Copywriting
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
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I still remember my first direct mail letter. I reworked it to perfection. Every word was just as I wanted it to be. The benefits to the reader were clear, the offer was strong and the call to action was unmistakable.
Then we mailed the letter, and I waited. And I waited some more. But nothing happened. Not even a single response. No one even bothered to complain about the letter.
Finding the right person to mail
Finally, after waiting a few more days, I went to see the agency’s owner and confessed my failure. I explained the letter’s objectives, my approach, the offer…how I had checked and rechecked every word but failed to get even one response.
Without even looking up, my boss said, “Check the lists.”
And I was ready for this. I’d already prepared a report on the mailing lists we were testing and started to go through the long list. But he said, “No, that’s not what I mean. (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail lists, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, mailing lists, test direct mail
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Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
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When I started my direct marketing career, I wanted to be a copywriter. Copywriters were the agency “hotshots”; it seemed like they were the star attraction.
Yet my mentor told me that the people of most value to the agency were direct mail “generalists.” Taking his advice, I spent the next six years learning how to initiate, develop and manage successful direct mail campaigns.
I studied list selection, graphic layouts, the letter’s structure, print production and lettershop capabilities. And I gave special attention to what and how to test.
Yet today, most of my income comes from direct mail copywriting.
Over the years, I’ve tested (more…)
Tags: copywriting, direct mail, direct mail copywriter, direct mail copywriting, direct mail response, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, editing copy, increase direct mail response
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Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
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Just about every direct mail copywriter can benefit from a good editor. Yet many decision makers who approve copy—clients, compliance officers, board members and managers—aren’t trained to edit the copywriter’s work. 
Here’s a simple 3-step method and checklist that might help.
Step 1
When reviewing a direct mail letter for the first time, sit on your hands.
One of the biggest mistakes is to pick up your red pen before you’ve reviewed the complete mailing package. Checking for errors in grammar, spelling and sentence structure is essential. But when you proofread (more…)
Tags: copy editor, direct mail, direct mail copywriting, direct mail readership, direct mail response, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, editing copy, how edit direct mail, increase direct mail response, test direct mail
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Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
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Some of the best training I’ve had for becoming a direct mail copywriter came when I sold magazines door to door as a teenager.
I quickly learned that not every homeowner welcomed me. Some would not even come to the door, some would close the door in my face and others would listen but not buy.
Soon, I learned to how to better my odds. Each time I approached a house, I gathered all the available information on the homeowner and developed a plan before knocking on the door.
My marketing “data” came from what I could see in the homeowner’s front yard. Were there toys in the yard, indicating children lived there? Was a newspaper (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail offer, direct mail response, direct mail strategy, direct sales, selling direct
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Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
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When it comes to decision making, I have a simple approach. If I believe the outcome might be something I wouldn’t want my mother to know about, I don’t do it.
And when creating a direct mail offer a similar rule applies. If you can’t provide a meaningful guarantee, don’t promote it.
You have two reasons to offer a guarantee:
First, it’s the right thing to do. A meaningful guarantee shows that you believe in your product. And, when you’re asking for someone else’s money, you should believe in what you’re selling—if not, don’t do it.
Second, you’ll want to offer a guarantee because it can build profits.
Buyers, whether online or traditional direct mail, have plenty of reasons—real or perceived—not to respond to your offer. After all, whether we’re fundraising or selling a product, we’re asking the prospect to trust us to do what we promised. (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail guarantee, direct mail offer, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, direct response guarantee, increase direct mail response, testing a guarantee
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Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
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Simply put, your direct mail offer is the “deal” you promise the recipient. It’s what you promise the reader and what you ask in return.
Your offer needs to be specific and to clearly state how it benefits the prospect. It includes the product—or for a fundraiser, the organization’s mission or project—the price or asking amount, terms, incentives, guarantee, etc.
And, of all the components of your mailing—other than the list—the offer is the most important element of your success. If you’re looking for breakthrough results, here are 17 quick ideas to consider: (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail copywriting, direct mail offer, direct mail response, direct mail response rates, direct mail strategy, direct mail test, direct mail testing, increase direct mail response
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
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What to test
In his book, Secrets of Successful Direct Mail, Dick Benson states, “Any idea you honestly believe can economically increase response is worth testing.”
The key words are “economically increase response.” But what is economical? Typically, the more dramatic a change you make in a package, the more dramatic the difference in results.
For example, when you need a breakthrough, test the components that have the greatest influence on the mailing’s success—lists, offer, format and copy. Forget about testing minor changes on page three or the color of the return envelope. Test big things for big results.
However, for clients mailing larger volumes, “tweaking” the control for incremental gains often makes sense.
For example, Client A and Client B both have an average response rate of 1%, with a $25 average transaction. Both test a new package that lifts results by 10%. The only difference is that Client A has an annual (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail strategy, direct mail test, direct mail testing, test direct mail
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
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Early in my direct marketing career, a mentor taught me, “The fewer people you mail, the more you can mail.”
It took me a while to grasp this simple concept, but in reality, it speaks to the core principle behind successful direct mail.
Being able to target your mailing to a narrowly defined audience—and highlighting how your offer solves specific needs—has always been one of the most powerful benefits of direct mail. Yet far too often marketers fail to exploit this advantage. (more…)
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Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
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In his novel, Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy wrote, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
What Tolstoy was saying is that to be happy, a marriage must succeed on a number of levels including: financial, sexual, how to raise children, in-laws and religion. Every successful couple finds agreement in each of these areas. But an unsuccessful marriage can break apart when there’s disagreement in any one of these areas.
The reasons for happiness are same. The cause of unhappiness is unique.
Can’t we say the same about direct mail? (more…)
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Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
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One thing we can do to improve the profitability of our direct mail is to learn the lessons of a famous jam study.
That’s right. Jam. The stuff we spread over our toast.
In a gourmet market, Professor Sheena Iyengar of Columbia University and her research assistants set up a booth offering samples of Wilkin & Sons jams.
Every few hours, the researchers switched from offering customers a selection of 24 jams to offering a group of only six jams.
Each participating customer – regardless of the number of selections offered – received a $1 savings coupon and tasted an average of two jams.
Here’s the interesting part. (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail copywriting, direct mail response, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing
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