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Part 4: Direct
Marketing Creative
Your actual copy
and graphic design is important in direct email but less than a well
defined strategy using your offer and a targeted list.
Poor graphic
design can hurt your response and professional image. Lavish or unusual
artistic techniques may work well for magazines and other types of
advertising but would actually distract or lower response rates in
direct mail. It would be wise to keep your graphic design to a minimum
unless you employ a graphic designer for design or professional
photographer to shoot your photography. Direct email advertising is a
combination of words, pictures and graphics. The words used almost
always must move and persuade.
Write a sales
letter for entry-level products or service's and feature it on your home
page. Write a sales letter convincing prospects to send an e-mail
requesting a sales representative to contact them. Offer free reports,
e-zine to build the list. Personalizing with first name last name,
gender zip-code using mail/merge software will increase response and
will separate you from the clutter of emails prospects get.
Using a compelling
headline that draws your prospect into your letter and promotion can
triple marketing response. The headline should be driven by product
benefits or solving a problem. Headline offers would be a good item to
test in a letter and can pay for it self many times over since this
would become your control letter. Newspapers and tabloids use
well crafted headlines to sell there publications at point of purchase
display's.
The focus is
writing compelling copy that describes the many benefits and features of
products or services. Products that are digital in nature like e-books
and MP3 music and software do especially well since the visitor will get
immediate satisfaction by checking out with credit card and downloading
within a couple of minutes. If you are selling e-commerce web mall items
clean digital photography with limited graphics and strong copy
featuring benefits like free delivery, guaranteed satisfaction or free
downloads will help response levels.
Direct email
soft offer trial periods are being used frequently by Microsoft®
Network and AOL®
to market there internet services. Like 60 days free with credit card
verification. When the competition is fierce and pockets are deep soft
offers can be very effective as long as your billing package has been
tested and has proved to be effective. Payment variations (credit card,
check, installment by phone or emailed by CGI form) may work well for
products and services on the internet. This technique used in direct
mail would have the opposite effect and may lower response. Testing this
feature would give you the best answer.
Sometimes billing
prospects for services can triple the response rate. The payment offer
can be a crucial element in a direct email campaign and should be
evaluated closely, since the pay up rate could possibly break a small
business.
by Timothy Little
timlit7@nethawk.com
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Mass Email Software
