THE LONG AND SHORT OF WHAT REALLY WORKS CREATIVELY IN DIRECT MARKETING

The thinking today is that people are too busy to read, so we need to adjust our direct marketing letters to keep them short and to the point.

This has turned many of the pieces I receive into dull, dry or boring factual material.

Remember, you cannot win hearts and minds without engaging your audience.

The last thing you want your package to do is to provide information and not get a response. If that's what you want, you might as well do advertising.

So here are a few creative hints on how to add some punch to your direct mail pieces.



1. THE OUTER ENVELOPE:Your message should start to make that all-important one-to-one connection right away with your target group.

Here's an example of a teaser I used on the envelope for the Osteoporosis Society of Canada:

Your copy of a special report on osteoporosis studies conducted recently in Ontario.

Most writers would have written: 'A special report on osteoporosis studies conducted in Ontario'. By adding the words 'Your copy', I made sure that I brought the recipients close, instead of pushing them away.

The response to this package was: 8.21% in the first three weeks. (My client's response: Doing very well. Thank you.)

Next, we all turn the envelope around to the back to open it, so why not use this space more effectively.

If you have an intriguing message, split it so that it continues at the back.

Here's an example from Special Olympics, Ontario.

Front of envelope:

On July 18th, 2006 284 Special Olympics Ontario athletes will compete in the National Summer Games in Brandon, Manitoba…

Back of Envelope:

…your support now is as precious as the gold they have been training so hard for.

The result: 17.65%

2. THE LETTER: Adjusting the width of the letter for optimum legibility Use wide margins so readers narrow their focus on the copy. Short columns are easier to scan. Keep your copy width down to sixty characters or less – that's about six inches, maximum. Think paperback novels.

Beyond that width the reader has to move his head back and forth horizontally, making reading more difficult. It can also literally be a pain in the neck.

What to do with the additional space, since the page is 8.5 inches long?

• Consider photos to tell a story • Move the letter to one side and add a side bar with a testimonial from someone who benefited from your organization's good work • Add a tear-off column with helpful tips or a schedule of upcoming events.

3. THE BRE Use the back of the envelope more effectively instead of leaving it blank. Hints on what you could include:

• Your mission statement • A backend premium offer • Your tagline • Photos • A 'Thank you'

• A checklist of the things you're asking the recipient to do, like sign a petition • Tell them who to make the cheque payable to.

Besides making the message emotionally appealing to your target audience, there is another level that motivates people to respond. That is the very personal level.

Just knowing who our target audience is e.g. plumbers, IT professionals or ' Baby Boomers' may give you a framework of what appeals to them generally but not what touches them personally.

Having demographic data with personal characteristics such as age, gender, income, occupation, education, socioeconomic status, religion, nationality, etc. will help, but you need to dig deep and understand attitudinal characteristics such as personality, life-style, values, attitudes, etc. That is the 'hot button' that touches them personally.

As a writer I always try to seek and touch this 'hot button' in my audience. For example when I did a job for the heartburn relief product 'Gaviscon', I knew my prospective audience was comprised of chronic heartburn sufferers. This gave me the first clue that they were largely older folk.

Next, I probed for unfulfilled desires. I knew that many had dreamed of or had hoped to visit certain exotic places when they were young, but for many people that never materializes. So I proposed a holiday prize to one of four such destinations. Participants had a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a formidable barrier like the Great Wall of China, the Iron Curtain, the Himalayas and the Great Barrier Reef.

This not only fit with the strategy and positioning of the product as a great barrier, but it also addressed the target audience's personal desires.

The result was a stunning 29.2% response (with 13,776 responses). That’s almost one third of all the people we targeted, including 52 unsolicited letters of praise for the product or the prize.

I knew that exotic places not only appeal to the young but also to older people. Often for older people this remains an unfulfilled dream.

However, the additional kicker was that we also gave our target audience $2 and $4 coupons to redeem the product. A large portion of them did with the result that the competition had to delay the launch of their new product since we had saturated the market.

Samples of these pieces can viewed by emailing the author at: designersinc@sympatico.ca



THE LONG AND SHORT OF WHAT REALLY WORKS CREATIVELY IN DIRECT MARKETING - To learn more about this author, visit Billy Sharma's Website.

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