On the road again…

Craig’s next stop: San Francisco MoneyShow, August 21–23

If you’ll be in the San Francisco area and would like to meet up, just call the CDMG office at 310-212-5727. Ask for Deb at extension 117. She’d be glad to arrange a free marketing critique or consultation with Craig.

Direct mail reality check (Part 2)

Here is how you can evaluate a winner from a loser…and one of several formulas I use in creating winning direct mail.

In our last issue, we talked about 2 useful copywriting formulas: AIDA and AIDPPC.

Now let’s take a look at one more, known as the 4 Ps:

• Promise. AIDA tells you to start with Attention, but the first P tells you how: Catch your readers’ attention by promising them a benefit. Call it out in the headline, elaborate on it in the subhead and then expand further in your opening. Showing your readers what’s in it for them is the only surefire way to grab attention.
• Picture. Help your readers imagine themselves enjoying the benefit or outcome you’ve promised. This approach appeals to your prospects’ emotional triggers. Specifically elaborate on how your product or service will make this benefit a reality.
• Proof. Back up the picture you’ve painted with cold hard facts: Statistics, research studies, charts, graphs, testimonials, third-party reviews, certifications, product photos and product demonstrations.
• Push. This is more than just a call to action—it’s also delivering your irresistible offer and illustrating how much value your recipient will receive. Your goal is to link the promised benefit to the enticing picture to the acceptance of the proof…all to result in an action.

Remember this: Prospects will not buy what they don’t understand. In every direct mail piece, be sure to educate and inform your reader about the benefits of accepting your offer. Well-structured copy—the result of a well-designed formula—will boost your chances of generating the lead or closing the sale.

Recession survival tip: 3 loyalty-building rules

I recommend starting or boosting a loyalty club in a recession.

Loyalty programs are getting a lot of attention in this economic climate—and that’s because customer loyalty is more important than ever for the success of your business. (Read last week’s article here: Build real value into your loyalty program.)

Here are 3 loyalty-building rules to consider when building your program:

1. Be sure your rewards are desirable. Above all, it is critical to give customers something they actually want to receive—not just a reward you want to give.
2. Encourage more spending. You’ll have the most success with an “earn more, spend more” approach. This prompts the customer to try your other products or purchase additional services. Consider a car service center that offers “Buy 3, Get 1 Free” oil changes. That gives customers an incentive to return for oil changes…but it won't keep them from going to another store that offers rewards for buying tires or parts.
3. Keep it simple. Don’t confuse your customer by making it difficult to cash in on their rewards…or to understand how the program works in the first place. Your busy customers will appreciate a straightforward setup.

Could a loyalty program work for you? If you’d like to find out…or improve what you have…contact me at inquire@cdmginc.com. Let’s see if I can help.

Web strategy: Don’t let an error message drive visitors away

Picture this: Your prospect is happily surfing your website when suddenly, he or she comes across the dreaded error message, “404 not found.”

Finding a bad link can cause frustration and anger…and ultimately cause site abandonment. Though there are tools available to help you fix bad links, it’s impossible to guarantee that errors will never happen. On average, 7% of your site visitors will get an ugly error message as the result of a bad link.

To save customers from clicking away from your site, never to return again, put some personality into your error message.  Here is what I do for websites, microsites and landing pages we create:

There are 3 categories to choose from:

1. Apologetic. Prospects have clicked this bad link because of an error. Therefore it’s a smart move to apologize for it. Here are examples from the Direct Marketing Association (www.the-dma.org) and Amazon.com:
   
   
   
2. Helpful. Instead of just telling the prospect that the page wasn’t found, many sites direct them to a page of useful search tools. HP.com’s error page takes the apologetic approach one step further by adding a new search box and other navigation options. Take a look:
   
3. Engaging. Snopes.com takes an interesting approach. Previous error pages contained audio of two men talking about why the page hasn’t loaded. Their conclusion is that someone must have jammed meatballs in the pages. A more recent example is shown below: Upon arriving on the page, the site begins to type out the message shown below.
   

No matter which approach you choose, site visitors will appreciate that you haven’t left them at a dead end. As a result, fewer of them will click away.

Copy tip: Choose your punctuation wisely*

The headline for our last copy tip raised a lot of eyebrows…and taught us an important lesson about the power of punctuation. (If you missed it, go to Punctuation Rule #1 to catch up.)

Punctuation Rule #2: Avoid using asterisks.*

If you have a disclaimer, an asterisk may not be the best way to communicate it. Asterisks draw attention away from your message and make your prospect skeptical about your offer—assuming that there’s going to be something tricky in the fine print.

Instead, try explaining any need-to-know details within the copy itself.

Stay tuned for more punctuation rules in the next issue of Direct Marketing Update.

*Now you can see why. Asterisks are distracting! They pull your reader’s eyes away from your copy…and that’s a risk you don’t want to take.

Testing corner: Which website design generated more leads?

Prospects seemed to like Rafting America, an informational site with links to rafting trip organizers, outfitters, equipment retailers and more. Seventy percent of visitors clicked through from the home page to a content page…but they weren’t likely to register for brochures.

To get more brochure requests, Rafting America tried a new website layout. Take a look:

Control

Test

Home page:

Content page:

With prominent brochure request forms on display, the test outperformed the control by 116%. What are your thoughts? Have you had success with email capture boxes on your site? Email me at inquire@cdmginc.com.

Direct Response newsletter - 9 survival and growth strategies for this recession

The latest issue of my Direct Response newsletter is ready. Click here to order Direct Response.

This month we’ll be looking at recession marketing and 9 survival and growth strategies to help you weather this economic downturn. I’ll share some lessons learned from the past 5 recessions.

You’ll also discover…

• Email subject lines: Is shorter really better?
• Turn your database into a recession-beating gold mine
• Branded entertainment explodes thanks to multichannel marketing
• High-tech marketers go back to basics
• Give your catalog a face lift for the down economy
• 5 penny-wise tips to outsmart rising paper costs
• And Marketing Memos, your monthly dose of industry news

I’m happy to provide you with updates and ideas via Direct Response. If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call at 310-212-5727 or email me at inquire@cdmginc.com.