Strategy
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
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We all make mistakes, but years ago a teacher told me, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not doing enough.”
Mistakes can be learning experiences, but as valuable as it is to learn from our own mistakes, it can be more profitable to learn from the mistakes of others.
Throughout my 30-plus years of direct marketing, here are five of the most common mistakes I see mailers make. And regardless of our own experience, we can always profit from the lessons others had to learn the hard way.
1. Refusing to make a long-term commitment to direct mail
Successful direct mail is methodical. It requires a plan and the discipline to follow the plan. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme.
Not everything will go right on every mailing. Whether you are a startup or a mature mailer, some tests (more…)
Tags: direct mail budget, direct mail copywriting, direct mail lists, direct mail offer, direct mail planning, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing
Posted in Campaign Planning, Copywriting, Strategy, Testing, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, November 21st, 2011
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Once during my younger years, I was presenting test results to a client along with recommendations on what we should mail next.
The client acknowledged that the test results supported my recommendation but said, “Our president doesn’t like that particular copy.”
My immediate response was “So?”
Admittedly, it wasn’t my most tactful hour. But when it comes to successful direct mail, it really doesn’t matter what we think is the best offer, copy or package design.
What matters is what our customers and/or donors respond to.
Fortunately, direct mail gives us a reliable method for measuring what motivates our customers to respond. And when we know how new elements of a mailing—lists, offer, copy, format and timing—affect response, we can drive our direct mail campaign toward (more…)
Tags: direct mail strategy, direct mail test, direct mail testing, increase direct mail response, test direct mail
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Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
This is the second of a two-part series.
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Getting the basics right goes a long way toward achieving direct mail success. In my last post, we discussed 11 strategies that you’ll want to include when planning your next campaign.
You can see these here.
To complete 21 Steps to Direct Mail Success, here are ten more often overlooked strategies that you’ll want to include in your next (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail lists, direct mail offer, direct mail order form, direct mail planning, direct mail response, direct mail response rates, direct mail testing, increase direct mail response, test direct mail
Posted in Campaign Planning, Miscellaneous, Strategy, Testing, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 4th, 2011
This is the first of a two-part series.
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The key to success is to avoid making mistakes. And with direct mail, getting the basics right accounts for 95% of all successes.
21 Steps to Direct Mail Success
You can find many articles about effective direct mail testing, copy and design in my other posts, but here I focus on key–but often overlooked–elements of a successful direct mail campaign.
Below are 11 essential elements of a successful direct response campaign. In my next post, I’ll follow up with an additional ten steps that you’ll want to (more…)
Tags: cost of direct mail, direct mail, direct mail lists, direct mail offer, direct mail planning, direct mail response, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing
Posted in Campaign Planning, Miscellaneous, Strategy, Testing, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
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Too often, we receive direct mail that’s offensive to the eye.
Big blocks of text crowd the page. Narrow left and right margins choke the life from the words. And small sans serif type makes the copy difficult to read.
Visually, these letters are uninviting.
Tips to Increase Readership
Graphic designers may love the look of grey-colored type, but readers need text printed with high contrast. Illustrations and graphics can enhance a mailing, but when overused they pull the reader’s eye in so many directions that it’s virtually impossible
What might appeal to someone’s sense of design doesn’t necessarily help the reader. And with only a few seconds to capture the reader’s attention, any distraction to the eye flow can doom the mailing.
Even when you mail award-winning copy with an offer that meets the recipient’s every need, few people—even those who respond to your mailing—will read the entire direct mail letter. But when you follow a few proven techniques, you can lead more readers to the letter’s most (more…)
Tags: copy editor, direct mail design, direct mail graphics, direct mail readership, direct mail response, direct mail response rates, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, editing copy, how edit direct mail, how increase readership, increase direct mail response
Posted in Copywriting, Graphic Design, Strategy, Testing, Thought Provoking | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
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Whether you’re promoting an idea, a product or a service, successful direct mail copy persuades the reader to take a desired course of action.
Years ago, the televangelist Don Stewart successfully wrote to his supporters saying, “Send $25 now. I’ll explain later.”
But today we live in an “age of skepticism,” and without facts to support the letter’s claims—and a clear understanding of the mailing’s purpose—the direct mail copywriter cannot write his or her most persuasive appeal.
Facts help build creditability, and every promise needs to be supported with believable data. But, to do his or her best work, the direct mail copywriter needs more than product information. Before beginning to write, your copywriter also needs (more…)
Tags: direct mail copywriter, direct mail copywriting, direct mail reseach, direct mail response, direct mail testing, increase direct mail response, research for copywriter
Posted in Copywriting, Miscellaneous, Strategy, Testing, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
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Direct mail is a sales medium. We use it to sell ideas, products and services. And like any other form of sales, its success is based on trust.
Regardless of how much the prospect may value your offer, if he or she doesn’t trust the person attempting to make the sale, it’s not going to happen.
In direct mail, our salesperson is the letter signer. And to establish trust we use testimonials, money-back guarantees and clear, straightforward language.
By definition, an asterisk “indicates omission…”
An asterisk signifies that the claim being made isn’t complete. There are qualifications and/or limitations to what you’re being told. In blunt terms, an asterisk says that (more…)
Tags: copywriting, direct mail, direct mail copywriting, direct mail design, direct mail graphics, direct mail guarantee, direct mail readership, direct mail response, direct mail sales, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, increase direct mail response
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Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
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Too often, people and organizations put all their attention into getting the big things right, but ignore the details.
There’s a word to describe this. It’s “mediocrity.”
Giving attention to the details can’t ensure your success, but ignoring the small stuff can quickly bring about your downfall.
Every detail has bottom-line repercussions and it’s irresponsible to think of any aspect of direct mail as trivial, unimportant or inconsequential.
Here are a few fine points often overlooked in a mailing. None will ensure your success, but collectively, they can make a huge difference in your (more…)
Tags: direct mail copywriting, direct mail graphics, direct mail readership, direct mail response, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, how increase readership, increase direct mail response, test direct mail
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Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
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With direct mail, it’s often said, “The letter sells while the brochure explains.” With this in mind, it’s important not to let your explanation get in the way of making the sale.
I do a lot of “Beat the Control” work, and whenever I’m up against a package that includes a brochure, my first instinct is to test eliminating the brochure. More times than not, dropping the brochure will increase the mailing’s response.
Why? Because when people are reading your brochure, they aren’t responding. Too often, the brochure becomes a distraction and diverts the reader’s attention from the letter’s call to action.
Yet, there are times when it makes sense to test a brochure.
With some products and services, you can better communicate their benefits with a picture, illustration or (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail brochure, direct mail design, direct mail graphics, direct mail response, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, increase direct mail response
Posted in Copywriting, Graphic Design, Miscellaneous, Strategy | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
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Whether you call it an order form, a response form or a response device, it’s one of the most crucial components of any direct response mailing.
The response form is the tool the prospect uses to complete the sale. Yet when creating a new direct mail package, we don’t always give the order form the time, attention and respect it deserves.
Too often, we write copy that excites readers and motivates them to accept our offer only to lose the sale (or contribution) with simple, easy-to-correct design flaws in the order form.
Here are 18 tested and proven ideas you can use to make your response form more profitable. (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail copywriting, direct mail order form, direct mail reply form, direct mail response device, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, increase direct mail response
Posted in Copywriting, Graphic Design, Strategy, Testing | No Comments »
