Direct Marketing Update for December 18, 2008

In several previous issues, I talked about major shopping cart blunders. Here is another costly blunder you may be committing right now.

Consumers of all ages are wary of purchasing online from an unknown merchant. That’s why it’s vital to earn your prospects’ trust and demonstrate to them that their purchases are secure.

According to McAfee, 70% of consumers have terminated a transaction due to security concerns.

Here’s what you can do:

Display a security logo like McAfee Secure, Hacker Safe or VeriSign on your online order form for all to see.
If you have FAQs, add: “Is it safe to purchase online?” You might also add a link on your landing page that leads to a pop-up window with this information.
Test changing the wording on your order button to “Order now on our secure server” or “Buy with confidence on our secure server.”

If you want your prospects’ trust, you have to earn it. Be sure your security processes are always up to date.

Creating a community with Generation Y

In our last issue of Direct Marketing Update, we talked about writing to Generation Y (ages 14 to 24) and the power of “you” orientation and exclusive offers. (Click here to read the article.)

But there’s another way to leverage exclusivity for Gen Yers: Membership websites that create a sense of community are a big hit. Take for example Vera Wang Princess Nation, which supports the designer’s Princess perfume. Users can register on the site and customize their own castle, participate in exclusive surveys and chat with other “princesses.”

Generation Y’s unprecedented online connectivity to their peers means that they have an average of 115 friends on their social networking sites and are in regular contact with at least 47. And if they’re advocates of your products, their impact could be far-reaching.

Value is also a critical piece of your Gen Y marketing puzzle. According to The Intelligence Group, 72% of 14- to 34-year-olds (which includes some Gen Xers) have printed or downloaded a coupon, with 43% having done so in the past 30 days.

Copy tip: Beat the recession with a winning copy theme

As you know, many marketers are already suffering from the impact of the recession. But direct marketers know that profitability in tough economic times is possible—with good direct response copy.

The best direct response copy weaves a powerful emotional theme throughout the piece. Your one-on-one conversation with your prospect must be powerful enough to make him or her feel something.

That emotional response is the beginning of guiding your prospect toward action.

My four decades of direct marketing experience have confirmed that writing with one of the following themes will generate the best response:

Fear
Greed
Anger
Exclusivity
Safety
Advancement

In the wake of the bailout crisis, many of my clients in the investment and financial services industry are finding success with fear and safety themes. The strongest copy approaches showcased conservative investment strategies that were profitable and secure, helping to relieve prospects’ fear of further losses and their need to find a safe solution for their money.

Here’s a snippet from a recent investment campaign:

You must act quickly to protect the rest of your money. I’ll show you the specific steps to take now…before dollar-crushing inflation jeopardizes your financial recovery.

Call 1-800-XXX-XXXX today to get my free Financial Survival Kit and learn how to secure and build your wealth despite growing inflation. Or read on…

Business-to-business clients are finding “savings,” “value,” discount,” and “saving money” to be powerful in their themes.

Testing corner: Competing for clicks

In our last issue, we looked at part two of our email subject line test for a Switzerland-based publisher. (Click here to read the article.)

Here are the results: Test A, “Crisis unfolds: Carter-era inflation on the way” had been our reigning control. But it was no match for Test C, “What Bernanke and Paulson don’t want you to know.” Test C pushed our response rate another 16.5% higher as prospects responded to the intrigue and promise of inside information.

Now for this week’s test: There was a three-way split test for a paid search ad. Three different headlines were used with identical copy. The keyword was “used baseball cards.”

Here’s the control:

Vintage Baseball Cards
1000+ Baseball Cards 1952-2005
Free Shipping on $50 Singles Orders
www.gotbaseballcards.com

Here are the results of the split test:

	Headline	Click-through rate
	Vintage Baseball Cards	12.25%
	1950s Baseball Cards	8.58%
	Rare Baseball Cards	13.97%

With these results, Rare Baseball Cards became the new control. Why do you think this headline earned the most click-throughs? Email your thoughts to me at craig@cdmginc.com.

Action Items

Don’t send another piece of mail or blast another email to your prospects without tweaking it for the recession. If you don’t update your message to reflect the current marketplace, you’ll be throwing your money away. If you need further assistance tailoring your message, or if you’d like me to review your approach, simply email me at craig@cdmginc.com or call me at 310-212-5727. I’d be glad to help.
Mark your calendar for January 13. I’ll be presenting another seminar to help you supercharge your marketing for the coming year. I’ll also keep you up to date on the emerging marketing trends you need to know. I’ll have all the details for you in the next issue of Direct Marketing Update, to be published in January.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and relaxing New Year!

Yours for direct marketing success,

Craig A. Huey signature
Craig A. Huey
President
Creative Direct Marketing Group, Inc.
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.

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