Since I am an optimist, I see the good and positive side of just about everything. I’m rarely negative. Although I always encourage people to have a positive outlook, I want to take a moment to mention there are times when you might want to be a bit negative. I’m not talking about having a […]
copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales-piece
One of today’s trends in marketing doesn’t look anything like marketing – and it’s actually been around for more than 100 years! Today it has the name, “content marketing” or “information marketing,” and whether your business is web-based or brick-and-mortar, you would be wise to take advantage of this effective medium. The idea behind this […]
content-marketing, copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales-pieces
You do hear about “white papers” a lot lately, although the expression goes back about 90 years. Originally the term referred to government documents that were concerned with policy analysis. Later the term was broadened to refer to any document with in-depth analysis of some social or governmental issue. Today the term is used more […]
copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales-piece, sales-pieces, types-of-mailings
The headline is the most important part of your sales letter or space ad. You could have the best advertising copy and the best product, but it doesn’t matter IF the reader doesn’t get past the headline. Changing the headline can make a huge difference in your response rate, even if you don’t change one […]
copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales, sales-pieces, vendors
The most successful promotion I’ve ever worked on – which brought in hundreds of millions of dollars – didn’t really “take off” until the fourth version of the brochure. My whole life would be different now if that company had stopped mailing after the third version and never mailed the fourth version. How do you […]
copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, profit, sales-piece
There will be times that you receive complaints about your direct mail campaign. In business you have to develop a bit of a thick skin. That means you have to learn to do what’s best for your business in spite of the fact that a few people may complain. Some people will always complain, no […]
copywriting, customers, data-hygiene, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, house-file, sales-pieces
Bad grammar is not always so bad. There are different kinds of grammar. There’s good grammar, there’s intentionally bad grammar (which sometimes has its place – especially in copywriting), and there’s ugly grammar – that’s just plain bad grammar that shows ignorance and casts a bad light on the writer. When you know what you’re […]
copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, grammar
One of the greatest rules for writing ad copy that works is to recognize that people buy benefits, not features. They don’t buy a slice of cooked beef. They buy a sizzling steak that smells and looks delicious. The heart of any successful direct mail campaign is the sales piece. That’s where it all starts. […]
benefits, copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing
The heart and soul of your direct mail campaign is the sales piece copy. Writing brilliant, interesting, persuasive copy is not an easy task. And it’s often not fully appreciated by the people who pay for it. New mailers especially tend to focus on the campaign details of cost, scheduling, and locating mailing lists. Getting […]
copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, vendor
You can have the best sales piece in the world, but if it’s missing one critical ingredient, you could see virtually no response to it. If you want people to take action and buy from you, you have to ask for the order. But surprisingly, most marketing messages don’t. If you don’t include a strong, […]
call-to-action, copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales-piece