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[D392]Direct Mail Marketing Association

by B.r. Cornett, B.r

The Marketer / Audience Disconnect

Many marketers (writers, designers and those who manage them) have a tendency to lose touch with the very people they're trying to persuade. This often stems from a disconnect between the frontline people who deal with customers (like sales and customer service) and the marketing team.

The result is that the marketing team (or the individual marketer) begins to write about the benefits from his or her perspective, not from the prospect's perspective. Here's a way for direct mail marketers to avoid such problems.

Create an Audience Statement

Take everything you know about your customers and compile it into a list. What do they want? What are their top concerns or fears? What do they ask about on a regular basis?

Here's how my audience statement might go if I were selling accounting software.

"My audience is primarily made up of accounting folks within small to medium-sized companies. These people are constantly under pressure to accurately account for all financial transactions within their companies. The end of the month is especially stressful for them, because they have a lot of reports that are due, and they often have to track people down to research purchases and such."

Learn Your Audience Statement

Keep your audience statement handy at all times, and update it as needed. Put it on index cards and give it to everyone involved with your company's marketing. Be able to recite it verbatim without looking.

Now all you need to do is make a list of how your product or services can help these people ... how it can answer their questions ... solve their problems ... ease their worries ... and generally make their life better / simpler / more profitable.

Then you're ready to write your direct mail piece.

Why is the headline so important to a direct mail marketing postcard? We'll get to that in a moment. First, let's demystify the headline by breaking it down to its purest form.

A headline is a line of text at the head of a document, hence the name. I don't tell you this to insult your intelligence. I tell you this to open your mind to what all a headline might accomplish.

When you use the word "headline," most people think of newspapers ("12 Arrested in Whoopee Cushion Incident") or advertisements ("Lose 15 Pounds in 30 Days, Guaranteed.") But headlines can be found on a much wider array of publications than that.

The Purpose of Headlines

In general terms, a headline is designed to:

1. Get the reader's attention so that it's the first thing they read.

2. Describe the information that follows.

3. Identify the intended audience (within the context of the publication).

These goals apply to direct mail headlines as well. Only in direct mail, there's a much stronger desire -- and financial incentive -- to getting the message read completely. If somebody buys a newspaper, glances at it and then tosses it in the trash, the newspaper has still made a sale.

But in direct mail, a quick glance followed by a trash toss equals money lost.

The Purpose of Headlines in Direct Mail

So for direct mail marketing, we could rewrite our headline goals as such:

1. Grab the recipient's attention within the first five seconds.

2. Highlight the value of the information that follows. Promise readers you will save them time or money, make them healthier or happier, or help them avoid something terrible.

3. Evoke some form of response from the intended audience.

A Headline Should Move the Reader Forward
In direct mail marketing, your headline must channel the reader toward a desired response. Maybe your postcard offers a freebie -- some product or information of value -- as a way to generate phone calls. Maybe you're pointing toward a website where some kind of sample or free trial can be obtained.

Whatever form it takes, your offer is an essential part of your postcard. But how will people know what you're offering? How will they know the value to be obtained by taking the action you want them to take?

By the headline, that's how. So if your headline falters, your entire direct mail piece falters. It doesn't matter that your offer is spectacular or your product first-rate. Without a headline that identifies the audience, grabs their attention and evokes a response, all else is lost.

Conclusion
I've known direct mail marketers who put all their energy into cool designs and flowery prose, while tacking on a headline almost as an afterthought. But I've never heard these marketers brag about their response rates or ROI.

Headlines have the power to make or break a direct mail marketing campaign. Treat them accordingly. Write them. Revise them. Hone them. Track and test them. And then start the process over again. You can't afford to do anything less.

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Article Source : online fashion marketing

About Author

Both B.r. Cornett & Brandon Cornett are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

B.r. Cornett has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Internet Marketing and Marketing. . B.r. Cornett's top article generates over 1900 views. Bookmark B.r. Cornett to your Favourites.

Brandon Cornett has sinced written about articles on various topics from Realestate Marketing, Home Buyers Guide and Real Estate. Brandon Cornett is the editor of PostcardSmart.com, the Internet's largest website dedicated entirely to direct mail marketing with postcards. For more expert articles. Brandon Cornett's top article generates over 4400 views. Bookmark Brandon Cornett to your Favourites.