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Greetings!

Welcome to this week’s Direct Marketing Update, with more tips and strategies to help you increase your response rates. Be sure to check out the FREE ROI Calculator that I snuck into this week’s web strategy!

In this issue…

• 3 Bright ideas to power up your direct mail response
• Web strategy: 3 Commonly overlooked SEO strategies (Part 1)
• Copy tip: “What’s in it for me?”
• Testing corner: More proof that floaters work!

3 Bright ideas to power up your direct mail response

You know you need direct mail and you know you need email…but do you know how to make these channels work together?

Integrated campaigns boost response, increase sales and result in a higher average order value.

But the solution is not as simple as just redesigning your mail into email format. Here are 4 bright ideas for putting your email to work for better mail response…

Bright Idea #1: Send email “pre-alerts.” Arrange for your email to hit inboxes 2 to 3 days prior to the arrival of your mailing piece. Display the mailing package in your email to clue recipients in about what to watch for in the mail.

Bright Idea #2: Send a post-mail-drop. With delivery tracking details, you can follow-up on your mail with one or more emails. These should be designed to support the mail campaign—highlighting the offer and calling attention to the offer. Your landing page should also correspond with the mail campaign.

Bright Idea #3: Email a coupon or discount offer. Value is more important than ever right now, and coupons are an effective way to prompt quick action.

These ideas will help get you started. Remember to always test your timing and creative execution to see what works best for your product or service.

My team and I have extensive experience creating fully integrated campaigns. If you want to boost your response, email me at craig@cdmginc.com or give me a call at 310-212-5727.

Web strategy: 3 Commonly overlooked SEO strategies (Part 1)

To make it easy for web searchers to find your site, you have to play by the SEO rules. The concept of SEO is designed to separate the spammers from the true content creators. Over the next few issues, we’ll take a look at simple but important tips to help improve your SEO.

Commonly overlooked SEO strategy #1: Embed your links

Google wants to see you using embedded links as opposed to writing out the full URL.

For example, if I want to post a link to a free ROI Calculator, then I should do it just like that—make the title an active hyperlink to the report. I would lose credibility with Google if I’d written “Go to http://www.cdmginc.com/ROI-Calculator/” instead.

Stay tuned for more SEO strategies in our next full issue…

Copy tip: “What’s in it for me?”

Your goal as a copywriter is to convince prospects that your product or service is right for them. You must leave no room for them to think, “I understand what this is…but do I really need to have this now?”

In other words, your copy must answer the burning question “What’s in it for me?”

A simple way to qualify your audience is to ask the question “Who relies on [Product Name]?” or “Who needs [Product Name]?” Then show photos of people in your target audience and list how certain groups benefit from what you’re selling.

For example, a home security company might say, “Who needs ABC Security?” The copy would talk about parents worried about keeping their children safe, people who want extra peace of mind, single women, new homeowners concerned about keeping their property safe and so on.

This simple technique of spelling out who your audience is reinforces to your prospects that you are, in fact, talking about them. Identifying themselves in your scenarios brings them closer to making the purchase.

Testing corner: More proof that floaters work!

I’ve written extensively on the potential conversion increase you can get by adding a floater to your website or landing pages. (Read past Direct Marketing Update articles: Little-known ways to double or triple your online leads and Do floaters really work?)

Here’s more proof that the floater increases sign-ups…

The test

Here’s a debt consolidation website that had just tested its consultation sign-up form. Take a look…

The results

Versions B and C actually performed worse than the control—which goes to show you that small changes do matter. Version D’s floater, on the other hand, performed 63.2% better!

Of course this is not to say that any old floater will increase your results. You still need to craft powerful direct response copy and present an irresistible offer to give prospects a reason to fill out your form.

Lesson learned

When pop-ups became synonymous with unwanted advertising, floaters came onto the scene as the answer. Many marketers resist using them because they assume customers will regard them as negatively as they do true pop-ups.

Bottom line: Always test your assumptions.

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About Craig Huey

Craig Huey is the #1 authority on accountable advertising.

He’s recognized as one of the top direct response marketing experts in the nation.

In addition to publishing Direct Marketing Update and the industry newsletter Direct Response, Mr. Huey is president of Creative Direct Marketing Group, Inc., a full-service direct response advertising agency, and InfoMat, Inc., a postal and email list brokerage and management company.

Email Craig at craig@cdmginc.com.

Craig’s 2010 speaking tour continues

Want to tap into Craig’s direct marketing expertise? Here’s where you can catch up with him over the next few months…

34th Annual SIPA Conference
Washington, DC
June 6, 2010
2:10 p.m.–3:10 p.m.

Profit Abilities: 9 Marketing Strategies and Techniques Every Publisher Should Be Using

You’ll discover:

• Little-known copy techniques to supercharge your marketing
• Email secrets to double response
• #1 costly mistake publishers make
• 4 surprising ways a landing page can make or break a campaign
• Why your shopping cart has a 50% abandonment rate
• What Google AdWords means for your
  marketing mix
• And much more!

Register now

FreedomFest
Las Vegas, NV
July 8–10, 2010

12 New Marketing Trends and Strategies for Business Owners & Organizations: How to Profitably Grow in an Age of Obama

Here’s what you’ll discover:

• How to stay profitable despite Obama’s anti-business legislation
• 3 "marketing evils" you need to address right now
• What’s really wrong with your current offer
• #1 mistake business owners and administrators make
• Costly and common shopping cart blunders
• And more

Click here for
more details.

If you’ll be at either of these events or in the area, email craig@cdmginc.com if you’d like to meet up.

Did you miss the last few issues of Direct Marketing Update?

Catch up here:

• 5/19/10
• 5/11/10
• 4/15/10

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Direct Response is the nation’s leading direct marketing newsletter. In each issue, you’ll catch up on the latest test results, breakthrough strategies and techniques to get you the most return for your dollar.

You’ll discover…

• 15 critical video marketing rules
• How click-to-chat can lower costs and boost conversions
• 3 ways to strengthen your offer without going broke
• Recession outlook: A reality check for retailers
• Little-known secrets to international marketing
• Twitter: 5 rules for beginners

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