Direct Marketing 101 Workshop 5
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Part 5 in a series of 5 presentations providing an overview of direct marketing.
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Direct Marketing 101 Workshop 5
- 1. Direct Marketing 101 Workshop 5 Direct Marketing Creative Media, Formats, Design & Copy (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
- 2. Creative Overview (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
- 11. Direct Response Copywriting (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
- 18. Direct Mail Creative (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
- 40. Package Design (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
- 50. Mailing Package Guidelines & Checklist (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
- 63. Catalog Creative (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
- 68. Broadcast Creative (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
- 76. Direct Response Print Advertising Creative (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
- 87. Internet Advertising & Email Creative (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
- 91. End of Direct Marketing 101 Workshops Our complete Direct Marketing 101 Workshop series can be conducted via webcast or in person depending on your preference. For more information about this workshop, others and our consulting services, contact DWS Associates today at (651) 315- 7588 or [email_address] ! (651) 315-7588 Direct Marketing 101 - Creative - Media, Formats, Design & Copy
Hinweis der Redaktion
- In direct selling, the objective is to get direct by-mail, phone, fax, web, commitments…the actual order. The strategy is to tell as much as possible, so that all of the prospects questions are answered in the prospects mind and they make the buying decision immediately. No salesman is involved. The strategy is to tell as much as possible within the constraints of the medium involved. This is why, on television, most direct selling commercials are 90 to 120 seconds long. Different formats may do better for different types of offers. Self mailers work well for seminars.
- In today’s marketing environment, more often than not the client may not have all the answers that are needed to create the advertisement, so the agency has to be able to get that information from the client or interpret what they are able to get from the client and fill in the gaps.
- What everyone needs to know especially the creative key. Description of product: What product or service are you offering? Describe it in 50 words or less. Be sure to enclose a sample of the product. Purpose of product: What does the product do? How is it used? How does it work? Product features: Give all the details about the product - color, size, weight, material, number of parts, power ratings, number of working parts, and/or whatever other facts and specifications are appropriate. Main benefits of the product: What is the key sales appeal of this product? What are the other major benefits? What will it do for the user? Does it save time or money? Will it make life easier or better? Does it solve a problem? If so, what is that problem and how does it solve it? Comparison to other products: How does it compare to other products already on the market (or about to come on the market)? What will it give users that they can't get anywhere else? How is it different? Newer Better? Is it unique? An exclusive? Less expensive? A better buy? Do you provide better service? Do you have any related products? If so, how does this product tie in with those? Will you later sell those products to buyers of this product? Price: What is the price? Any extra costs such as shipping and handling? Any discounts? Any deluxe versions? Any alternatives? Any deadlines for receiving special offers? Payment methods: What options will you be offering for payments? Cash with order? Billing? Purchase order required? Credit cards? The offer: What is the offer? What do you want the recipient to respond to? Is this a special offer? A premium? An introductory offer? A prepublication discount? A limited-time offer? Free information? The package or promotion: Direct mail package consisting of what elements? Letter? Lift letter? Brochure? catalog? Self-mailer? Or is it a display ad? A newsletter? A postcard? An insert? An entire campaign? Enclose samples of previous promotions for this product or other products your company has sold. Which were winners? Losers? The objective of the promotion: To gain direct sales? Leads? Inquiries? Or is it to provide product information to customers? Gain an extra sale? Respond to inquiries? Announce new products? Build the company's or product's image? If so, what image should be conveyed? The audience: Who is the prime prospect? What are the characteristics of the target audience or audiences? If a business audience, what is the title and/or responsibility of the prospect? If a consumer, what are the interests, problems, concerns, demographics, and characteristics of the typical prospect? Are there any secondary audiences? If so, is it worth preparing separate versions of the promotion for them? The lists/media to be used: What lists or media will you be using? Be specific. Which have you used in the past? Which worked? Which did not? Tests: Will you be conducting any tests? If so, what points will be tested? Will tests affect the design of the package? The offer? The copy? Budget: What is the budget for this promotion? How much will be available for each part of the promotion? For lists? For the package? For other costs? Are there any restrictions? For example, no 4-color brochures or no flashy involvement devices. Schedule: When do you need the complete package? What are the approval dates? When will you be sending out the first test mailing or placing the first advertisement? Testimonials: Do you have any testimonials for the product? Celebrity endorsements? Reviews? Other media coverage? Enclose samples. Complaints: Have you ever had any complaints about this product or any similar products? Do you have any letters from unhappy customers? Any bad reviews or media coverage? Enclose samples. Must include the following: What points absolutely must be included in the copy? What benefits or features must be stressed? What design elements absolutely must be part of the package? Any points that absolutely must be avoided? Any words or phrases? Any designs? Any taboos? Anything that cannot be offered or promised? The guarantee: What is your guarantee? How strong is it? What are its limits? 30-day free trial period? 100% money-back guarantee? Return privileges? Inspection privileges? A warranty? How will orders come? Will you provide a BRE? Accept phone orders? Accept collect calls? Will you have a toll-free phone number? Will you use a 800 phone number? What percentage of your orders are now by phone? Will orders come any other way besides mail and phone? The company: What is the history of the company? Any special points? What about the personality of the owner? Any special expertise? Any points about the company or owners/managers that might have impact on sales? Anything else? Note any other information or points which could be useful to the copywriters and designers. Include any background material that you think might be helpful. Recommend additional reading material, if it is appropriate. Suggest other people they might talk to.
- Also remember that it’s not a direct response ad unless it does incite immediate action. What Is the Package Supposed To Accomplish? Is it supposed to produce sales, leads, highly qualified leads, donations or encourage people to visit a store or dealership (traffic-building)? Each is a different type of direct marketing. If completed sales are the objective, the package must cover all the advantages of purchase, overcome the hesitations of the prospect and outline the terms of sale. If qualified leads are desired, the package need not give all details but must provide enough information to weed out "browsers." An open-ended, lead-building package might only touch on the key benefits of the product and not mention price. It might offer a highly attractive premium without specifying in detail that a sales person will deliver it. What are the economic realities? If the budget is limited, the writer needs to know this before developing a concept that calls for $10,000 worth of new photography. And even if the sky is the limit, the writer should always remember that more expensive packages have to pull appreciably more orders before breaking even. Costly devices or elements should only be used when a writer's instincts and experience say they are worthwhile.
- All direct marketing has one additional common objective: To incite immediate action. This is accomplished with four key copy components which are frequently underlined through selection of package elements: Evoking a dream which the product or service will at least partly solve. The dream may be that the prospect will find love, friendship, wealth or happiness, etc. Or it might be fear of loss of one of these. Describing all benefits to be achieved by response (the "sales features"). Allaying suspicion by assuring the prospect of the company's reputation, providing the opportunity to examine the product, offering a guarantee, etc. Overcoming delay in response by generating a need for instant action with a premium, a time limit, a special price, etc.
- More than in any other form of advertising, in direct response advertising, the copy is the defining and driving force, not the graphics. The graphics are there to support the copy. Defining the package involves coming up with the preliminary concept. Now, the writer begins to organize--what facts must be covered . . . in what order will they be presented . . . how much emphasis is to be given and where . . . what examples will illustrate the facts. The writer also "plays" with the package, writing fragments of ideas, paragraphs, letter openings and making sketches of the various elements. (One of the great direct mail writers once said a true direct mail writer starts by sketching and folding papers before turning to the typewriter, since the visual concept of where the exact words are going must precede specific words.) Next, the writer describes the theme of the package. He or she knows specifically what the package will say but not necessarily how it will be expressed. For instance, the writer may say, "The theme of this package is that business executives won't know as much as their peers without reading this magazine and this could make them look foolish in meetings and miss out on promotions." In addition, the writer now decides specifically what components are going into the package and what involvement devices and special formats will be used. Will a 6-page letter and no brochure sell better than a 2-page letter and a press sheet sized 4-color brochure? Must new photographs be taken for the brochure? Can a sheet of stamps aid the reader in answering questions or making selections? Will the brochure include a second order form (it usually lifts response but may not be practical, depending on the offer)? Writer and artist may have a brainstorming session to see if the writer's graphic ideas are workable and add the artist's concepts to finalizing the package specifications and involvement devices.
- The 21 rules of direct response copy, used for writing a direct mail package, but to be followed in all other mediums as well. 1. Use short, "Hemingway-like" sentences as much as possible. 2. Avoid semi-colons-they slow the reader down. Dashes and elipses separate complex or long thoughts yet carry the reader onward. (Reading should be made as easy and rapid as possible.) 3. Keep copy in the active tense-complex tense structures make copy boring and hard to follow. 4. State the price and offer on all interior package elements unless they are being tested. (Even then, it is preferable to verticalize one side of the letter to get price in.) 5. If available, include testimonials. They are an unbeatable assurance. Names are better than initials; specific comments on specific aspects of the product are better than general praise; "results" are more powerful than opinions. 6. Specifics are always more effective than generalities. Concentrate on examples, titles, names, even quotes. Position product benefits as reader benefits-tell the reader what's in it for him. 7. Follow the "rule of three"- series of three has more rhythm and balance than two or four examples or adjectives. 8. Odd numbers (7 reasons why, 21 basic rules) are more effective than even numbers. 9. Always seek a rhythm in copy-it should "sing." Read your copy out loud or have someone read it to you to be sure it reads the way you hear it in your mind. 10. Whenever someone has to reread a sentence or ask for clarification, change the copy-it will bother a substantial portion of the audience as well. 11. Suit imagery and vocabulary to the market and the product. If you are selling a magazine, for instance, the copy should reflect the style of the magazine. 12. The headlines, subheads, boxes, photo captions and sunbursts in a brochure should be a full sales presentation for non-readers. 13. Underlines, indents and the use of second color in the letter should be used for pacing (to break up the copy) and to make all the key sales points stand out clearly to the prospect who only skims. 14. Never ask a reader a question in a key headline or on the outer envelope that can be answered, "No I don't want this" or "I don't care." 15. The letters in a package should be personal and look like letters . . . with typewriter type, a salutation and signature. Use "I" and "you“ (lots of "you's"). 16. The first paragraph of a letter should be no more than 1 or 2 lines, 3 at most, to make it easy to begin reading. 17. At least the first page of the letter should "break" to the next page in mid-sentence, preferably at a point which pulls the reader onward. For example, "The small child ran directly in front of the speeding car and . . .“ 18. Mention the product on page one of the letter, include price and offer if either is a key selling point. If the letter has a "story" opening, consider a "preface" above the salutation to state the offer. 19. A postscript is one of the most-read portions of a letter. Use it to reinforce the sales pitch and stress the incentive for immediate response. 20. In concluding the letter, return to the theme that began it. 21. The elements of a direct mail package do not all have to be "themed" together, but there should be a sense of continuity-a feeling that everything in the envelope was not collated from a random assortment. The idea presented on the outer envelope must be developed either in the letter or the brochure and this main theme is usually mentioned on the order form (which in addition to presenting full offer details and a contract of sale sells by highlighting the key incentive for response).
- The 21 rules of direct response copy, used for writing a direct mail package, but to be followed in all other mediums as well. 1. Use short, "Hemingway-like" sentences as much as possible. 2. Avoid semi-colons-they slow the reader down. Dashes and elipses separate complex or long thoughts yet carry the reader onward. (Reading should be made as easy and rapid as possible.) 3. Keep copy in the active tense-complex tense structures make copy boring and hard to follow. 4. State the price and offer on all interior package elements unless they are being tested. (Even then, it is preferable to verticalize one side of the letter to get price in.) 5. If available, include testimonials. They are an unbeatable assurance. Names are better than initials; specific comments on specific aspects of the product are better than general praise; "results" are more powerful than opinions. 6. Specifics are always more effective than generalities. Concentrate on examples, titles, names, even quotes. Position product benefits as reader benefits-tell the reader what's in it for him. 7. Follow the "rule of three"- series of three has more rhythm and balance than two or four examples or adjectives. 8. Odd numbers (7 reasons why, 21 basic rules) are more effective than even numbers. 9. Always seek a rhythm in copy-it should "sing." Read your copy out loud or have someone read it to you to be sure it reads the way you hear it in your mind. 10. Whenever someone has to reread a sentence or ask for clarification, change the copy-it will bother a substantial portion of the audience as well. 11. Suit imagery and vocabulary to the market and the product. If you are selling a magazine, for instance, the copy should reflect the style of the magazine. 12. The headlines, subheads, boxes, photo captions and sunbursts in a brochure should be a full sales presentation for non-readers. 13. Underlines, indents and the use of second color in the letter should be used for pacing (to break up the copy) and to make all the key sales points stand out clearly to the prospect who only skims. 14. Never ask a reader a question in a key headline or on the outer envelope that can be answered, "No I don't want this" or "I don't care." 15. The letters in a package should be personal and look like letters . . . with typewriter type, a salutation and signature. Use "I" and "you“ (lots of "you's"). 16. The first paragraph of a letter should be no more than 1 or 2 lines, 3 at most, to make it easy to begin reading. 17. At least the first page of the letter should "break" to the next page in mid-sentence, preferably at a point which pulls the reader onward. For example, "The small child ran directly in front of the speeding car and . . .“ 18. Mention the product on page one of the letter, include price and offer if either is a key selling point. If the letter has a "story" opening, consider a "preface" above the salutation to state the offer. 19. A postscript is one of the most-read portions of a letter. Use it to reinforce the sales pitch and stress the incentive for immediate response. 20. In concluding the letter, return to the theme that began it. 21. The elements of a direct mail package do not all have to be "themed" together, but there should be a sense of continuity-a feeling that everything in the envelope was not collated from a random assortment. The idea presented on the outer envelope must be developed either in the letter or the brochure and this main theme is usually mentioned on the order form (which in addition to presenting full offer details and a contract of sale sells by highlighting the key incentive for response).
- How direct mail letter copy is different from other forms of advertising. It's the personal orientation of direct mail which makes it unique and gives it properties that are different from other forms of advertising. The copywriter needs to capitalize on personal orientation as much as he can in developing a direct mail piece. The letter is the principal “from me to you” communication, think of it as writing a letter to a dear friend or loved one.
- 1. Put yourself in the mental frame of writing to a single individual instead of a market. Preferably write to someone you know who would be interested in the proposition you have to sell. Then tell him all about it in a friendly and persuasive way. Someone once said, "Don't write to names, talk to a person." 2. Write the way you talk.. .almost. I say "almost" because conversation transcribed accurately usually turns out to be gobbledegook. A letter on the other hand should be good conversation, utilizing words and phrases - that you use naturally when you're sharp and enthusiastic and at your best. The more you can reflect your own style and personality, the better you'll preserve that personal quality of the communication. 3. Talk in terms of your reader's interests . . . His circumstances, his desires, his problems, rather than your own. "Don't talk to me about your grass seed, tell me about my lawn." In direct mail you can incorporate the "you attitude" with greater ease and less contrivance than it can be done with other forms of advertising. 4. Use idea "connectors." There is probably more of a tendency to read the whole message in a direct mail letter than there is in a print ad. In fact, the printed ad may be designed to catch the reader's eye in any one of a number of different places . . . grocery store and department store ads are an example. But a letter is a narrative unit that can capitalize on the compulsive habit (ingrained from grade school) of reading from beginning to end. Therefore, it needs to be well-connected from start to finish. It's important to bridge your ideas from one to another in as natural a way as possible. 5. Another rule for direct mail copy that probably doesn't apply other places is to avoid "buckshot." This is the presentation of too many propositions, too many alternatives, too many different products. Display advertising can often make good use of a multiplicity of prices, offers and products; but the direct mail letter is best .confined to one central theme, focused on one product or service. If there are alternatives to be introduced keep them simple, something in the nature of an either or choice. One way to handle this matter of several alternatives, if that's essential to the sales strategy, is to write your whole letter on the main or easiest choice for your prospect and relegate alternatives to the order card. Keeping in mind the personal quality of the - medium is the essential strategy for writing direct mail copy. One of the best rules for addressing a blank piece of paper, to achieve that good, personal-sounding letter, is to try to answer the question that will be in the reader's mind when he - receives it: "Why am I getting this letter, at this time, on this subject." If you can answer that question immediately and personally, and tie it into the benefits the prospect will receive by responding, you are about 75% along the way to writing a good selling letter. An extra hint: A frequent lament of copywriters is the difficulty of getting started. Here's a solution: start by putting yourself into the mind of your prospect and then write answers to that question above. What emerges may not be final copy but at least it will get words down on paper, going in the right direction, which lend themselves to self-editing . . .the ultimate writing art.
- Not all direct mail packages have a separate letter, brochure and response device. Some only include a letter and response device. Others are self mailers and all the components of the basic package are in the self mailer.
- The classic sequence of letter copy is to begin by evoking the dream, transition to the product, explain specifically what there is about the product or service that will make the dream come true and conclude with a statement of the offer incorporating a reason for immediate response (if only to start making the dream come true right away).
- Keep it simple stupid. Make it easy to read and understand. Stick with words of five letters or less, per Dr. Flesch “The Art of Plain Talk…” his “reading ease” formula. For every 100 words you write, make sure 75% of them are five letters or less. Shorten your sentences. Avoid clichés that are over used, old and or stodgy. Think is a straight line to make your to make your phrasing fresh and friendly. Use similes and metaphors to create picture-building images.
- Preparation before writing a word of copy is key. You should develop a bunch of notes that touch each of these areas before you write the 1 st word.
- Visualize the prospect asking these questions. Your copy needs to answer these questions in the opening paragraph. What’s the benefit? This is the Jack Lacy Sales Training Formula.
- Bob Stone’s formula for writing winning letters. Use or understand all the formulas when writing copy: A-I-D-A attention, interest, desire, action P-P-P-P picture, promise, prove, push
- Used by some writers instead of the formula approach. Example: Problem: will a professional direct marketer accept the word of a college administrator over a professional colleague? Strategic solution: write the letter on his personal letterhead and use the salutation “Dear Colleague.”
- Try to personalize the letter with the prospect's name but do not do this if you are not sure what it is! Promise a benefit in the headline and make it the most important one. Immediately enlarge upon the key benefit and build up interest fast. Tell the reader specifically what they are going to get. Do NOT assume that they know your product. Explain the benefits in depth and back up the benefits with appropriate features.
- The brochure shows the product or service, visually demonstrates the dream, reinforces the essential reasons for response by restating them in a different way and offers additional information. Graphics enhance copy, never overpower. The brochure is the place to describe all the technical details of a product-by using, for instance, callouts from a large picture (often less confusing than simply writing about everything). A brochure can 'become much more emotionally involving by, visually showing the advantages bf response (along with captions). It can illustrate the various uses to which the product is applied. Many different points can be covered in a brochure by the use of panels, boxes, captions, etc. This means that subsidiary features and benefits that interrupted the smooth flow of the letter can be covered here. At the same time, both the brochure and the letter should lead the reader separately to the order form or response vehicle. Only in rare instances should the letter direct the reader to the brochure (in insurance sales, for instance, rate charts and the legal terms of the policy are better covered in a folder or brochure since the complexity can totally halt the reader's movement from reason for buying to purchase decision when included in a letter).
- Don’t worry about duplication, in direct mail, every piece must stand alone. For an intangible offer such as a mortgage, you can dramatize the comforts of owning your own home.
- Try to fill it out yourself to check it is well designed for data capture. On the device, you should also explain the uses to which you will put the information that you are requesting.
- The postscript can take one of these forms: A restatement of your offer introduced perhaps by "Remember" and capsulizing what your offer is about. b) Emphasis on the money-back guarantee. c) Direction to another element of your mailing -"P. S. As you look at the order form, you'll notice . . . " d) Testimonial, using one or more to lend credibility to what you have said. In some cases, testimonials do have a place as the P. S., but usually there is something better to use.
- Some common guidelines for editing your own direct mail / direct response copy. Edit for warm ups – they take the power from a letter. Get right to the point. You’ll lose the reader. If they can say “I know that already or so what,” you’re in big trouble. Stopper’s are anything that stops the reader in the act of reading, like words they don’t know or metaphors they don’t understand. Edit for author’s pride. You’re creating a selling letter, not a literary masterpiece. If your reader stops to admire your work, you’re dead. Edit for flow. Make sure everything flows in a logical and well connected order. Edit for “reason why.” Make sure advantages you attribute to the product don’t just sit there in mid-air, supported only by the fact that they appear on paper. Edit to stretch benefits. This is another way to help your copy get away from unsupported puffery. Don’t be satisfied with just listing features. Bob Stone: advantages belong to he product…benefits belong to the consumer. Describe the product advantages and what they do for the consumer. Edit for market. Make sure you are writing to your audience. A letter written to the NASCAR crowd and mailed to Harvard Business Review audience will fail miserably.
- A letter should be easy to read. The reader needs to be guided through the text smoothly. Some techniques that can help with this are as follows but do not use them all at once!
- The brochure has been called the glamour piece of the direct mail package; and the term is not without merit. The brochure can go a long way in accomplishing the second step in the sales process—the positive involvement of the recipient with the product being sold. The designer should consider these questions:
- Is there a big idea behind your brochure? Do your headlines stick to the key offer? Is your product dramatized to its best advantage by the format? Do you show examples of your product in use? Does the entire presentation tell the complete story and follow a logical sequence?
- Make it look valuable, include certificate borders, safety paper backgrounds, simulated rubber stmaps, eagles, blue handwriting, seals, serial numbers, receipt stubs, etc. Include involvement devices, tokens, stamps, scratch offs, etc. Don’t call it an order form, call it a Reservation, Invitation, free-gift check, trial membership application
- Ask these questions to evaluate the potential effectiveness of the package design:
- Design means not only look but also how much tactile involvement.
- Wide range of choices depending on the package and the offer and what you’re trying to accomplish
- The headline can cover a single item, a group of items, or the heading of a page or spread. You must be careful when using the value headline, there are strict government regulations on the use of misleading headlines.
- Customer information includes: size, color, etc. Catalog copy uses the inverted style of writing proceeding from the most important news down to the least important news. There are situations where the inverted style will not be useable; primarily where copy space is very short. When there isn’t enough space, just concentrate on the major benefit or benefits. The theory holds true in catalog writing. In your copy, first state, briefly and concisely, the most important benefit to be obtained by buying the item. Then, quickly run through the secondary benefits. Now, complete your selling job by listing the selling points which support your benefits. Complete your copy with the necessary customer information (size, color, etc.
- If you want to create broadcast commercials guaranteed to sell your product or service-even sight unseen-in a matter of minutes, here are three simple tips to help you succeed: First, re-read that sentence above. Like the opening of a sales letter, or the headline of a direct response ad, it is structured to attract the attention of logical prospects. It promises benefits, offers help and lures the prospect into reading more. Its purpose in this context is to illustrate-and emphasize-the point that the basics of effective broadcast copy are precisely the same as those of all good direct response copy. Second, recognize the implication of the . . stringent time limits imposed by radio and television. Commercial time is available in multiples of ten seconds and thirty seconds: 10, 20, 30, 60, 90 to a maximum of 120 seconds. One minute is an average length. That translates to no more than two hundred words. Two hundred words in which you must first capture the attention and interest of a radio listener who is probably not really listening as he or she dresses, drives, or tries to fall asleep . . . or a TV viewer who can hardly wait for the commercial break so he can go to the bathroom. Less than two hundred words in which to explain your product. . . extol your product. . .inspire an active desire to buy . . . explain how to go about buying. . . and propel the potential buyer into taking immediate action. You have just finished reading two hundred words. Think of what you can say-what you indeed must say-in two hundred words compared to the thousands upon thousands of words that can be lavished on a direct mail package. Third, remember that a listener who is attracted by your sales proposition must get the details of your offer, as well as the details of the required buying action literally in a matter of seconds. Other than a phone number or P. 0. box number jotted down on a scrap of paper, your - prospect has no written record to which to refer later.
- Almost all spots are two minutes long. Nothing is vague or ambiguous. A great deal of information is packed into 120 seconds and the announcer tends to speak quickly and with urgency to make you act now. If the product can be shown, it is shown clearly and frequently and in use if appropriate. Special product features will be shown in close-ups as they are described. Legal statements are super imposed with mentioning.
- The primary reason resides in the fact that the direct response print ad is a very special breed of advertising, with its own set of right and wrong approaches. This fact has been ignored by too many advertisers for far too long. Indeed, the feeling has always been that non-direct response broadcast and print are really the only true forms of advertising; that direct response advertising is just a hybrid, a poor relation; that if you can create a good, solid, creative ad for cars, deodorants or peanut butter, you can do a direct response ad with one hand tied behind your back. Nothing could be further from the truth or more dangerous when it comes to committing a chunk of your ad budget to direct response print. Unless you understand the unique rules of direct response print and until you can get those visions of Volkswagen ads [David Ogilvy’s famous direct response ROP ads] out of your head, you'll never come close to reaping the full benefit from this truly exciting medium.
- For example, Good Housekeeping readers are avid coupon clippers; National Geographic readers traditionally are not. How can you determine in advance which publications are best for coupon response? There's no foolproof way, of course, but you can begin by asking your peers what their experiences have been. You can take a look at the publication, itself, to see how many coupon ads it carries and--this is important--how many are repeated in subsequent issues. And you can make your own judgment as to how "coffee-table" the publication is; i.e., is it slick, likely to be saved and displayed, unlikely to be mutilated, or coupon-clipped, by its owner.
- Hot words: Now, New, You, At Last, Free, Save, Bargain, Today, Last Chance, Limited Time Only
- Making contact with the reader – You don’t have the space in a one-to-one letter, but you are still aiming for immediate action—at the heart strings or purse strings—and that requires faith, trust, and a carefully-nurtured rapport.
- The intent is to convey to the reader they are looking at a real bargain.
- Depending on the offer, coupons increase response. The question of whether or not to use one should be tested. As should including both an 800 number and a coupon. 800 numbers are expensive and customers can and do misuse them. The prospects address is important but little thought is given to leaving space on the coupon for the prospects address. Bad addresses mean bad responses. The moral: make those fill-in spaces as wide and high - And make it a four-line a fill in: (1) name (2) address (3) city (4) state and zip code. One of the greatest frustrations for a respondent is trying to jam city, state and zip on one line. If you live in Ames, Iowa, no problem. Mechanicsville is something else. And remember, if the respondent doesn't think you can read it, he isn't going to mail it. And while we're on the subject, how many orders get bollixed because you (or your cage) couldn't understand the customer's handwriting? An ounce of prevention-remembering to include "please print 7' on your coupon-is worth tons of undeliverables. Check these points out, too. Have you restated your offer in the coupon? You should, especially if it's a money-off; when the prospect is at the coupon, at the point of the sale/no-sale decision, he needs all the psychological justification you can give him. Same thing goes for a money-back guarantee, if you have one. Use it in the coupon . . . it helps him decide to say "yes." And here's something so often overlooked, it's criminal. While the body of the ad carefully includes the mailing address, the coupon leaves it out! But, you say, the prospect already has the address . . . why take up space in the coupon to repeat it? To which the reply would be: What happens when the coupon is tom from the magazine for later use, and the magazine put away or discarded? Whence then the address? And the order? And now, the cardinal rule for coupons: they belong on the lower right-hand comer of a right hand page. Period. That's where they work the best. In fact, your insertion order should prominently display this instruction: "Right hand page or omit." Now, there are publications that will not accept an insertion order with this wording on it. Cross them off your schedule. No ad at all is better than an ad that appears on a left-hand page with your coupon nestled in the magazine's gutter! People do not tear out gutter coupons. It's messy, inconvenient and against nature. If, for some reason, you absolutely, positively must run in a publication that will not guarantee a right-hand page, do one of two things. Give them two versions of the ad, one with a right-hand coupon for a right-hand page; the other with a left hand coupon for a left-hand page. Or, lay out your ad so that the coupon centers on the bottom of the page. These are less than happy alternatives, but worth it if it keeps your coupon out of the gutter.
- Prepaid postage will certainly increase response, but making them include the stamp may mean better qualified responses, if it’s a lead generation ad. Another point, pre-paid postage will certainly increase response; however, you're going to pay handsomely for it. Whether the results net more profitably than a "place stamp here" box, after what is sure to be an increase in "bad pays", is something that can only be determined by testing. Incidentally, when using a "place stamp here“ box, some advertisers feel it is a plus to indicate the exact postage necessary for the card-thereby eliminating confusion and hesitation on the respondent's part; confusion and hesitation being anathema to "yes" decisions. In addition, some advertisers believe if you are going to do so, you should indicate the regular letter rate, instead of the lower postcard rate, since most households don't have the lower denominations readily available and might be loathe to waste extra postage. And finally, some feel that ignoring the amount totally pays off best. When you have exhausted all other areas of testing, it might be something you'd want to look into. One more word if you are using prepaid cards: There are now very definite regulations that dictate the exact wording, spacing, design, etc. on the permit side of the card. In addition, your card must feature an FIM-Facing Identification Mark.
- Generally the same rules apply as for any direct response advertising, with some modification. Think of a banner ad as teaser copy for a website. Banner ads should be tested and tested a lot. They burn out faster.