"Sometimes you come up with an idea that requires creative and technical wizardry to provide an internal client with exceptional value. Then, after the initial excitement has worn off, the scale and difficulty of the task becomes apparent. 
Why Direct Marketing Is Such An Essential Marketing Tool For The Small Business
For most businesses, direct marketing is seen as a necessary evil. It’s hard to write, it doesn’t generate results and it costs money.
Ruthlessly Copy What Works …
Direct marketing is about writing copy that sells. It is not about being creative and imaginative but about knowing what works and copying what has been successful. Why spend hours looking at a blank piece of paper when there are lots of templates for you to adapt to suit your own needs?
Whatever your business, build up a file of what you think works when you receive or read:
- Sales letters
- Flyers
- Handouts
- Brochures
- Postcards
You’ll quickly start to build up a direct marketing treasure chest and you’ll never be short of ideas.
Follow the Rules
Successful copywriting follows certain rules.
Step 1: Research — understand the subject in detail, read all the boring stuff and give yourself the chance to find the right angle or ‘big idea’.
Step 2: Systematise — use proven building blocks e.g. headlines, credibility, guarantees, deadlines, bullets etc.
Step 3: Psychological Concepts — tap into what is known to work e.g. personalised copy, scanning, photos and illustrations etc.
Send and Re-send
The reason that you keep on receiving the same catalogue or mailing month after month is that marketers know that one mailing will deliver a minimal response. You have to be open to the idea that it might take up to 21 points of contact, via various media, for someone to buy your product or service. It’s better to start sooner rather than later.
Test Your Copy
Have you spent weeks crafting your sales letter, sent it out to over 1,000 prospective customers and then wondered why the response was so poor? It’s better to have a couple of different letters and send these out to two separate groups of 250. You then measure the response and see which works best.
It was David Ogilvy who said that direct marketing was his first love. He knew that if he could write copy that sold, the returns would be far greater than from other forms of marketing media.
To speak to Joe Pélissier about copy that sells call: 01242 222 455.