Direct mail—whether hard copy, email, or even on a website—is still a terrific lead generator. Even now. And there are ways to make it really effective, as noted by Ivan Levison, the dean of direct mail copywriters. (Hm. Doesn’t copywriter sound better than “content creator?”)
Here are eight hot tips from Mr. Levison on how to write a better solicitation. I should note that I often pick out my five fave tips when curating anyone’s content, but these tips are all so good and so interdependent, that none of them should be left out.
- “Include your offer in the headline.” Yep, that’s right. Otherwise, your readers may not read any further. This is, after all, the day of millisecond attention spans.
- “Expand on the offer in the subheadline.” Makes sense, doesn’t it? I’m thinking a subhead probably encourages your readers to read on. As Mr. Levison says, “A nice little subheadline can flesh things out …”
- “Explain the offer early in your letter.” Readers crackle with impatience these days. You can practically hear them drumming their fingers on the nearest hard surface. So get to the point fast.
- “Include the word ‘Free.’ ” Makes sense, but haven’t we all heard that “free” is a dirty word in email? Well, probably not, according to Hubspot. (https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33538/does-the-word-free-affect-email-deliverability-click-through-rates-a-b-test.aspx)
- “Stress the fact that your offer has no strings attached.” I understand the reasoning behind this recommendation, but I think most folks understand that your offer is not the end of the relationship, at least as far as you’re concerned.
- “Include an image of your offer.” Needs no explanation, right?
- “Give your fulfillment piece a compelling name.” Call it an executive brief. Call it a guide. Anything but a white paper. And for heaven’s sake, sound excited about what you’re offering. If you’re not excited, how can you expect your readers to be excited enough to click that link?
- “Make it a ‘limited-time’ offer.” That makes sense, doesn’t it? As Mr. Levison says, “One of the ways to get your readers to act is to create a sense of urgency. So, give them a deadline.”
This is really great stuff. And it’s not just limited to direct mail. This is really sales, and I bet you can think of some great ways to use this technique in real life.
andreypopov / 123RF Stock Photo
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