidate to win and they're going to spend big to do it.

    The result? There will be a huge increase in mail around the Primary season and before the November elections. It's essential that you plan your postal mailings to avoid getting lost in the election marketing maelstrom.

     The key is to stay out of the mail 30 days before the Primary in any specific state. Click here to see a state-by-state Primary schedule.

    And later in the year, make sure you mail by August (early September at the latest). Mailing in October and early November virtually ensures you'll be lost in the mailbox.

Tax Season

     Another major response depressor is the upcoming tax season. Year after year, response rates for both consumer and B2B mailings decrease in the weeks leading up to April 15.

    A good rule of thumb is to stop mailing the last week of March and do not jump back into the mail until April 17 at the earliest.

     Avoiding these major external events in 2008 can ensure you avoid wasting your campaign dollars.

    If you're looking to mail this spring, I've launched successful campaigns through eight Presidential elections. Call me at 310-212-5727 and tell me a little about your goals. I can help you avoid election-cycle response killers.

    You can also email me at craig@cdmginc.com.

    One of the most important elements of your website, microsite or landing page is to have your contact information clearly seen in the upper-right-hand-corner.

    Whenever I critique an online campaign, I often notice many marketers overlook this—or use a navigation button that says contact...but no number!

    This small detail could lose you hundreds of sales or leads. Always make it easy for your prospect or client to contact you. To show you what I mean, here are a couple examples of sites my agency created for clients.

    The first is for an insurance publication geared toward California property and casualty professionals.





     As you can see, at the top right is a Toll-Free number to call to subscribe. This way, if your prospects arrive at the site and are already interested in buying, they don't need to search for the customer-service number. It's right there.

    The Toll-Free number is also given several times during the copy, but when it's at the top, prospects always know where to find it.

     In addition, below is the customer-service hours of operation (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Let's say your prospect visits the site at 9:00 p.m., figures the customer-service area is closed, makes a mental note to call the next day...and forgets. Missed sale. The hours of operation let your prospect know they can call anytime.

     Here's another example from a site we created for a high-end RV resort:





     Again the contact information is right at the top in bright bold lettering. In this case, we also added some call-to-action copy ("Call one of our friendly vacation consultants Toll-Free now") and added a graphic.

    Making sure that your prospects don't hunt for your contact number and information guarantees you don't lose a lead or sale simply because your prospect gets frustrated.

    For more information, check out my article Your Website Must Be a Direct Response Marketing Website by clicking here. It will take you to the Direct Response archive where you'll find dozens of helpful articles and strategies.

    Last week the Federal Trade Commission released a report stating the U.S. Postal Service's monopoly on letter mail delivery and mailboxes is unfair and Congress many want to consider legislation to open up mail delivery to private companies. This is huge news for direct marketers.

    The report, which was mandated by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, also found that the monopoly actually hurts the USPS itself, increasing its costs and limiting innovation.

    Their specific recommendations were:

• Congress should loosen constraints on USPS products and operations.



• Congress and the Postal Regulatory Commission should get rid of the current mailbox monopoly and allow private carriers to compete.



• Congress should end the exclusive monopoly the USPS has and allow competition that would encourage innovation and lower costs to consumers.

    To see the full report on the FTC website, click here.

    Now is the time to write your senators and congressmen and urge them to follow the FTC's recommendations to repeal the private express statute that prohibits postal competition.

    Click here for a searchable database of contact information for current congressman and senator.

    When crafting copy, one of the most effective ways to gain the trust and confidence of your prospect is by using specifics.

     Specifics reassure your prospect that your product or service will improve their life. Rather than speaking in hyperbole and generalities, specifics in numbers and facts ground your piece and clearly state your argument.

     Here are three examples. The first sentence in each example contains a generality, the second, a specific:

Example 1

• This product has helped thousands of people lose weight in a matter of weeks.



• Our newest product has helped 8,367 lose at least 10 pounds in 4-6 weeks.

    The bottom line is, specifics sell and generalities do not. Comb through your copy and look for these 3 places to get specific:

1. Dollar figures ($933,130 dollars vs. "close to a million dollars")



2. Percentages (off-numbers work best: 83% vs. 75%)



3. Concrete numbers instead of vague words (We've won 65 awards vs. "An award-winning company")

    Remember: One of the things that distinguishes a campaign that is mediocre from one that is great are the amount of specifics and details that are put into the campaign.

    Even the best marketers need help looking at their current marketing efforts from an objective point of view. Give me a call at 310-212-5727 or email me at craig@cdmginc.com and ask for a FREE evaluation of your current marketing materials (a $1,000 value).

    My team of marketing professionals and I can show you specific areas where you could have doubled response on your last campaign. And we can help you prepare a new campaign that will vastly improve on it.

    Many Direct Marketing Update readers can tell a good headline from a bad headline, but how good are you at choosing a great headline from a better headline?

    TEST: Three headlines were created to entice prospects to try an online personality testing site called ActualMe. One headline focused on you-orientation, one headline focused on branding and one headline focused on a benefit. Take a look:

Version A: The Branding Headline

ACTION ITEMS

1. Are you up to date on the newest trends in direct marketing such as podcasts, viral video, pay-per-click ads and exciting mailing formats?

Subscribe to the industry-leading digest Direct Response and keep current. Please call us now at
310-212-5727 and tell our representative you'd like to subscribe to Direct Response.

2. Examine the results of your last direct mail campaign. Are you experiencing a loss of leads or sales? I can help. Contact me at craig@cdmginc.com.

3. Click here to read the insightful article on the proven, tested, V.I.V.A.™ direct marketing system. It's a must-read article for every direct marketer and business owner looking to boost their response rates.

4. Click the Forward to a Friend button in the upper-right corner to pass on this Direct Marketing Update to interested friends and business associates.

    That's it for this week's edition of Direct Marketing Update. I hope that you'll keep an eye open for my next issue, as I have so much more exciting direct marketing information to share with you.



Craig A. Huey
President
Creative Direct Marketing Group
email: craig@cdmginc.com
phone: 310-212-5727
www.cdmginc.com