News from Direct Marketing Update for July 24th

Direct Marketing Update

CDMG, Inc. 310-212-5727 craig@cdmginc.com
Nobody knows direct marketing better!

7/24/08

Dear Direct Marketer,

Welcome to this week's Direct Marketing Update. In this issue, you'll learn the secret as to why some direct mail doesn't work (and what to do about it).

Plus we continue our series that shows you how to stop the bleeding from shopping cart abandonment on the web.

In This Issue...

7 Costly and Common Direct Mail Blunders
Web Strategy: Your #1 Way to Stop Shopping Cart Abandonment
Copy Tip: The Profit Power of the "How to" Headline
Testing Corner: Which of These Headlines Pulled Best?

7 Costly and Common Direct Mail Blunders

Whether you use direct mail to generate new prospects, clients or customers, the medium remains one of the most powerful ways to generate a lead or a sale.

For both consumer and B2B marketers, it provides a low cost per lead or sale.

    That's right.

    Although I personally encourage my clients to use other media like banner ads, email blasts, display ads and broadcast radio and TV in their marketing efforts, repeatedly we find that the power of direct mail--even in this online age--is still the #1 most effective way of marketing for immediate, tangible response.

    So why is it that so many people don't get the type of ROI they should expect from direct mail? Why do you look at a mailing package and think it's going to work, but it doesn't?

    In this issue of Direct Marketing Update and the next, I'll give you 7 blunders some marketers make that result in a depression of response using direct mail.

    This first blunder is also the costliest.

Blunder #1:

The #1 destroyer of a great direct mail piece is a poorly constructed offer.

It's unbelievable how much money is wasted because marketers do not have a powerful offer.

The offer is what the prospect or client gets...it's his perceived value of what you're presenting.

That offer should include:

The right pricing...or construction of a FREE offer
A FREE premium...usually editorial
A discount, if it's a direct sell and appropriate
An ironclad guarantee, if appropriate

Now, I've touched upon offers in previous issues. You can see them here:

    So in evaluating a mailing package, one of the first things I look at is the offer and ask myself...is this powerful enough?

    But that's not the only reason direct mail doesn't perform the way it should.

    In the next issue, I'll share 6 more blunders. But in the meantime, I'm curious as to what you think those might be. What are your observations why some direct mail doesn't work? Email me now at craig@cdmginc.com and let me know.

    Is your direct mail piece helping or hindering sales? Mail or email me a copy of one of your marketing promotions. I'll call you with a FREE custom critique to help up the ROI with your direct mail.

Web Strategy: Your #1 Way to Stop Shopping Cart Abandonment

    Last issue we talked about how 7.5 out of 10 people abandon shopping carts. Likewise, based on our readers' response, their results seem to fall within that range.

    How do you stop this hemorrhage? How do you increase your orders or leads and decrease the number of people leaving the shopping cart page?

    The most obvious reason for shopping cart abandonment goes back to the way shopping carts were constructed 10 years ago. It's changing now, but back then, order forms were a very complicated process.

    Still today, many marketers have 3, 4, 5, 6, as many as 10 different sections or pages for taking a customer's order over the web.

    Here's an example of a seamless, smart shopping cart. Notice how all the information intake is on one web page.

Shopping Cart Seamless

It has copy reinforcement, like benefits and features, that affirms a prospect's decision to buy. The opposite would be tombstone or boilerplate copy that repels a buy decision.

Now take a look at this partial example of a multistep shopping cart...what you want to avoid:

Shopping cart bad

Shoppiing cart 3

There are 2 reasons why these shopping carts depress response:

The multistep process has proven to lose prospect with every step they take.
These are tombstone carts with no sales/reinforcement copy. As your customer is filling out his or her data, there's nothing to save the sale.

Remember how I began this series by telling you that 7.5 people out of 10 abandon shopping carts?

    We've seen increases of 300% to 400% for clients who have followed our direct response rule of using only a 1- to 3-part order form on the shopping cart page.

    Almost every shopping cart my staff and I are creating today has 1 to 2 clicks and that's it! The more clicks, the more drop-offs.

    The fewer clicks in your cart, the lower your abandonment rates.

   Go to your shopping cart right now. Pretend you're a prospect. If you have more than 3 clicks, something major is wrong. If you'd like to change it, contact me at craig@cdmginc.com and I'll be glad to help.

Copy Tip: The Profit Power of the "How to" Headline

  In the next few issues, I'm going to show you how to write powerful headlines that pull response by following the rules of direct marketing.

    Famous direct response marketer and legendary copywriter David Ogilvy once said that 5 times as many people read your headline as read your ad copy. And unless your headline sells your product, you've wasted 90% of your advertising dollar.

    Too many of today's headlines cripple sales and lead generation because they violate the basic principles of direct response--even when written by professional copywriters!

    A powerful headline writing tactic that's proven itself over and over is one of my favorites. It's called the "How to" and it works equally well for products and services, whether consumer or B2B.

    Prospects want useful information and are naturally drawn to tips that make life better, easier, happier or more profitable.

    The "How to" headline must have the sales components of emotion, relevancy and creativity while sparking interest.

    Check out the structure of these magnetic "How to" headlines and see if you don't agree that what comes after these two timeless words makes all the difference in the attention and readability your headline gets.

    Dual benefits: Place a prospect benefit before and then after the word "and."

How to Win Friends and Influence People (Book)
How to Save Time and Get Things Done (Time Management Coach)

Task + benefit: Start with what your product or service does, ask yourself what your product's best benefit is, and use "that" as a transition between the two.

How to Scan Legal Documents That Make Compliance Easy (Document Management)
How to Get a Mortgage That Saves You Money

Increase curiosity by starting with "How" and leave out the "to."

How Anyone Can Profit from the Coming Stock Market Crash (Financial Advisor)
How One Simple Call Center Tweak Puts More Profit in Your Pocket

Now that you understand the benefits of using a "How to" headline-writing tactic that can increase your response, email me if you've used a "How to" in your marketing headlines.

Tell me whether or not it pulled response for your business and I'll tell you my reasons why it performed like it did. Email me at craig@cdmginc.com.

Testing Corner: Which of These Headlines Pulled Best?

As you know, marketing battles can be won or lost at the headline.

While formulas help in headline creation, no one really knows what a headline will do until tested or rolled out in a live campaign.

Check out today's split-test to choose which of 3 headlines you think generated the most response, plus the answer to our last quiz: "Which Email Is the Winning Offer?

ACTION ITEMS

1. Take a look at your current direct mail campaign. Is it pulling in the response it should be? Are you testing various offers?

Subscribe to the industry-leading digest Direct Response and keep current. Please call us now at 310-212-5727 and tell our representative you'd like to subscribe to Direct Response.

2. Put yourself in your prospects' shoes and take yourself through your order-taking process. Does it feel good or is it overwhelming? I can help get your shopping cart to a few clicks...making sales faster than ever. Email craig@cdmginc.com.

3. Click here to read the insightful article on the proven, tested, V.I.V.A.™ direct marketing system. It's a must-read article for every direct marketer and business owner looking to boost their response rates.

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

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

Click here to visit the Direct Response Library. You'll find numerous articles from past issues of my Direct Response newsletters that provide even more valuable direct marketing help.

CDMG Inc Home Page/Case Studies/Direct Response Library/Contact Craig/Direct Response Newsletter/Direct Marketing Update Archives

This direct marketing newsletter has been prepared by and is the property of Creative Direct Marketing Group, Inc. The information contained herein has been carefully compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All photos and graphics are used by permission of their creators. Reproduction or electronic transmission of information contained in this report in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

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About Craig Huey:

CDMG, Inc. president and founder Craig Huey is internationally recognized for consulting with a wide variety of businesses--small, medium and large.

His straightforward advice works with turning entrepreneurs into millionaires and ideas into even larger fortunes for the multibillion-dollar corporation.

He is accredited with generating more leads and orders than any other direct marketer in the nation.

   Craig is a worldwide authority in ROI-pulling direct response. He is also a leading consultant in copywriting, Internet strategies and profit- improvement systems. Craig's articles appear in publications such as Inc., AdAge, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine, The Los Angeles Business Journal, Direct and others.

    In addition to publishing Direct Marketing Update and the industry newsletter, Direct Response, Mr. Huey is president of Creative Direct Marketing Group, a full-service direct response advertising agency, as well as InfoMat, a postal and email list brokerage and management company.

    Email Craig at craig@cdmginc.com.

Meet Craig Huey in Person

In August and September, Craig will be traveling to these cities:

Boston
Washington, DC
Paris
Zurich
San Francisco
Chicago
Minneapolis

He'd love to meet you. Or stop by and say hello anytime you're in Los Angeles.

Take the opportunity to up your ROI with a FREE custom critique of one of your marketing pieces from one of the best in the business! Talk to Deb at 310-212-5727 Ext. 117 and she'll set you up.

Find Prospects Fast

The fastest way to get your prospects to buy what you're selling is to market to a ready-made list with the names of perfectly targeted prospects.

You know your product, and at InfoMat, we know the niche that needs it.

At InfoMat, we have access to little-known mailing lists that you've probably never heard of.

We uncover highly responsive quality mailing lists on a daily basis.

For 35 years, we've been advising large and small companies on how to find, test and use niche email and postal mailing lists to reach buying prospects.

Income Without Lifting a Finger

"InfoMat's list team is the best! I've worked with them since 1984. At first I had my list managed by someone else. When I switched, they more than quadrupled my income. I'm delighted with their ability to generate income!"

--Dr. Bruce West
Publisher, Health Alert

If you love doubling or tripling your profits as much as we do, why not pick up the phone right now and call Tina Fonteno at 310-212-5944 Ext. 150 or click here to contact us. We can help make the next quarter your best one ever.

InfoMat, Inc.
Quality Lists for Maximum Profitability

5-minute Changes to Skyrocket Your Sales
Direct Marketing Tip #27:

It Pays to Use Color

While using one ink color is the economical choice for most card pack offers, it also gives you the most economical return on your investment.

Consider using four colors. Not only will you enhance your mailer's visual impact, catalogers have seen a 30% to 40% increase with four-color cards.

Using two colors has not shown to increase response by a recognizable degree.

What's more, you'll do better with a card printed horizontally than with a card printed the vertical way.

Learn How to Improve Your Marketing: Create Compelling Offers, Target Qualified Leads and Use the Secrets of Direct Response to Increase Your Bottom Line

   Let Craig Huey show you the proven methods for getting dramatic improvements in your marketing results.

    Craig is one of the most dynamic, entertaining and sought-after speakers in the direct marketing world.

    Speaking and training nationwide more than 20 times a year, Craig informs, inspires, challenges and provides answers to marketers and management at hundreds of companies.

Book Craig for your company event or annual sales meeting.

You'll find out how to motivate skeptical prospects in the current economy and more.

Each attendee will walk away with new understanding and a game plan for action to win at direct response marketing.

You want results and someone who can make a difference. That difference is Craig Huey.

Talk to a real person in our friendly office. Call Deb at 310-212-5727 Ext. 117 to request information about customized seminars.

Quote of the Week

"The best creative idea and the soundest copy may go to waste if the right list is not available."

--David Ogilvy

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Call Craig Huey now at 310-212-5727 or email craig@cdmginc.com to discuss how he and his team of marketing professionals can create direct marketing copy that will work for your next campaign.

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Let Craig Supercharge Your Results!

Over the past 25 years Craig has worked for more than 400 companies of every conceivable: