Is Your Web Site Direct Marketing?

Is Your Web Site Direct Marketing?

by: Daniel Levis

Here’s one of your biggest opportunities to outflank the competition online. Use your website as a Direct Marketing vehicle, in the classical sense. Have a very tightly defined action that you want people to take, and focus all of your efforts on getting people to take that action.

Few websites operate under this cardinal rule of Direct Marketing.

As a result, all too many business people labor under the fatal assumption that their prospects will make buying decisions based on minimal information. They assume that if someone is interested, they will take the next logical step.

Not so.

Minimal information might work for ultra lowticket items, but chances are, what you’re selling takes more explaining than you think.

Like any good Direct Marketing piece worth it’s salt, your website should actively ขanticipateข and address all of the questions your prospects are likely to have about your product or service.

Questions like,

How do I know your product or service does what you say it does?

Why should I believe your claims?

How do I know your product or service will work for me?

How long will it take for me to start making a profit with my purchase?

How much effort will it take for me to begin using your product?

Where can I get it cheaper?

If your price seems low, why is it low? If it seems high, why is it high?

I could go on & on, but you get the picture.

Now let me ask you, do you know the top ten questions that are running through your prospects mind when they visit your website? Are you answering those questions in the copy, or are you waiting, hoping, and praying they’ll ask?

If you’re serious about growing your business exponentially & marketing your products for big profits, you’ve got to educate your customers. There’s no getting around it.

What exactly does that mean?

It means you’ve got to make a commitment to getting your complete story out. And in that story, you’ve got to address all of the concerns that are going on in the minds of your customer. It sounds simple, but there’s a catch.

You have to do it in a way that holds their attention. Learn to write benefit driven direct marketing style copy, or hire a professional copywriter to do it for you.

Then decide how you will communicate that story in a way that is at once effective & cost efficient. On the web, there is never an excuse for vague generalities. You’ve got all the room in the world for meaningful specifics. Can you think of a better, or less costly place to tell a clear concise, and complete sales story?

Name another advertising medium where it doesn’t make a cost difference whether you put one word on a page or 10,000.

Make a commitment to learn all you can about your customer’s buying process. What are they thinking when they have a problem you can solve? What’s running through their minds when they need what you’ve got?

You’ve got to answer those questions.

Don’t gloss over this. It’s really important!

And then forget your fear of telling your prospects too much on your web site. Concentrate on telling all of the facts, in a way that captivates their interest & attention. Once you have that, you qualify for their desire & action!

Direct marketing readership tests prove that with well written copy, readership doesn’t fall off dramatically until about 300 words, & then stays constant right up to about 3000 words, before dropping off again significantly.

Most advertising is hollow. Educate your customers with panache, & articulate the reasons why they benefit uniquely from purchasing from you. Then sit back & watch your business grow & your profits soar!

Copyright 2005 Daniel Levis

About The Author

Daniel Levis is a top marketing consultant & direct response copywriter based in Toronto Canada. Recently, Daniel & worldrenowned publicist & copywriter Joe Vitale teamed up to co author ขMillion Dollar Online Advertising Strategies – From The Greatest Letter Writer Of The 20th Century!ข, a tribute to the late, great Robert Collier.

Let the legendary Robert Collier show you how to write words that sell…Visit the below site & get 3 FREE Chapters!

http://www.AdvertisingOnlineStrategies.com/adstrategies.html

This article was posted on March 11

by Daniel Levis

Powerful Direct Marketing Numbers

Powerful Direct Marketing Numbers

by: Larry Brophy

Direct Marketing works!
Why? It works because itกs personal. It carries a message, answers questions and gets orders. Direct Response Marketing works because it is กconversation in writingก.
It works because, no matter what you have heard, read or believe … most people look forward to personal communication. They like being treated as a person as an individual.
So, if Direct Response Marketing is so powerful, how can we as marketers use it effectively? To keep the business we have … to find new business?
As with most disciplines, these powerful กDirect Marketing Numbersก are common sense. Hereกs a list of a few กNumbersก to make your Direct Response Marketing work for you:
60 30 10
A full 60% of your Direct Marketing success is making certain your message gets to the person who can buy what you have to sell. Itกs very easy for the wrong person to say กnoก.
An offer will be 30% of your Direct Marketing success.
Whatกs an offer? It is a reason for your prospect to do business with you. Itกs the urge to action. Itกs an incentive to get your audience to raise their hand. To indicate a willingness to talk with you. Itกs a reason to respond.
The 10% remaining is creative. Not unimportant … certainly less important. And although it is the fun part of marketing without a clearly identified audience and a sound offer your creative has little chance of giving you a winner.
Now, once youกve clearly identified your marketplace and put together an offer of interest how DO you get your Direct Marketing message read, heard, seen, understood and acted upon?
A few more กPowerful Numbersก
Lucky 13
Write your message for a 13 year old reading level.
Television news, the morning newspaper and by far the majority of our conversation is at a 13 year old reading level.
Exceptions? Sure. The Wall Street Journal is written at a 17 year reading level.
11
Keep your opening paragraph to 11 words or less.
Yes, I did say paragraph!
Why? Because, by opening quickly you slip your reader into your full message. Make your letter, your brochure, the print advertisement everything you write easy to read. A quick beginning helps.
14
All your sentences should average 14 words or less.
The best way to write short: use a period. Yes, every so often insert the กdotก. It works. And it will help you get read.
1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Use words of 5 letters or less. About 70% of all your words should be 5 letter words, or less.
Why? Because they are easy to read easy to understand. Your message will be quickly absorbed.
The 500 most common words in English have 13,000 meanings. No wonder we have trouble with basic communication. One answer is to go short. It pays with results.
7
Keep ALL paragraphs to a maximum of 7 lines. Never more than 7…and sometimes just 1 or 2. i.e., short paragraphs.
Again, why? Because a large block of copy looks tough, even if it is not. The tactic of short makes your message look more inviting.
1
A postscript (P.S.) is mandatory in every direct mail letter. Because 4 of 5 of your readers will read the P.S. first … before they read anything else in your letter.
5
Indent every paragraph 5 spaces.
This กNumberก is really physiology not marketing. Our eyes pull us กinก when we see indents. They pull us to a point and while we’re there, we read. It works. Indent all paragraphs.
On the other side of the paragraph the right side use the ragged right design. Do not justify margins! Do not proportionally space your sentences. Ragged right increases readership.
1/2
Whenever you go to a second page in a letter split the last sentence in half.
Begin it at the bottom of the first page…end it at the top of the next page. Why? To pulllll the reader with you. กMakeก them turn the page. Keep them reading.
The same tactic works in anything printed with columns. Such as brochures, reply forms, print ads…anything. Split the last sentence…the last paragraph in two. And move the reader to the next column.
481
Be specific. The number 481 is much more specific and much more believable! than saying กalmost 500ก.
Odd numbers get more attention than even. Use 3 5 7 9 and you are more likely to be noticed. A list of 11 is better than a list of 10. 99 or 101 ideas is better than an even 100.
One more thing on numbers; use the number not the word. As I have done in this article. The number 3 or 7 is easier to see, read and understand than the word three or seven.
30
Offers with a date work to get more action more response. Try a Limited Time Offer.
Good for only 30 days…or better yet, ‘this offer good only until August 31ก gets action. Test making your offer a Limited Time Offer. It can increase your response.
There are many more กPowerful Numbersก in Direct Marketing. This list will get you going to make your mail, your print, your collateral materials all your written communication just that much better. Good writing!

About The Author

Larry Brophy has helped thousands of businesses find more buyers for their products and services the past 20+ years. Heกs the resident webmaster at: http://findmorebuyers.com, your TOP source of targeted sales leads.
Read additional marketing articles by Larry Brophy at http://findmorebuyers.com/page.cfm/15

This article was posted on June 17, 2004

by Larry Brophy