Turbocharged Sell Copy

Is your company memorable?

2011-06-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

What do Dominos Pizza, Subway and Federal Express have in common?
Memorable unique selling propositions.

How do you create a USP?

Some experts recommend asking your clients…but that may not lead to any insights. Instead, think about what you want to achieve for your customers or clients. Ask yourself, what’s my dream for my customers?

Here’s an example…

Flash back to the 1970’s when pizza delivery took FOREVER. Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza envisioned his customers enjoying a fresh, piping hot pizza in 30 minutes. There was nothing unique about Domino’s Pizza, so Tom created a point of difference. Made sure he could deliver on this promise. Then he came up with Domino’s memorable slogan: Domino’s Pizza – 30 Minutes or It's Free!

You can create a unique selling proposition for your business as well. Think about what you can promise your customers…invent something you can do differently…and make it happen.

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Call PromoWriting at 203 371-0654 to find out how Shira Linden can help you establish your USP and create a memorable tag line. And ask for a FREE review of your current marketing materials. Visit www.PromoWriting.com. Or email Shira@PromoWriting.com.

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But first, survey the competition. Make sure they’re not making the same promise and announcing it to the world. If you can establish that they are not making the same promise, nor announcing it to the world, then go ahead and announce your new USP to your customers. As long as you’re the first one to announce it, you own it!

Then, don’t keep it a secret! Broadcast your uniqueness at every opportunity – on your web site, in all your marketing materials such as your direct mail, email marketing messages, radio spots and every time you touch your customers.

Examples of Unique Selling Propositions to get you started:

a) Subway - Subs with under 6 grams of fat.
b) Federal Express - When it Absolutely, Positively Has To Be There Overnight®
c) Domino’s Pizza - 30 Minutes or it's FREE!

Are your Communications Plain Vanilla?

2011-05-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

Recently, I attended a fabulous conference (NEMOA) where marketers convened and exchanged ideas. One seminar leader posed the question “Are your communications plain vanilla?”

Take a look at all your messaging. Could your customer communications be from Anycompany USA? This could spell death for a business.

Instead you want to build a “wow” experience at every touch point. Don’t be afraid of developing a company personality – and letting that personality shine through. Here are a few examples to get you started:

New Pig stands out with a weird and memorable company name
In fact, they play it up. Here’s what they say:
“We're a company with a really odd name... whose employees call each other "Piggers" or "Partners in Grime®." We create award-winning products to make your job easier... and we're absolutely, positively dedicated to helping our customers keep their facilities clean and safe. We know from experience that a clean, safe workplace is more productive.”
Their first product was the Original PIG® Absorbent Sock. Their catalog is called a Pigalog®. You can call them at 1-800-HOT-HOGS® (468-4647) and write them at One Pork Avenue. Now there’s a company that produces serious safety and industrial products that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Wouldn’t you remember them if you had an industrial spill?

Ben & Jerry’s has a folksy spin
If New Pig is too way out for you, there are plenty of other ways to get noticed. Take Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, a company that’s extra inventive about how they talk about their products and communicate with customers.
Their site includes a Scrapbook of the company history which mentions such events as building the world’s largest ice cream sundae…launching a cowmobile to criss-cross the country giving away free scoops…and details their environmentally-friendly activities such as introducing unbleached paper products.

You’ll also notice how funky and original the names of their products are – like Kaberry KaBOOM, for example. Here’s the description: full of cracklin’ candy to tingle your tastebuds. Doesn’t that make you want to run out and get a cone? To top it off, some of the proceeds of Kaberry KaBOOM sales went towards building safe playgrounds. You’ve got to love it! And their characteristic cows and clouds branding adds to the Vermont folksy appeal.

B2B or B2C – there a way to grab attention

Whether your products are technical or delicious, there’s a way to talk about your company that will help you stand out in the marketplace. And if you’re uncertain how to begin, that’s something PromoWriting can help you with.

Call PromoWriting at 203 371-0654 to find out how Shira Linden could help you better connect with your target audience. Visit www.PromoWriting.com. Or email Shira@PromoWriting.com.

New for 2011

2011-04-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Six months in the making, PromoWriting now has a new logo and a new, state-of-the-art web site showcasing our work in an online Portfolio with three sections:

• Interactive Marketing
• Print and Digital
• Direct Marketing

You’ll also find a Press section which includes PromoWriting’s many published articles, a panel discussion from DM Days NY as well as media where we’re quoted. To take a look, visit www.PromoWriting.com.

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To find out about new, out-of-the-box interactive marketing solutions that will put you light years ahead of the competition, contact Shira at 203 371-0654 or via email at shira@promowriting.com.
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In other news, I attended NEMOA at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront hotel this month, a fabulous conference where marketers convene and exchange ideas, hence the tagline Direct Exchange.

One seminar leader posed the question “Is your communication vanilla?” Take a look at all your messaging. Could your customer communications be from Anycompany USA? This could spell death for a business.

Instead you want to build a “wow” experience at every touch point. Don’t be afraid of developing a company personality – and letting that personality shine through. And if you’re uncertain how to begin, that’s something PromoWriting can help you with.

Call PromoWriting at 203 371-0654 to find out how Shira could help you better connect with your target audience.

PromoWriting Lands New Control

2010-11-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

Anatomy of a control

In case you’re not schooled in direct marketing lingo, a control is a mailer’s top performing promotion. Mailers concurrently test several promotions to discover the one that pulls the most responses, which becomes the control. Testing continues in an effort to topple that control with a new control that pulls even more responses and increases pay-up.

Recently, I found out a promotion I created became the new control, lifting response 29% while at the same time increasing pay up 20%. This is truly something to shout about!

How did PromoWriting create this new control? I teamed up with Patrick Fultz, DM Creative Group. We leveraged our 25+ years of experience as seasoned idea generators and direct marketers developing sizzling concepts and winning solutions.

Speaking of sizzling concepts, we presented 3 extraordinary concepts that were a departure from everything the company had mailed previously. The client chose the “official” approach, a 6” x 11” package with a mock shipping label and bar code. A perforated pull tab enticed recipients to open the envelope. Color palette was red, black and grey on white stock.

Inside was a 2-page official-looking memo, plus brochure and order form with a numbered sticker, an involvement device designed to encourage recipients to interact with the promotion.

“Respond Within 12 Days” was rubber stamped on the order form to increase urgency. An explanation on the back of the order form detailed the rationale for the deadline and described the 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Copy is key, survey shows

2010-06-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

I was reading an article in the June, 2010 issue of Target Marketing. According to copywriting guru Bob Bly, Target Marketing did a survey of their readership to discover the best practices in b2b marketing. Here’s the background:

95% of respondents are involved in b2b marketing
53% do b2b only
41% do b2b and b2c.

Now the findings:

Content is key
* 65% of respondents agreed that it was important to “create value-added content to establish us as thought leaders in our market.”
* 71% said content marketing complements and works in tandem with traditional marketing communications.
* 12% said content is replacing traditional marketing as the primary selling tool.
* Only 15% of those surveyed said that they don’t really do content marketing.
* Not one respondent agreed with the statement, “Content is a waste of time.”

Print is NOT dead
* 9 out of 10 Target Marketing readers who responded use brochures
* 73% use traditional printed brochures
* 11% use white papers rather than brochures
* 6% have brochures available for download only
* Only 1 in 10 respondents agreed with the statement “Brochures are old hat…”

Blogs are NOT all the rage
* Most b2b marketers don’t have a company blog, monitor other people’s blogs to see if they’re mentioned or target blogs with PR pushes

Keep talking

2010-04-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Keep talking

By talking, I don’t mean chatting. I mean keep communicating with your target market.

Cynus Applied Research conducted a national study as to why donors stopped giving to a charity they donated to previously. Their findings: almost one half of respondents discontinued their gifts because they did not receive adequate information as to what happened following their donation.

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For a complimentary copy checkup contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, or her website www.promowriting.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/shiralinden

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So, make sure you keep your audience abreast of how their donations are making someone’s life better using copy that connects your donors to your organization and draws them in. Spread the word of your successes, contacting donors via a mix of direct mail and Email marketing efforts.

You can lead off with Email marketing and follow up with direct mail, a blend which will maximize the advantages of both media. While Email is extremely cost effective an instantaneous, direct mail is the standard bearer. Data show donors found or maintained via direct mail are more loyal and easier to contact for subsequent campaigns versus electronic media. Direct mail can be used for fundraising efforts or to drive donors online to a sweepstakes or PURL (personalized URL) for example. Or integrate the two with triggered Emails (see prior post).

How often to keep in touch? Five times per year is the magic number. Keep changing the channel for optimum results.

Wisdom that applies to any arena

2010-02-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

I heard Jerry F. Smith, President and CEO of the JF Smith Group share what he learned in 10,000 days of fund-raising. If you’re marketing a product, idea or organization, his wisdom applies:

• There’s money out there. The number of people worldwide with $1+ million in assets passed 10 million for the first time

• Touch your donors (or audience) 5 times a year mixing calls, letters, hand-written notes and cards

• The word need is out. (I was told by a mentor decades ago that need or needs as a noun is an empty word – this applies across the board.) People give or respond to opportunities not needs. Opportunities signify that a donor can make great things happen with their gift. Talk to your prospective donors about investing in the future of your organization.

• 2% of the giving by individuals is online giving. The average gift was $116 in 2007 according to Giving USA. Online giving will grow and you must be ready for this growth

• Make sure to include a handwritten P.S. In your letter. It’s the first thing people read. Tell your donors (customers) thank you, and that they are appreciated.

• Continue to acquire new donors no matter what

• Giving by individuals accounts for ¾ of contributions versus ¼ from corporations, foundations and charitable bequests combined

• The number one reason people give is because they believe in the mission of an organization

Lift response by connecting direct mail, eMail, text messaging

2010-02-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Lift response by connecting direct mail, eMail, text messaging

Introducing a new service that ties your mail, eMail and text messaging together to instantly create an integrated marketing campaign. Announcing eTriggerPro!

Now, you can track your direct mail through the postal system, nail down the exact in-home delivery date and trigger an automated eMail and/or text message to your customers to look in their mailbox “today” for your direct mail package. Result: you can increase your open rate and campaign response rates.

Use eTriggerPro for:
►Renewal, Cross-Sell and Up-Sell Campaigns—Send prospects to online personal URLs, mailboxes or phone lines at the optimal time to receive special offers and incentives.

►Awareness—Messages are sent in “real-time,” so your campaign has greater impact due to
timeliness, increased frequency and more targeted communications.

►Increased Response Rates and Sales—With the smart use of incentives and promotions, you can maximize traffic between mail and eMail to generate higher returns.

Tie-in your entire marketing team to achieve maximum results.
eTriggerPro can also trigger eMails and text messages to alert your sales staff and/or telemarketing team to follow-up with a customer that day. Or you can trigger a series of follow-up emails, text messages and/or marketing efforts timed perfectly to generate additional results after the initial contact.

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For a complimentary copy checkup contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, her blog Turbocharged Sell Copy http://promowriting.blogspot.com, or her website www.promowriting.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/shiralinden

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Push response rates even higher…Use clever offers and incentives
With the creative use of offers, incentives and promotions, you can increase response rates even more by rewarding customers who seek out your mail, eMail and text messages.

For example, you can provide personalized codes in each customer’s mail, eMail and/or text messages instructing them to use one or more to qualify for additional savings, discounts, free bonus gifts or even entry into a sweepstakes. You now have customers looking for your marketing across media, truly integrating your campaign.

eTriggerPro is available by subscription or per campaign. Set up a test cell in your next mail campaign, and find out how high eTriggerPro can lift your response rates.

Year end ideas

2009-12-10T12:06:00.000-08:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Presented to Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association (DMFA )
by Amnesty International and SankyNet

This can be a really good time to reach out to prospects, if you press the right buttons.

Ideas all direct marketers can employ:

• Say something new or add a short, compelling video to your Email blast
• Change the channel. If key clients have been unresponsive to Email, switch to print. Or vice versa.
• Include testimonials that sing your praises on social networking sites.
• Repackage what you’ve done. You can resend a prior promotion by changing the subject line or sender/adding new teaser copy and lift note.
• Make it timely. If cold weather bolsters your message, send your promotion just as temperatures are plummeting.
• Give them an incentive – a small gift such as a magnet or bookmark.

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For a complimentary copy checkup contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, her blog Turbocharged Sell Copy http://promowriting.blogspot.com, or her website www.promowriting.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/shiralinden

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Strategies specific to non-profits:

• Speak from the heart
• Make the IRS your friend, including the amount of time left to give a tax-deductible gift and how the donation will help your organization.
• Get in touch with the top 10 donors who have not given this year with a personal note or lift note or call. This effort alone can bring in thousands.
• Make web donations easy to use and find. Include high asks. Some non-profits even have the form for donating dominate their home page.

Best Strategic Ideas in a Challenging Economy

2009-11-19T06:19:00.000-08:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Presented to Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association (DMFA)

by Lynn Edmonds, L.W. Robbins Associates

Ideas all direct marketers can benefit from:

• Change return envelope paper from 24lb to 22lb stock.

• Reduce colors on components from 4-color to 2-color.

• Switch to offset letters vs. personalized, lasered letters.

• Use smaller inserts.

• Cut back on printed newsletters: reduce from 4 to 2 per year and/or offer them online.

• Order control packages for 6 months of mailings.

• Follow major direct mail with inexpensive mailings – Postcards, buckslips or emails 2-3 weeks after initial mailing to boost response.

• Prospecting is an investment that will pay off 3-5 years down the line, it’s not an income producer.

• Eliminating just one acquisition mailing will have a huge negative impact on net revenue.

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For a complimentary 20 minute consultation on how sparkling writing or custom editorial content can motivate and persuade your target audience contact Shira at 203 371-0654 , via email at shira@promowriting.com, her blog Turbocharged Sell Copy http://promowriting.blogspot.com, or her website www.promowriting.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/shiralinden

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Strategies specific to non-profits:

• Talk about your budget crisis, the need, and what might happen if you fall short. One charity got a 7% response and a $57 average gift from a campaign to mid-level donors using this strategy.

• Recognize mid-level donors with a mid-level donor club, typically for donors giving $100 to $999, and create special appeals aimed at this group.

• Give the club a distinctive name and branding that is meaningful to donors and ties into the non-profit’s mission.

• Name the giving levels, making donors feel appreciated at each level while encouraging them to aspire to the next level.

Click into social media

2009-10-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

The power of social media

Facebook is up to 250 million members; Twitter has about 40 million users. LinkedIn has more than 365,000 company profiles; more than 12 million small-business professionals are members.

Here are some numbers that will knock your socks off: Twitter users spend 66% more dollars on the Internet than non-Twitter users, according the market research of ComScore.

At a panel discussion at this month’s HVDMA, a trio of marketers emphasized the importance of developing valuable content that can be deployed across multiple media channels, building an online community, and listening rather than trying to sell.

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For a complimentary 20 minute consultation on how sparkling writing or custom editorial content can motivate and persuade your target audience contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, her blog Turbocharged Sell Copy http://promowriting.blogspot.com, or her website www.promowriting.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/shiralinden

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Darryl Ohrt, founder of the marketing agency Plaid, renowned for Plaid Nation (a rolling demonstration of Social Media) as well as his blog Brand Flakes For Breakfast and his columns for Advertising Age's Small Agency Diary told the story of how he drove across the country in a plaid van to promote his agency. When he wandered across the border into Canada, he incurred a phone bill that ran into the thousands – just for using a lap top for a single day.

When Darryl turned to social media to express his outrage, Sprint was listening. Sprint ended up adjusting the bill…and went on to become a Plaid Nation sponsor.

Valorie Luther, founder of Creative Concepts Consultants, reported online sales for Bigelow Tea were up 28 % thanks, in large part, to their blog Tea Talk. Luther incents prospects to go from Facebook to YouTube and Tea Talk to get the full Bigelow Tea experience.

Ken Crites, Director of Consumer Direct, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, discussed how their multi-channel marketing efforts have increased direct sales by an amazing annual rate of 60%. In recent years, sales have skyrocketed from 6 million to 100 million, thanks to a good business model which leans heavily on social media, as well as sweepstakes, paid search and house party promotions.

Green Mountain monitors tweets and replies with suggestions such as how to descale brewers. He reports consumers are amazed when their questions are actually answered by Green Mountain.

Crites is building a network of friends to incentivize consumers to purchase their trademark one-cup-at-a-time coffee brewing machines and poll their constituents on what the newest flavor choice should be.

Sweeps and contests that work for Non-Profits

2009-09-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Companies in variety of markets have used sweepstakes to lift response since the dawn of the modern era. Many non-profit fundraisers have not tested this proven strategy because they are unwilling to risk it, due to concerns that sweeps do not project the desired image. Towards that end, I interviewed Cary Castle , Senior Vice President of Development and Communications at United Spinal, who became a convert to sweeps and raffles early in his career.

Cary tells the story of how Consumers Union, his former employer, ran out of cash in the early 1980s. Using telemarketing, they called subscribers asking for money. Much to their surprise, the strategy worked and subscribers started sending in donations. The modus operandi evolved from telemarketing to direct mail, with a $25,000 raffle successfully motivating donors to open their wallets.

Fast-forward to 2000, when Consumers Union was looking for ideas to ratchet up their fundraising efforts. They met with Jerry Huntsinger, direct mail fundraiser, who suggested offering donors the choice of a car or cash. The monkey wrench was that Consumers never endorses products. But a work-around was discovered. They decided to describe the car as a mystery car tested by Consumer Reports and found to be a top-rated model. The raffle was conducted over an entire year with many mailings. According to Cary , response took a dramatic upturn, and donations skyrocketed.

The next refinement involved adding an Early Bird. Now, donors could win $5,000 with every mailing, which added immediacy and moved the needle quite a bit. The cash award subsequently dropped to $2,500, with donations staying about even.

Ironically, according to Cary , no one ever picks the car (or other prize). Everyone chooses the cash. But the sexiness of the offer captures their imagination. He finds that a low key creative treatment yields better results. The more the mailer screams contest, the worse it performs.

As a result of Cary ’s experience at Consumers Union, he became a big believer in sweeps and raffles. Now that he’s moved over to United Spinal, Cary has been running a sweeps with a $5000 cash prize or TV, which he says works very well. To ensure the offer runs smoothly, he uses an independent sweepstakes judging agency (Ventura Associates) to handle the legal details. This also assures donors that an independent party is selecting the winners.

The aforementioned United Spinal offer was tested in 2007 and rolled out in 2008. The United Spinal mailer mentions the raffle on a buck slip, and sometimes on the outer. They rotate packages, one 6 x9, another 4 x 8, and enclose a letter, brochure, reply envelope, freemium (note cards or labels), buck slip and reply device.

United Spinal has tried email marketing but has not ventured into online sweeps. “Online marketing is growing but it hasn’t been great for us. Most of the money comes in through the mail,” Cary reported.

For a complimentary 20 minute consultation on how sparkling writing or custom editorial content can motivate and persuade your target audience contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, her website www.promowriting.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/shiralinden

Trends in the Non-Profit World

2009-08-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Claudine Donikian of Pentera addressed AFP Fairfield County Chapter, telling fundraising professionals that most major donors still have money to give, and to keep communicating with donors and asking for donations. She advised fundraisers to continue their marketing efforts and tweak their message to reflect the current reality.

Donikian mentioned 3 reasons why donors back off:
No longer feel connected
Support other causes
Feel solicited too often

Key Trends
40% of seniors are online, doing product research and Email – this is the fastest growing group online.
Younger and less wealthy people might be great prospects. Many of those earning 40k – 75k with a Bachelor’s degree want to do good. So plant seeds with these younger audiences and build relationships. Emaketing and postcards are the recommended vehicles to reach this group.
Each of us receives 5,980 marketing messages daily, but we only notice 52 and pay attention to 4. Use multichannel marketing to increase the odds your message will get noticed.

Speak to different generations differently
70+ – talk of legacy
Generation X – want lots of information
Boomers – want personal gratification and satisfaction
Silent generation – tradition, honor, sense of we

For planned giving, Pentera finds 3-column newsletters with a serif font using photographs of faces and lots of white space combined with post cards and Email marketing gets results.

Bottom line: Trends in the non-profit world also apply to for-profit marketers. Combine mail and email using specific offers to specific audiences with a call to action.

For sparkling writing that resonates with, motivates and persuades your target audience or custom editorial content, contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, her blog Turbocharged Sell Copy http://promowriting.blogspot.com, or her website www.promowriting.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/shiralinden

Got your verbal instant message down?

2009-06-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Here's what author Bill Schley is saying in his new book: The Micro-Script Rules: How ideas break through in the hyper connected world...

In today’s hyper-connected era, you want a repeatable micro-script that supports your dominant selling idea.

5 components of a dominant selling idea:
1. Best at – your claim to fame
2. Important – something people want
3. Believable – give them a reason why
4. Measurable – obvious in your performance
5. Own-able – not taken by anyone

A complete idea
An idea around which customers can focus that’s designed to change someone’s mind – think of it as a persuasion tool

Simple, quick phrase
Contains a single, consistent idea that’s memorable and sets you apart from others

Differentiates you from the competition
Choose your most important selling idea – 1 superlative attribute you’re best at that’s of highest import to your audience where you can claim the #1 slot. The one single thing you offer that no one else can that captures the heart of your brand.

Narrowly focused
Specific is terrific. Don’t spray and pray!

Energizes staff and customers
Presents a problem and solution or an implied solution

Passes the “telephone” test
Your message should be something people enjoy repeating that does not change as it is communicated from person to person, like in the old party game telephone.

Can be a tag line
Examples include: It’s made from sugar so it tastes like sugar; The other white meat; The quicker picker-upper; No child left behind; Don’t leave home without it

Thanks to Bill Schley of david ID, who presented these concepts at a recent Fairchester Business Resource meeting.

For tag lines and sparkling writing that resonates with, motivates and persuades your target audience or custom editorial content, contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, her blog Turbocharged Sell Copy http://promowriting.blogspot.com, or her website www.promowriting.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/shiralinden

Are you savvy about social media?

2009-04-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

“Live” from Hudson Valley DMA Rountable

Amy Heir, Marketing Manager, Spiegel Brands, clued us into the inside story on how social media is being used for business.

Amy cited these statistics:
√ 52 million NEW participants jumped into social media in Q01 2009 alone with women 55+ the fastest growing segment
√ Over 57% of online users join a social network
√ Facebook has 200+ million members. MySpace has 72 million users
√ Twitter and Facebook experienced explosive growth in the last 6 months
√ Collective time spent on social networking nearly doubled in the last 6 months

► Social media is impacting brand reputation. 34% of bloggers post opinions about products and brands on their blogs. 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs

► Before you get started, find out what networks your customers are participating in, and determine what they’re looking for.

► Define you goals. Options include market research, product and brand awareness, product announcements, traffic generation, consumer engagement and buzz

► Twitter and Facebook are used to engage your customers. Companies like Victoria’s Secret PINK, Gap and Starbucks are using Twitter to converse with customers about their brands…discuss trends…and make special offers to that drive traffic to web or retail. One participant successfully uses Twitter to inform mailers of deals on lists

► Facebook and MySpace can be used to engage users while providing product information or offer status updates that feed into user’s news feeds daily, to attract new users and get consumer feedback and suggestions

► Twitter gives you a “birds eye view” of what customers think of your brand and engage in a dialogue with your customers – a direction connection - about what they want, all in 140 characters per tweet.

► Brands tweet to get feedback, clarify misconceptions, gain insight into customers, educate and some offer twitter-only promotions

► Be prepared to stay on top of your social networking efforts. There could be a flood of responses daily or even hourly

► Podcasts, videos, photos, send to a friend viral efforts can all be incorporated

► Self-serving puffery and marketing-speak is taboo

► Recommended books: Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li, Josh Bernoff and Social Marketing: An Hour a Day by Dave Evans

► Recommended blogs: http://mashable.com; http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/Default.aspx; http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/

“Live” from Fairchester Business Resource

2009-03-03T06:36:00.000-08:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Jan Wallen, author of Mastering LinkedIn in 7 days or Less offered tips on how to use LinkedIn to find clients or jobs in record time

According to Jan, your LinkedIn profile functions like a sales and marketing piece and a personal web site. Her #1 & #2 tip:

► Join LinkedIn – it’s free

► Create a compelling profile that differentiates you from others

Jan also advises:

► Announce what you’re working on to your network and change this daily

► Advise your network of your services (or job qualifications)

► Write recommendations for those you trust, and request recommendations from those familiar with your work. Be sure they are results-oriented. Both parties must be members of LinkedIn

► Use your headline to indicate how you can help

► Customize your link by editing out what LinkedIn assigns you and substituting you name, all lower case, no spaces

► Add the link to your LinkedIn Profile in your e-mail signature and business cards

► Change your profile, and a notice goes out to your network

► Search for people, jobs, answers or companies

► Get introduced to people you want to meet if someone you know will introduce you

► Answer a question and earn points if yours is judged the best answer

For copy that gets results or a copy checkup, contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, her blog Turbocharged Sell Copy http://promowriting.blogspot.com, or her website www.promowriting.com or http://www.linkedin.com/in/shiralinden

DM veteran shares nuggets from 25-year career

2008-10-31T04:51:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

At the 7th annual Hudson Valley DMA (HVDMA) Meet the Masters event held on October 1 at the Fairview Country Club, JoAnne Monfradi Dunn regaled the audience with tips and tidbits she gleaned over the last 25 years. Currently, Dunn is president/CEO of the Brewster, N.Y.-based database services firm Alliant Cooperative Data Solutions.

Her first piece of advice: Surround yourself with smart people. “Hire slow and fire fast. Find the best people you can, take the time to make sure they are right for your organization, and make the investment in developing them,” Dunn said.

Other nuggets Dunn shared include:

· focus on networking
· excel at customer service
· get involved in industry organizations
· be a critical thinker
· understand statistics
· have strong writing, communication and presentation skills
· under-promise and over-deliver
· never compromise yourself

Dunn’s response to the current economic crunch? Use multi-channel marketing to drive more response. “Be proactive, not reactive. Use data to gain insight. Target smarter,” she advocated.

For help creating promotions that differentiate your company from your rivals, contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, her blog Turbocharged Sell Copy http://promowriting.blogspot.com, or her website www.promowriting.com

Live from the Merit Co-op X2

2008-09-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Tips and Tactics you can apply immediately

According to George Hague, VP and Senior Marketing Strategist at J. Schmid & Associates, Inc. there are 6 secrets to differentiating your company from the competition:

► Quality control – deliver value based on product consistency

► Quality control – deliver value based on consistent service

► Packaging – deliver value from product convenience

► Taking responsibility – deliver value from convenient service

► Matching – deliver value from product customization

► Knowledge-based applications – deliver value from customized service. For example, personalized URLs deliver up to a 35% lift.

Bundle these, and you’ve got a competitive advantage that can’t be easily imitated.

Three magic questions to ask:

1. What are we doing that you like?
2. What are we doing that you don’t like?
3. What are we NOT doing now that you wish we were doing?

In other news, I'll be giving a TeleSeminar at 1PM on October 8:
The KISS Guide to Direct Mail Success

Visit www.whoscoming/WomenCentric for information and registration on this Millionaire Maker TeleSeminar!

For help creating promotions that differentiate your company from your rivals, contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, her blog Turbocharged Sell Copy http://promowriting.blogspot.com, or her website www.promowriting.com

“Live” from the MeritDirect Co-op

2008-08-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Tips and Tactics you can apply immediately

1. The #1 offer in B2B = Information. Case studies, articles, white papers, brochures, videos or books. Also, a 10 Tips document that solves customer problems, with a subtle mention of how your company can help works.

2. Triggered Emails are working

3. Email prospecting is not working

4. According to Amy Africa, Internet Guru, red is the best color for a button. It inspires confidence. Top performing colors are yellow, red and black. Use yellow sparingly.

► Most people stop reading after 1-2 lines of Email

► Click Here Now works better than Click Here

► Problem solution navigation is the best way to navigate

► 40% of your business should be repeat visitors

► Buy Now performs better than Add to Cart

► Only 30% of people scroll. Put all key information above the fold

► A user should stay 40 seconds on the entry page. Your bounce rate should be 5%

► Three column sites work best. Place your Signup Box on the left.

► 80% of orders occur within 12 minutes. The more they stay, the more they pay. Speed them through the checkout.

► For those who abandon carts, send 7 – 10 follow-up Emails and get 15% to convert within 5 days

► Short videos (less than 4 minutes) work

For copy that gets results or a copy checkup, contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, her blog Turbocharged Sell Copy http://promowriting.blogspot.com, or her website www.promowriting.com

Direct Mail - Rules to Live By

2008-08-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

“Live” from the CM Show, Chicago X2
(Excerpts from my session at CM)

1. Role of each component in DM package.
Envelope – get itself opened – so don’t reveal your offer on the envelope. Consumers sort mail over the trash. Tickle their curiosity or promise a benefit. A strong OE helps you avoid the round file.

Order Form – perhaps the most important piece – restate key benefits and make it crystal clear how to order

Bochures tell, letters sell. Letter is the key component, next to the order form. Emotional sell.

Lift note – motivate the prospect from another point of view, a different signer

2. Response Basics – Help consumers instantly understand the benefits you are promoting. An irresistible offer they can’t refuse, made loud & clear: free, urgent, limited time offer, just for you. Come out w/strong offer or sneak into the bill pile w/a Bill-like OE (voucher) or blind OE. Save big, save now, premium/freemium, call to action, sweeps.

3. Follow Aida formula –

Grab attention – use a headline or subhead to attract your target market. You can also accomplish this with pictures & captions.

Arouse interest – Tell the prospect how your pub will improve his life. (Gold Dig) State the main benefit up front, loud & clear. Reinforce w/testimonials. Answer wiifm.

Stimulate desire – entice the prospect to want something prospect may not have thought about before by triggering their emotions, e.g. exclusivity. Create an irresistible offer incorporating fear of loss – limited time, bonus for immediate order e.g. fast 50, special price – give them a reason to buy now. Add an ironclad no-risk guarantee.

Motivate prospect to action, bec. Desire w/o action = no sale. Ask for the sale. Tell the reader exactly what you want them to do & make it easy to buy NOW. This works bec. This formula works bec. it smoothly and seamlessly moves the prospect to ordering

4. 9. DM tactics that work –

► Fire your biggest guns first with a great lead.

► Teasing & tantalizing the reader, hitting their hot buttons on issues that keep him up at night

► Use bullets, dashes, numbers, underlines. Use 6-7 lines per paragraph & lots of white space

► Try handwritten messages in the margins, Johnson box, callouts and underlines that break up the copy.

► Many won’t read the whole letter so underline the main points so they get the gist at a glance from the lead, underlines & P.S.

► Testimonials and guarantees work – they add credibility.

► Use the P.S. to restate the offer, repeat the guarantee or reply-by date

Partnering – the new profit center

2008-05-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

Grab your partner and do-se-do

At the FMA (Fulfillment Management Association) meeting last month, a panel moderated by Nicole Bowman (co-leader of the talk I’m giving on Direct Mail Rules to Live By at the CM Show, Chicago, June 24) focused on the pluses and minuses of partnership.

On the down side, developing a partnership hardly proceeds at the speed of light. In fact, it can take 6 months to 2 years just to jell, and the volume and launch date can be unpredictable.

It’s challenging to find the right partner and forge a relationship that’s a win-win for both sides. In addition, the economics can become unprofitable – and once the program is approved, nothing can change with the promotions and program itself. Plus, problems can arise if your partner is not technically savvy.

Conversions, too, are lower, it turns out. So publishers use fewer renewal efforts. The rule is, the better the affinity, the better the renewal rate.

It was suggested a good starting place is to approach whoever is renting your names, being careful not to cannibalize ad sales. Suzanne Nicholas of Hachette recommended making a big splash with your first offer. Make sure it’s in the main sales channel, she emphasized, not a weak channel.

Peter Winn, Bonnier Corporation, pointed out the more niched = the more successful.

So what is the up side? Partnerships are one of the few untapped resources available to publishers today. They could be fertile territory to cultivate new subscribers who would not normally discover your publication on their own. And they could become a substantial revenue stream.

For copy that gets results or a copy checkup, contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com or her website www.promowriting.com

What’s working For Publishers

2008-04-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

PromoWriting _________________________
SHIRA LINDEN • 203 371-0654 • www.promowriting.com

Hudson Valley DMA sponsored another successful series of roundtable discussions earlier this month and naturally I attended the ones hosted by publishers. First, Multi-Title Marketing - with Philip Ketonis of Hachette. He referred to partnerships as an untapped opportunity…one of the few we have, he said. They are going after big programs with retailers or catalogs, where a subscription will be included with purchases over a certain amount. Ketonis cautioned that forging these kinds of programs takes time, requires persistence, and the demographics must match. Their goal is for partnerships to account for 6-7% of the file.

Hachette is also experimenting with e-mail in renewals to replace some mailed efforts and cross sell. Ketonis reports their audience is receptive. He cautions against using every effort to sell and suggests publishers should use some efforts to convey valuable information.

When I asked about sweeps, he said Hachette is using newsletters and sweeps to collect e-mail addresses and for consumer research, not for acquisition.

Next, I sat in on Email Creative - with Jane Weber of Taunton Press, who mentioned their key challenge is to grow the file without corrupting their current audience of serious hobbyists. Weber reports e-mail campaigns are their most effective way to sell books, DVDs and subscriptions, and are very profitable. Each title offers an e-letter one or two times/month. Five e-mails a month is average. E-letter signups and the website are their sources of names.

Weber mentioned there is a lot of trust between Taunton and their core audience, and they are seeing a 12-22% open rate. Only .1% opt out. They are doing a lot of premium testing, since their subscriptions are costly and they feel they need to add value. In their latest test, a scraper beat out a video. Taunton also offers subscribers discounts on their other products.

Taunton successfully integrates print and web. They do co-branded efforts with advertisers, print ads and e-mail follow-ups, and have also ventured into the partnership arena, offering a $25 gift certificate to White Flower Farm.

For copy that gets results or a copy checkup, contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, or her website www.promowriting.com.

More Circ Day Takeaways

2008-03-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are more great tips and tactics that are working in the marketplace…ideas you can test with your audience:

1. U.S. News places their URL everywhere to cut transaction costs, and they make it easy to pay, renew, give a gift, cancel or inquire about a missed issue online. At Conde Nast, 10% pay online.

2. Hachette reports sweeps are a very effective way to collect email addresses.

3. Martha Stewart Living found a triple self mailer 5 ¼ X 9 didn’t work. Their control is a 32 page bookalog. They are currently testing a jumbette 6 x 11.5 with 9 inserts.

4. Reader’s Digest found that a #10 size worked best. They tested a flat and 8 ½” minis, which didn’t work.

5. The New England Journal of Medicine saw a 25% lift when they tested a 9x12 but this lost on P&L. A 6x9 depressed response. A grey faux label looks like it is working as well as a matched mailing.

6. The New England Journal of Medicine saw a 4% increase with a live stamp on one product, but a decrease with another product.

7. A tote bag is the winning premium for Martha Stewart Living. For Everyday Food, an apron and zester work well.

8. Reader’s Digest gets a big lift from merchandise premiums such as a watch, umbrella and tote. They use these sparingly and are trying to convert readers to online premiums, such as a PDF download for Every Day with Rachael Ray. They found address labels and a scratchoff yielded no lift.

9. Boston and Philadelphia Magazines are seeing 12% of their business come through the Internet.

10. Mine your expires and give them the best deal. Also, mine your editors for direct mail ideas.

11. People Magazine touts the emotional benefits of the magazine, such as treating yourself, indulging, relaxing.

12. Play with price and term. Even if you produce 12 issues annually, you can create an offer based on a lower price for 10 issues.

For copy that gets results or a copy check-up, contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com, or her website www.promowriting.com

Circ Day Takeaways from a Creative POV (Point of View) -- Part II

2008-02-21T06:10:00.000-08:00

Last year, I referred to Circ Day as an idea fest, and this year proved to be another gala of effective tips and tactics. Here are some valuable nuggets from this year’s panelists. I’ll be posting more tips to my blog soon.

1. Conde Nast sends three ebills before their mailed billing series. This has led to double digit increases and lower costs. Volumes are small but increasing yearly. They have found 11 AM EST is the best time to Email.

2. Stack your best offers at the front end of your renewal series. Otherwise, you are training subscribers to wait. U.S. News only offers renewal premiums in efforts 1 and 2.

3. On your homepage, try two colors, such as red and yellow, top and bottom, for your subscribe buttons, as different colors attract different people. Make Subscribe the first tab on your toolbar.

4. Reader’s Digest found that adding a second window to their Statement of Benefits voucher package lifted response. They are currently testing a third window. White is the envelope color of choice, which beat kraft. Faux labels, a scratch-off contest and an express mail look were all unsuccessful.

5. The New England Journal of Medicine found that adding a lift note from the editor-in-chief lifted response to their voucher 25 percent. A brochure resulted in a 30 percent lift. Emphasizing online benefits boosted response 25 percent. Collecting email addresses actually lifted response 30 percent. And a premium (especially a jump drive) increased response 23-25 percent. They have tried a duffle, pliers’, and mug and will test an optical mouse and pad next.

6. U.S. News recommends adding labels to change of address and cold donor mailings.

7. A Fast 20 KitchenAid mixer is working for Martha Stewart Living and they can’t test out of it, whereas a sweeps depressed response.

8. A combo mailing between Martha Stewart Living and Everyday Food produced a 15-20 percent lift. A $4.95 shipping cost is added without much resistance.

9. Niche publishers can partner with competitors to get into retail stores. A deal could involve a listing in the publication, a page on the website, and 10 copies of each issue, for one up-front payment. This is bringing in 10 percent of the circ for NewBay Media.

10. Bruce Miller, Bonnier Corporation indicates generic renewal forms almost always win over custom forms.

11. People Magazine uses freemiums in bills for a heftier package…and because they add value and guilt. They’ve been successful with bubble bath, lotion and a pocket calculator.

For copy that gets results or a copy critique, contact Shira at 203 371-0654, via email at shira@promowriting.com or her website www.promowriting.com

Spruce up Email blasts

2008-02-18T07:54:00.000-08:00

Jordan Ayan, CEO of e-mail service provider SubscriberMail gave a webinar presentation, “Top Ten Things You Need to Know About E-mail Creative,” offering insider tips for creating more effective E-mails. Ayan underlined the importance of relevant, concise subject lines:

* Use no more than 45 characters or five words

* Never use all caps

* Avoid punctuation

* Stay away from “cute” headlines, but be creative

* Make it relevant to your target audience

* Test subject lines three times

* Think like a filter

* Target your audience with different subject lines

* Think relationship, not message

* Avoid spam words

He mentioned four key rules for subject lines:

1. Be clear why your recipient should open the message and what to expect

2. Make them content-focused vs. entity-focused;

3. Keep it simple

4. Ask a question

Ayan suggested six ways to making e-mails relevant to your audience. He suggested they be

1. meaningful

2. interesting

3. rewarding

4. timely

5. not intrusive

6. answer the “What’s in it for me?” question

He gave an example of a successful e-mail campaign by Brunswick Zone, the bowling company. They personalized their message down to the store level, providing the nearest Brunswick Zone to each recipient. An attractive promotion (99 cent bowling) focused around an event (the 4th of July) demonstrated relevancy and value.

The e-mail coupon generated an outstanding 40 percent redemption rate.

Ayan gave the following copywriting-related tips:

* Direct consumers’ focus to the main message of the e-mail, whether it be price, availability or a sale

* Add a click to view in browser message for those having trouble accessing the e-mail

* Use free shipping or other offers with high perceived value to boost response

* Entice customers to add you to their address book

* Include an invitation to upcoming special events

* Send time-sensitive E-mails for special sales and promotions

* Provide tips, tactics and how-to articles

* Test color vs. an e-mail without color

* Use contests

* Segment your market

Need help creating successful E-mail blasts? Visit www.promowriting.com

Spur your prospects to action

2007-12-19T21:06:00.000-08:00

A new survey from advertising firm Endai Worldwide revealed that unsolicited e-mails can be incredibly effective in motivating people to buy! In the last 12 months, 50% of the 7,500 men and women surveyed have made a purchase as a result of a marketing e-mail - some actually from an email they fished out of their spam folder.

Are your e-mail promos so compelling that your prospects will see them glittering amidst the surrounding spam? Here’s what attracted the survey respondents:

· a good offer or deal

· something they’re specifically interested in

· a recognizable company or brand name

· an intriguing subject line

If you’re looking to create e-mail promotions that sparkle, look to PromoWriting. My latest e-mail promotion pulled 4x the number of hits in a split test.

Ideas that glitter

2007-11-29T18:06:00.000-08:00

Is your business model getting stale? Your business model is like your wardrobe – it needs to change with the times. Particularly if it’s a media business we’re talking about, where online and print are competing for eyeballs – and wallets. And the old models aren’t working as well as they used to.

So, I was heartened when the topic came up at this month’s FMA meeting (Fulfillment Management Association) in New York. One particularly shiny, out-of-the-box idea is in the pipeline and just may change the way we think about magazine subscriptions.

Dubbed Maghound, The magazine lover’s best friend, it’s a whole new way of buying magazines that could revolutionize the industry. Subscribers pay one monthly fee and choose which magazines they want, selecting from all the major publishers. Here’s the really hip part – they can change their magazine selections any time they want! This revolutionary idea, the brainchild of Time, Inc., is still in development and is coming to a website near you!

Another cool idea involves magazines placing listings in the Yellow Pages with their 800 numbers and taking phone orders. That’s an idea whose time has come.

I inquired about a project I once worked on, the retail card. This involved a plastic card, like a gift card sold at the front checkout at retailers. To activate the card, the buyer calls an 800 number. Trouble was “breakage” – few actually called the number, rendering the retail card an unproven concept.

The down side is that it’s labor-intensive to develop and execute new ideas. But there’s no choice, really. Doing things the way they’ve always been done won’t take our industry to the next century. So keep those new ideas coming!

Great Myths of the Internet – Busted

2007-10-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, I attended a presentation at the Direct Marketing Club of New York featuring Amy Africa – outspoken and renowned Internet guru extraordinaire. Here are Amy’s no-no’s, in a nutshell:

1. A good shopping cart abandonment rate is 10% or less
Not so! The rate should be about 60%. The same applies to lead forms (52%) and subscriptions (67%). If you’re not seeing this volume, you’re not getting enough people to put stuff in the basket

So, have a buy now or inquiry button on every screen, plus pop-ups on entry and leaving. Live chat prevents abandonment

2. Email is free so mail everyone everything every time
It’s all about deliverability, so mail in small batches for better delivery. And mail your best groups separately

3. People know how to find stuff online
Navigation is key and accounts for 40-60% of a site’s success

4. Text search is a good thing
Not true. You lose 66% to unsuccessful text searches and these folks don’t come back

5. Your home page is the most important page on your site
Actually, less than 15% of visitors should enter via your home page. Your entry pages determine your success, and you should have 10-12 entry pages people come in on for all major category, product lines and products. Users should spend 30-50 seconds on the first page and an average of 5 minutes on a B2B site, 7 minutes on a B2C site

6. Your site should change weekly
Change your site based on traffic patterns not just for the sake of change. 40% – 60% of your traffic should be repeat visitors

7. Aesthetics matter the most
Actually, they matter the least. It’s all about functionality. Lots of yellow is not desirable online. Red buttons produce more inquiries and sales

8. Who needs organic search when there’s pay-per-click
Organic is converting 6-12 times better than pay-per-click.

9. Web 2.0 is a killer application
Not true – because you can’t monetize it

10. You need the latest technology to market on the web
Not necessarily! It’s all about mastering the basics

11. Offline is the main driver of online success
No! Offline businesses should have their own sites because offline shoppers behave differently

12. Statistical packages are 90% accurate
Far from it. Most are only 50-55% accurate, so look at trend data rather than stats

“Live” from the FOLIO Show

2007-09-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

New York, NY...

In addition to leading a Media Kit Critique session, I was able to attend a workshop on Online Media. Bruce Rhodes, Circulation Director at Harvard Business School Publishing talked about how they restrict online access to the Harvard Business Review because content is evergreen.

So, they tantalize visitors with a site pass that allows for one-day access. Makes sense, since the single copy price is $16.95 and subscriptions are $99 - $165. The Wall Street Journal is similar with occasional “open houses.”

To this, I say YES! Publishers & Circulation Directors: Take a lesson. Restricted online access sure beats giving away the store!

Site visitors listen to a 30-second spot and are then invited to subscribe or sign-up for a day pass – and many subscribe, right on the spot!

Harvard Business Review is now targeting managers in the UK with a microsite just for this group – an experiment for them. A PR push will promote the campaign.

As for SEM, HBR has been in the game for 4+ years. Rhodes recommends test everything – Offer, Landing Page, Copy, URL, and Keywords. Rhodes also suggests you keep your finger on the pulse. Subscriber engagement is key, he said. Be interesting and engaging, he exhorted.

His top resource picks: Marketing Sherpa as well as http://www.mequoda.com/ - great resources for publishers.

Mina Lux, Managing Director, VP of Online for Scientific American mentioned that http://www.stumbleupon.com/ works well for them, as does paid inclusion on Yahoo. She also mentioned that their website is the largest single source of new subscriptions, but subs that come in via direct mail are slightly better.

E-mail Marketing Campaigns Need Better Landing Pages

2007-08-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

A Study From Direct...

Landing pages linked from e-mail marketing campaigns generally fail to grab attention quickly, according to a review of 150 Web sites by Silverpop, a Web marketing solutions provider. Furthermore, some pages are confusing and cluttered, prompting the visitor to quickly leave.

Silverpop set out to evaluate marketers' approaches, and registered to receive e-mails from 150 top online companies. Landing pages reached from messages' clicking links were evaluated for 14 different elements, such as matching the e-mail leading to the page and/or the company's Web site, ease of navigation, amount of copy, and design formats.
Among the key findings of the report, "Eight Seconds to Capture Attention: Silverpop's Landing Page Report":

* 45% of landing pages didn't repeat the strong promotional copy found in the e-mail, thus failing to reinforce the call-to-action that prompted the e-mail recipient to click a link in the first place.
* 35% of the landing pages analyzed didn't match the e-mails' look.
* 35% of the landing pages didn't include an opt-in request. It's essential to ask visitors to register because they may have arrived at your landing page without being in your database. For example, someone else might have forwarded the landing page's link to the visitor.
* 29% of consumer companies posted landing pages that didn't match the e-mail, compared to 41% of B-to-B companies.
* 17% of e-mail marketing campaigns failed to deliver on the promise inherent in the message's call-to-action, and merely dumped recipients to a company's Web site home page.

"E-mail marketers spend a lot of time and energy creating targeted, relevant campaigns, but then fail to carry the ball across the goal line due to lackluster landing pages," said Elaine O'Gorman, vice president of strategy for Silverpop, in a statement. "Landing page optimization can have a tremendous impact on e-mail marketing success rate."

"Using a home page as a landing page can be confusing," O'Gorman continued. "It's much better to create a landing page unique to the e-mail campaign whenever possible."

FREE is Back!

2007-07-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

E-mail marketers are increasingly bucking conventional wisdom and using the word "free" in subject lines, and they're doing it with success, Jay Schwedelson, corporate vice president of Worldata said at the Direct Marketing Days in New York conference this June in "Live from DMDNY."

For the last several years, conventional wisdom has had it that using the word "free" in an e-mail subject line was a sure way to get messages blocked as spam by Internet service providers. The reason: "Free" was a word commonly used in subject lines by spammers.

However, when asked in 2007 if putting free in e-mail subject lines lifted response rates, 47% of marketers surveyed by Worldata said yes, according to Schwedelson. This compares to 35% in 2006 who said putting the word free in e-mail subject lines increased response.

"Marketers have been avoiding the word 'free' for the last two years," he said. "But the trend is starting to go back in the other direction. 'Free' is starting to make a big comeback."
Schwedelson said that though some spam filters still flag the word free, some marketers are getting results that outweigh the possibility their e-mail might be tagged as possible spam.

"What does this mean? It means your e-mail is still getting filtered, but the response rates you're getting by using the word 'free' in the subject line are so much better than when you're not using the word 'free' in the subject line, that many marketers willing to have their messages filtered just to see that better response rate," he said.

Schwedelson added that many of the well-known content rules about subject lines are seemingly changing.

"All the rules are going out the door," he said. "Capital letters are working, exclamation points are working. If you have written rules that you say you can't break, you have to break out of that mold and start testing everything all over again.

Schwedelson added that subject lines with time elements in them, such as a date, or a day of the week, or even the word "limited time only," increase open rates by as much as 22%.
He also recommended that when testing two different subject lines, rather than A/B spilt testing the campaign to an entire file of, say, 50,000 names, split test the campaign to just 10,000 of the addresses.

This way, after a winner has been determined -- usually in about 48 hours -- the marketer can send the winner to the other 40,000.

Split testing a campaign to an entire file "is a waste of a lot of good e-mail," said Schwedelson. "This way, instead of 50% of your readers getting a bad subject line, just 5% of your audience got a bad subject line."

CM Takeaway

2007-06-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

I attended a session Effort Analysis and ROI: Why this Worked but that Didn’t. Presenters included Patrick Hainault, Mansueto Ventures, Michele Murphy, American Express Publishing, Ken Sheldon, New York Magazine. I’ll skip all the programs that didn’t work or would not be easily reproducible and give you the stuff that did work.

Here are 3 ideas to try:

Insert Card Self Mailer – (AKA Envelope BRC Cashalope) from American Express. Costs 2X the traditional blow in – lifts response 50%. Advantage – subscriber can include a check or credit card information. You can offer extra issues if they pay by credit card – see a 30% lift. You’ll also see improved pay rates and get more cash with order.

VERY short term intro offer – See a 50 – 70% lift on tests, a 20% lift on net subs, and an 80% lift in net revenue

Use an online sweeps to drive newsletter signups – New York Magazine got thousands of newsletter signups and sold hundreds of subscriptions as part of launching and promoting an event series (6/year)with sponsorships plus lots of branding and PR side benefits

Circ Day Takeaways from the Creative Point of View

2007-05-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

This article was mentioned on the cover and featured on page 16 of the March issue of CM magazine (Circ Management).

A copywriter/creative consultant sorts through a full day’s sessions.
By Shira Linden

Circ Day is an idea fest, a veritable carnival of tips and tactics that are working for other publishers now. It’s an opportunity to pick up some gems, adapt them to your market and test new concepts. Here are 10, no 11 nuggets that will inform my creative recommendations in the months ahead:

1. According to The Nation, email promos work. Ditto for radio and cable TV ads (relatively inexpensive) that drive traffic to the Web. One spot can lead to 250 orders, and is more effective for this niche than buying key words.

2. When The Nation added a link to subscribe at the end of each online article, subscriptions increased 10 percent.

3. E-zines are an effective tool to turn prospects into customers for The Nation. They convert 4 to 5 percent into paid subscribers with each promotion to this group.

4. Some publishers are using video to enhance the online experience. The Chronicle of Higher Education features a video clip of kids solving a Rubik’s cube in 12 seconds, which has attracted a lot of attention.

5. Vouchers are morphing form bill-like to promotional-looking, some with multiple inserts. This Old House used a clever theme of a proposal from a contractor, which became its control. Voucher packages are also getting bigger. Time Inc. and Meredith agree: bigger is better.

6. Another trend in 2006 is the movement to a hard offer – with 56 percent of publishers going to the hard offer in 2006, up 3 percent in 2005.

7. The use of incentive (premiums and freemiums) encompassing branded and unbranded merchandise is increasing steadily, especially the premiums on payment, which now comprises 6-7 percent of packages. Outer envelope copy for freemium packages often reads Free Gift Enclosed or Do Not Bend.

8. Premiums work well when they solve a problem the consumer faces. For example, research showed consumers like to tear out articles from Real Simple, which led to clutter. A binder for those who renew for two years addressed this issue and was a home run. Giving consumers a choice of six premiums helped Sports Illustrated save money, as most consumers selected less costly premiums than the pricy fleece they were offering. A mystery gift was also successful.

9. In a free-to-paid conversion for the New York Sun, an invitation-style package performed better than a postcard series, but the postcards pulled better on a cost per acquisition basis.

10. According to Rodale, strong creative can win over segmentation.

11. Email blasts before and after a direct mail campaign boost response. The look should resemble the DM creative-but the headlines should change.

“Live” from Circ Day 2007

2007-02-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

Circ Day is all about hot off the presses tips and tidbits on what’s working for publishers in print and online. I’ve enumerated some of these thoughts in an article that will be coming out in the next issue of Circulation Management magazine, which I’ll post to this blog later. Here’s a roundup of creative suggestions to get you started:

* American Express saw a 22% lift when they used copy on the outer envelope that promoted a premium

* Placing 4 envelope cards in each newsstand issue (inserts) boosts cash by 40% and credit card payments by 124%+ (no continuous service) for AmEx

* Business Week found that adding Do Not Bend to the outer envelope lifted response 12%

* Business Week was able to reduce costs by adding a window to their Statement of Benefits
Do Not Bend outer, with no loss in response

* Business Week also saw a 56% lift with a 4-line address

* Blue is the color of choice for Business Week’s voucher, which beat yellow, green, and light gray

* Voucher use decreased slightly for the news and business category, according to Suzanne Nicholas of Business Week

* Rounded pricing is lifting response at TV Guide

* TV Guide reports shorter terms and lower pricing is also working well

* Meredith does well with offering 3 years for the price of one

When it comes to Email, Copy is King

2007-01-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

In November, 2006 MarketingSherpa conducted a landmark study – the largest ever survey of its kind – polling 3,637 email marketers and employees at agencies around the world. They asked, “Which creative email tests give the best ROI (return on investment)?”

They uncovered some VERY interesting findings. Among their favorite result – and mine – “copy really, really matters. The top three best ROI tests were more to do with words (copy, offer, subject line) than with design or graphics.”

The study also showed that “testing in and of itself increases ROI. In every case, more than 50% of marketers improved ROI (even if only moderately) by testing.”

This reinforces the old direct marketing axiom test, test, test. Test copy, landing pages, subject line, offers. Test calls to action. It’s the proven way to improve your results.

B2B Marketers: Watch your Words

2006-12-27T05:28:00.000-08:00

I read a recent Marketing Sherpa Case Study on lead generation. They found that offer wording can make a significant difference on landing pages. In their research, “free sample guide” generated more leads than “free consultation.”

They also discovered that awards matter. Putting an award icon on the landing page boosted response, despite the fact that few prospects recognized the icon. They concluded that any award is better than none.

The case study also advocates testing vertical landing pages utilizing A/B splits versus paying for more search clicks. In their research, the landing page testing is a better investment.

More Goodies from the Folio Show

2006-11-10T07:03:00.000-08:00

I went to a very useful talk on Marketing and Converting Web-based Subscriptions, with lots of meaty examples from the New England Journal of Medicine. Here’s some SEO advice given:

* Check your weblog files for keywords people are using and optimize those.
* In terms of benchmarking, NEJM gets a 7% conversion rate
* Add links at the end of articles to your subscribe page
* Google offers a webmaster’s help center
* Find out about your competitor’s traffic on Googspy.com
* Pay attention to Yahoo, not just Google
* Remember to put keywords on your Landing Pages to increase response
* Go to www.webuildpages.com/cool-seo-tool to check your search engine ranking by keyword phrase
* Visit www.xml-sitemaps.com for free SEO tools

“Live” from the Folio Show – Taking risks in direct mail and e-mail creative can lead to breakthrough results

2006-10-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

In my interactive workshop at the Folio Show on October 24, I described hot acquisition strategies that are working in the marketplace right now.

While the voucher is still the industry workhorse, magazine publishers are successfully tweaking voucher packages when results start flagging. Here are five strategies that are currently working:

* Using a larger, 6 x 11 inch format
* Adding a lift note
* Teaser copy - Reply in 5 days on the envelope
* Teaser copy - DO NOT BEND on the envelope
* Including a freemium in the package

I referenced remarks by John Tighe, vice president for Time Inc. consumer marketing promotions and operations, who told the Direct Marketing Association of Washington’s Bridge Conference this July that Time Inc. had a 64% increase in sales when offers included a free item. “All you need is to drop something in the package such as a magnet or a greeting card and people will feel more loved,” Mr. Tighe said.

Samples that toppled prior controls were passed around, including the U.S. News Gold Award Winner in Circulation Management’s Best Direct Mail Campaign – consumer magazines. The #14 package beat out a long-standing Cable voucher control. Plus, a see-through package for Wooden Boat that performed 9% better than a double postcard control and a full package for Spin to Win that trounced a voucher were also shown.

Winning with e-zines and e-mail blasts, sweeps
I mentioned that Boardroom is using e-zines to turn buyers into multi-buyers and showed attendees samples of Bottom Line Secrets, an e-zine that is sent three times per week. Two issues have editorial content with offers interspersed, while the third issue is all offers.

To close out the online segment, I discussed e-mail blasts such as one from Jane, where readers are invited to subscribe and give a gift subscription for free. According to circulation consultant Nicole Bowman, member-get-a-member strategies like this work really well for niche titles looking to expand their market, because most niche folks know others in the same market. And an aggressive 2-for-1 helps when lists are hard to come by.

“Sweeps are back,” I told the Folio audience, adding that they work best when they are tied to the magazine’s editorial mission. I closed by urging marketers to take risks, try new creative strategies, and test, test, test.

My workshop at the Folio Show

2006-10-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, October 24, 2:45-3:30 I’ll be leading a workshop at the Folio Show (Hilton, NY) on Hot Acquisition Strategies. Here’s the write-up:

In this interactive workshop, you’ll discover which Acquisition Strategies are working in the marketplace right now. Find out how putting a new twist on an old favorite can lift response, in both direct mail and e-mail. See live samples, and share ideas:1. Turn prospects into subscribers with Ezines
2. Tweak your voucher package and boost response
3. Effective strategies for niche markets
4. Sweeps are back!

Come hear the latest and greatest success stories from publishers large and small. Your take-away = lots of ideas you can implement immediately.

***If you are a magazine circulator and your control is atypical in any way – please email me shira@promowriting.com . I’d love to hear your results, receive a copy and present it at my workshop.***

The Right Headline Stops Your Prospect in his Tracks Part 3

2006-10-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

There are eight different types of headlines you can use to motivate prospects:

How-to
News
Question
Command
Reason why
Testimonial
Direct
Indirect

Remember that the headline must capture the attention of the prospect, with the benefits to the prospect immediately apparent. The message must do two things: telegraph to your prospect that there’s something in it for him and pull him into the copy.

Let’s look at each one:

How-to – If your prospect wants to accomplish what the headline promises, she’ll read on

News – Tout the benefit of a new product or service

Question – Ask an interesting client-focused question that gets the prospect involved

Command – Tell the prospect why it’s in her best interest to act

Reason why – Present facts that set you up as an expert

Testimonial – Overcome objections and gain credibility by having you clients sell for you

Direct – Announce a sale or limited-time offer

Indirect – provoke curiosity and motivate the prospect to find out more

The Right Headline Stops Your Prospect in his Tracks Part 2

2006-09-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

I read in a Marketing Sherpa Search Benchmark Study that when your prospects are in search mode, they don’t bother to read the entire listing – even though it contains so few words.

Their advice regarding search listing headlines: “The first two to three words pack a bigger wallop than words further on." I rewrote last week’s headline to demonstrate this principle.

If you’re writing for the web, there are two points to consider.

1. To optimize your headline for the search engines, limit your head to 65 characters

2. Change your Landing Page headline into a question

At that DM Days seminar I mentioned previously on optimizing landing pages, the speaker indicated that phrasing the headline as a question pulled more responses than a headline that began with the word Free.

Stop Your Prospect in his Tracks with the Right Headline

2006-09-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

"It's a non-stop blitz of advertising messages," president of the marketing firm Yankelovich, Jay Walker-Smith told CBS News recently. "Everywhere we turn we're saturated with advertising messages trying to get our attention." According to Walker-Smith, back in the 1970's we each saw about 500 ads a day whereas today, that number has jumped to 5,000 a day.

Which means your headlines have to work overtime to stand out in the sea of marketing gobbledygook.

Four tips for effective headlines:

1. First and foremost, your headline must capture the attention of your prospect.

2. Clarity is key – the meaning of the headline should be crystal clear, and the benefits to the prospect immediately apparent.

3. The message must telegraph to your prospect that there’s something in it for him. The headline should resonate with your prospect so that he thinks, “This speaks to me!” You can accomplish this by stepping into the prospect’s shoes and addressing his biggest concerns.

4. Lastly, your headline should pull the prospect into the copy, reeling her in with each word.

Offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee…and Keep Promoting It

2006-09-15T05:27:00.000-07:00

Few things boost confidence like a 100% satisfaction guarantee. But it’s not enough to offer one. You must constantly promote it as well. For example, I mention my 100% satisfaction guarantee on my home page and in every proposal I send. When I write an acquisition direct mail package for a client, I work it into at least two elements, usually the letter and order form. In my renewal and billing series for publishers, I weave it into the copy as often as possible.

At a recent seminar I attended at DM Days NY on Optimizing Landing Pages, the speaker indicated the satisfaction guarantee was very important. Without it, response went down 11%.

Which means you should never take your satisfaction guarantee for granted. Promote it often, and in every channel you’re in.

Slash those meaningless words

2006-09-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

If you want to ratchet up the pulling power of your copy, take a closer look at every single word you've chosen. That means slashing all the empty, meaningless words. Start by eliminating the word quality. It's over-used and doesn't sell anything, because everyone claims it.

Another culprit is the word best. Like quality, best is an un-provable term. You'll see it in just about every piece of sell copy. Which further dilutes its value.

Lastly, expunge the noun needs - as in for all your (you fill in the blank) needs. This is the mother lode of throw-away lines!