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Direct Mail The Numbers Game, part two
| Guest post by: Keith Thirgood |
Article Overview: In an earlier article, I talked about direct mail and some of what you need to know to be successful at it. In this article we'll take a look at three of the key parts of a direct mail package, the sales letter, response device and brochure.
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Free Download - Direct Mail The Numbers Game, part two By Keith Thirgood |
Direct Mail The Numbers Game, part two
In an earlier article, I talked about direct mail and some of what you need to know to be successful at it. In this article we'll take a look at three of the key parts of a direct mail package, the sales letter, response device and brochure.
The Sales Letter
This is where most of the selling happens. And this is where most people fail with their mailings. They hire a designer to develop a great brochure, and give little thought to the sales letter that it accompanies.
The letter is vital. It's where your prospect is most likely to buy into your offer.
Before you begin writing your sales letter, you need to consider how people will read it. First, they look at their own name at the top. Then they read the headline above the salutation, the signature area and the PS. All this before they glance at the first paragraph or two of the letter. If this is all OK, they will proceed to glance over the highlighted copy. Only when all of this is felt to be right, will they actually read the rest of the copy.
Things to keep in mind:
- Be careful of using photos and graphics in a letter. They stop the natural flow, and they can be used to your detriment. Avoid using them unless you're skilled.
- Highlight copy with ellipses, bold text, indenting, bullets, underlining, all caps, highlighter, colour. (A sales letter is rarely the place to concern yourself with "nice typography".
- Keep your sentences short.
- The headline should clearly tell the reader "what's in it for me".
- IMPORTANT: Use a PS. It can recap the offer, highlight a big benefit, add urgency, encourage action, or emphasis a freebie or discount. (It's read before the letter is read. Don't waste it.)
- Use only "courier" or "prestige" as your font. These look like typewriter fonts and still pull better than "newer" computer-generated fonts.
- In very special circumstances, you might use different typefaces, but do this only if there is a very good reason to.
For B2B mailings, I suggest using "Times" or "Times New Roman" as it's the standard for business correspondence. Your trying to emulate standard correspondence, not impress the reader.
=========/B2B========
The Response Device
The response device is far more important than you might believe, and it's vital in direct response mailings. It's the point where people take action. This is where you have the greatest chance to improve your success rate, and the greatest chance of damaging it.
=========B2B========
Many B2B mailings are done as part of a "warm call" strategy. You send out your mailing and follow it up with a personal call in order to secure a meeting, or further discussion. These sorts of mailing don't require the response device.
=========/B2B========
The response device should summarize your offer. If you want people to respond to you, you need to have the response device "close" the sale. You also need to eliminate any chance that they will make a mistake. (If they must look elsewhere in your package to in order to respond, it's not yet right).
=========B2B========
Even in lead generation mailings, if your prospect does not take action, you've failed. It means you need to manipulate your audience in ways you wouldn't use if you were selling face to face
=========/B2B========
Create a means of tracking your responses, especially if you mail from more than one list. Give it a tracking number (PG 60), have purchasers ask for a certain operator, etc.
The response device should be every bit as loud and exciting as the brochure. Keep up the excitement.
Don't assume people will know what needs to be filled out. Make it so a 10-year old can do it.
Some other things to include on a response device:
Many campaigns use a "tear-off" response device. Statistically, separate devices pull better than tear-offs.
The Brochure
This is where you visually move your reader closer to a buying decision. (Our society is becoming more visually attuned as the years go by. This continually increases the importance of visuals in marketing.)
A few things to keep in mind about developing your direct mail brochure:
A brochure cover's main purpose is to keep the brochure out of the trashcan and get it opened. Its secondary purpose is to enhance "image" of your service/product.
Inside the brochure, the headlines should tell the whole sales story. Don't waste the opportunity by using headline like "benefits" "history" "our philosophy", etc.
Your copy has to lead people through the benefits, the features, make an emotional connection and show them exactly how to take the next step, whatever that might be.
Yes, direct mail is a numbers game. But if you use those first 13 seconds well, there is no other mass medium, which can be so powerful a persuader. And when we market and sell, we're all in the persuasion business.
Related ArticlesThe response device is far more important than you might believe, and it's vital in direct response mailings. It's the point where people take action. This is where you have the greatest chance to improve your success rate, and the greatest chance of damaging it.
=========B2B========
Many B2B mailings are done as part of a "warm call" strategy. You send out your mailing and follow it up with a personal call in order to secure a meeting, or further discussion. These sorts of mailing don't require the response device.
=========/B2B========
The response device should summarize your offer. If you want people to respond to you, you need to have the response device "close" the sale. You also need to eliminate any chance that they will make a mistake. (If they must look elsewhere in your package to in order to respond, it's not yet right).
=========B2B========
Even in lead generation mailings, if your prospect does not take action, you've failed. It means you need to manipulate your audience in ways you wouldn't use if you were selling face to face
=========/B2B========
Create a means of tracking your responses, especially if you mail from more than one list. Give it a tracking number (PG 60), have purchasers ask for a certain operator, etc.
The response device should be every bit as loud and exciting as the brochure. Keep up the excitement.
Don't assume people will know what needs to be filled out. Make it so a 10-year old can do it.
Some other things to include on a response device:
- Use an acceptance line "YES! I want... "
- Also have a "Not now, keep me on your list..." line.
- And a "No, I'm not interested ..." line. (If they actually respond to this and send it in, they are indicating that they perceive your company to be OK, just not the offer. They're still a great prospect.)
Many campaigns use a "tear-off" response device. Statistically, separate devices pull better than tear-offs.
The Brochure
This is where you visually move your reader closer to a buying decision. (Our society is becoming more visually attuned as the years go by. This continually increases the importance of visuals in marketing.)
A few things to keep in mind about developing your direct mail brochure:
A brochure cover's main purpose is to keep the brochure out of the trashcan and get it opened. Its secondary purpose is to enhance "image" of your service/product.
Inside the brochure, the headlines should tell the whole sales story. Don't waste the opportunity by using headline like "benefits" "history" "our philosophy", etc.
Your copy has to lead people through the benefits, the features, make an emotional connection and show them exactly how to take the next step, whatever that might be.
Yes, direct mail is a numbers game. But if you use those first 13 seconds well, there is no other mass medium, which can be so powerful a persuader. And when we market and sell, we're all in the persuasion business.
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Article Tags: brochure, direct mail, direct response, mail package, numbers game, target market
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The Game Inventor's Guidebook
- by Brian Tinsman, 2002
I checked this out of my local library today and its pretty interesting... didn't address what I wanted to know, which was how to actually design an online gaming system (indeed this doesn't cover online games at all), but for board games etc. it's pretty good.
Here's the TOC:
1. How they diid it:
Trivial Pursuit
Magic, the Gathering
Dungeons & Dragons
Pokemon Trading Card Game
Interview with an inventor
Interview with a publisher
2. How the industry works
1. What's in it for you
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3. Anatomy of a publisher
4. Markets for games
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1. Mass market games you should know
2. Mass market companies you should know
3. Hobby games you should know
4. Hobby companies you should know
5. American specialty games and companies you should know
6. European specialty games and companies you should know
4. Self publishing
1. What am I getting into
2. Before you print
3. After you print
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1. How to invent a game
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7. Contacting publishers
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Hello From Marietta GA!
- Hello All!
My name is Tim Naylor and I am in Direct Sales! I am glad I have found EC's sites and I hope to learn and share a lot!
Re: I will be away
- Hi Guys
Thanks for the good wishes. I had a really relaxing time and as soon as I get caught up will upload some pictures of the Big Game we saw on some of the drives. No lion GT as these parks are privately owned and they don't want predators who will eat the herbivores that they have paid a lot of money for . Saw some elephant though and rhino which was great.
MichelleJ
Re: What are some fun games for small business owners?
- i second Bohnanza Game (aka "the bean game") as a great game for practicing negotiating skills...
Top 19 Copywriting books
- 1. Ogilvy on Advertising. David Ogilvy. Wiley.
2. Positioning: The Battle for your Mind. Al Ries and Jack Trout. Warner.
3. The New Positioning. Jack Trout. McGraw-Hill.
4. Tested Advertising Methods. John Caples. Prentice-Hall.
5. How to Make your Advertising Make Money. John Caples. Prentice-Hall.
6. Guerrilla Advertising. Jay Conrad Levinson. Houghton Mifflin.
7. Direct Mail Copy that Sells. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prentice-Hall.
8. Sales Letters that Sizzle. Herschell Gordon Lewis. NTC Business Books.
9. Herschell Gordon Lewis on the Art of Writing Copy. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prentice-Hall.
10. Romancing the Brand. David Martin. American Management Association.
11. The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations with William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, George Gribbin, David Ogilvy, Rosser Reeves. NTC Business Books.
12. Confessions of an Advertising Man. David Ogilvy. NTC Business Books.
13. My Life in Advertising. Claude Hopkins. NTC Business Books.
14. Scientific Advertising. Claude Hopkins. NTC Business Books.
15. How to Become an Advertising Man. James Webb Young. NTC Business Books.
16. The Lasker Story as He Told It. NTC Business Books.
17. Advertising Concept and Copy. George Felton. Prentice Hall.
18. The Copy WorkShop Workbook. Bruce Bendinger. The Copy Workshop.
19. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads. Luke Sullivan. Wiley.
This should keep you busy for at least a year.
Enjoy!
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