So you're planning to send out a direct mail piece to drive prospects to your microsite or order landing page. Great idea. But do you know the #1 error marketers make in this situation?

    It's forgetting to sync your direct mail campaign and your microsite or landing page. The transition from your direct mail piece to your Internet campaign should be seamless for your prospect. Forget this rule and you'll see your response rates suffer.

    So how can you avoid this major blunder?

    Here are 4 golden "rules to live by" to make the most of your print/online connection:

1. Make sure your central theme is the same
   
       Don't make the mistake of presenting radically different selling points on your web page.
   
       If the thrust of your direct mail piece outlines the product or service's primary benefit to your customer (and if you read DMU regularly, it should!) make sure to continue that same theme in your landing page.



2. Use headlines that echo each other as well as some recurring graphics
   
       The first thing your prospects should think when they log on is "Oh, I'm in the right place." Using completely different headlines, graphics and colors may make them confused and hesitant.



3. Outline your offer in the same way
   
       You already have their interest; give them what they came for. Tease the points of your offer in your direct mail piece, then use your landing page to reinforce the points.



4. Go for the sale
   
       As a famous car salesman once said: They don't walk on the lot if they aren't looking to buy. If your prospect took the time to go from your print piece to your URL, he or she is probably looking to buy your product (or use your service).
   
       Take advantage of this by making ordering easy. Use clear ordering instructions, a direct response shopping cart and simple navigation choices.

    In the next issue, we'll talk about URLs and their impact on direct mail pieces.

    Could your product or service benefit from a response-generating multichannel direct mail/landing page campaign?

    Give me a call at (310) 212-5727. My team and I at Creative Direct Marketing Group have created award-winning campaigns that deliver impressive results. And we can do the same for your company.

    We marketers spend so much time throwing around lingo like click-thrus, adwords, search optimization and conversions that sometimes we actually forget what it's like to be an average, every day prospect who is simply surfing online and shopping.

    Ask most marketers how their prospects conduct searches and most will answer the following:

• They enter a few keywords
• See the search results
• Choose a result to click
• Find what they're looking for in a try or two

    Maybe. But studies show more than half the time that scenario is a fantasy.

    The truth is, human behavior is much more complicated. If you're a regular Direct Marketing Update reader, you're familiar with my M2: Myopic Marketing theory.

    Myopic Marketing is when marketers are so close to their product or service they can't see the benefits. They're unable to see through the prospect's eyes. (To read the issue with the Myopic Marketing article, click here).

    Just like M2, it's critical to see search patterns through your prospect or customers' point of view. We know our content—and our site. So, we think we know what prospects will do.

    Research has shown web searchers do not follow a straight, linear path. The average searcher has a few words in mind and tries them. Sometimes they get lucky. But sometimes they get frustrated.

    If they don't immediately find what they want on the first page of search results, some searchers give up quickly. Others persevere. Decisions are constantly being made, sometimes rational, sometimes irrational.

    Over the next couple of weeks, we're going to simplify, simplify, simplify and place all the technical search engine optimization talk on hold.

    Instead, we're going to go back to direct response principles and remember the most important rule: Human nature is always the best indicator of what makes the sale.

    A Do-Not-Mail Registry similar in nature to the Do-Not-Call Registry seems to be on the radar for Federal Trade Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch.

    In a recent speech, Rosch was asked if the Do-Not-Call Registry could also spread to other forms of direct marketing. Rosch's response? "I am a strong believer in competition. So we need to take a real hard look at the rules that are applicable to the alternatives of telemarketing. I am talking about mail order and also sales over the Internet.

    "I think there is a strong case to be made that some of the rules of the game [that] apply to the Telemarketing Sales Rule...should also apply equally to marketing that is done by other media.

    "And if...they do apply, I will strongly encourage my colleagues to do something about that."

    Strong words. Write your senators and congressmen and make them aware of your opposition to any Do-Not-Mail legislation. Click here for a directory of state senators. And click here for a list of state representatives.

    Direct Marketing Update will keep you posted on any developments in this area.

    Many times marketers try to present a product or offer in a way that they hope the prospect just accepts. But your prospect can usually see through a thinly veiled attempt at changing reality, and chances are it will backfire...and possibly cause resentment.

    We've all seen infomercials that claim to be selling only a limited number of coins or products and then stop. This is a great example of unreality. What company would stop selling its products?

    If your pitch is centered around an unrealistic, fabricated motivation tactic, chances are you're not letting your product or service's benefits do the talking.

    How can you present your offer without giving your prospects this feeling of un-reality? The key is right in front of you. It's your Unique Selling Proposition.

    Take a look at your product or service and make sure you have the right Unique Selling Proposition (USP). If your pitch is centered around a well-crafted USP, your product will sell itself with benefits.

    Great direct marketing campaigns always start with great direct response copy. Click here to jump to an article in our Direct Response archive that highlights the 14 basic rules of direct response copy.

    Sometimes marketers are too close to their product or its corresponding Internet page and become afraid to make any changes. Or they will try to "go it alone", afraid to let a professional direct marketing expert help optimize their pages.

    A great example: MarketingExperiments.com recently presented an article about considering the overall look of your landing page or microsite and how it fits your prospect's preconceptions.

    Your prospects will have certain expectations when they type in your URL, and the look of your site should match those preconceptions.

    How you present your website is as important as how you sell your product.

    TEST: Two landing pages were tested for a people search/background check website. One page had been used for some time with acceptable success. The other was a new page designed to boost response by matching the website design with prospects' perceptions of the people search/background check industry.

    Which do you think had a higher response?

Here's the top of Version A:

Here's the top of Version B:

    RESULT: Version B...the new page...had a 12.64% higher response. An annual gain of $366,988 for the company. Why?

    Version B matched the look and feel of the site with prospects' visual bias of the people search/background check industry.

    It also had better eye flow, it showed an individual to focus on, it didn't have reverse type and it had a better headline.

    Taking a step back from your website and focusing on expectations and usability can be a major response booster.

    Is your microsite or webpage performing at its potential? Call me at (310) 212- 5727.

    My team of professionals at Creative Direct Marketing Group can help you create a website or landing page that will improve on your control. Or email me at craig@cdmginc.com

ACTION ITEMS

1. Write your senators and congressmen and express your opposition to any Federal Trade Commission movement toward Do-No-Mail legislation.

    You can find your state senator's contact information by clicking here and congressperson contact information by clicking here.

2. Click the Forward to a Friend button in the upper-right corner to pass this Direct Marketing Update on to interested friends and business associates.

3. Take a look at my article "The 6 Fundamental Truths to Increase Your Bottom Line. It's an eye-opening article on how to double your company's potential through Direct Marketing. Check it out by clicking here.

4. Start your subscription to the industry-leading digest Direct Response today. Call (310) 212-5727 and tell the representative you want to be current on the latest and hottest trends in the world of direct marketing. Call today.

    That's it for this week's edition of Direct Marketing Update. I hope that you'll keep an eye open for my next issue, as I have so much more exciting direct marketing information to share with you.



Craig A. Huey
President
Creative Direct Marketing Group
email: craig@cdmginc.com
phone: (310) 212-5727
www.cdmginc.com