5 of the Best Tips for Writing Copy for Direct Mailings
Many marketers continue to think of direct mail marketing as an old-school strategy. However, this technique has emerged as one of the most effective ways to generate leads and drive sales. Even millennials, long recognized as one of the most difficult demographics to reach through marketing, tend to respond much more to direct mail than digital initiatives.
As with all marketing, not all campaigns are created equally. Companies need to capture the imagination of their target audience enough to get them to read the piece of mail before discarding it. One of the most important ways of capturing the attention of customers is the use of excellent copy. Some tips to keep in mind when it comes to producing copy for direct mailers include:
1. Make the benefit to the customer explicit.
People will only spend a split second determining whether or not they want to read a piece of mail. Individuals are much more likely to continue reading a piece of mail that clearly evokes the unique advantage the product or service provides to the reader. In general, this is less about what the marketer is actually selling and more about what the potential benefit is for the customer.
Think about a company that offers a course on real estate investment. A headline that offers customers a course about getting involved in real estate investment is unlikely to spark a lot of interest unless the customer is already considering this path. However, a headline that explains how people have made six figures using these strategies will get a lot more attention. The earnings potential serves as a “hook” to inspire curiosity in the audience.
2. Format for easy reading.
No one likes reading long paragraphs, especially if they are not already invested in the topic. A direct mailing with a lot of jargon will not readily appeal to potential customers who see the big chunks of copy as a time sink. Formatting is important for making the mail easy to read.
Bullet points are a great way of highlighting special features and benefits that can hook the reader into gathering more information. Paragraphs should be short and avoid extraneous information. The mailer can always point customers to sources for more information. Subheadings can help create a story for the readers to follow as they move through the mailing. While copywriters want to avoid being too repetitive, reinforcing the main idea in different ways can help the main idea stick.
3. Focus on creating intrigue.
Too often, marketers fall into the trap of thinking that they need to give all the details to secure a sale. In reality, the opposite is true. Direct mailings do not need to have every piece of relevant information about a product or service. Rather, the point is to create intrigue and then direct individuals on how they can learn more, whether that means visiting a website, making a phone call, or requesting more information by mail.
Copywriters should try to make readers curious throughout the whole piece by offering hints that something is going to be revealed: “We will get to the secret soon, but first some background that will put everything in context.” Even at the end of the piece, individuals should still be wanting more.
4. Tell an engaging story.
Especially for longer sales pieces, an engaging story is critically important. The piece needs to maintain the interest of the reader, and everyone loves a good story. Finding the right story can be tricky.
Perhaps the story is about someone whose life changed due to the product or service. The story could also focus on the person who created the company and the struggles that individual was trying to overcome by developing the product or service.
Ideally, the reader starts to identify with the story and gets pulled into the narrative to the point that the individual feels like he or she can have the same experience. People tend to love archetypal narratives, like rags-to-riches stories. However, it is important not to be too stereotypical that the story loses credibility or becomes boring.
5. Consider the audience.
In order to write engaging copy, the key is to think about the intended audience and what those individuals already know, as well as what they might want to know. Tailoring the copy to a particular recipient makes it more likely that they feel like the company is talking directly to them. This in turn helps build rapport and trust with potential customers.
Sometimes, it makes sense to make multiple different mailings with copy tailored to particular groups of customers. This is particularly true if the company targets multiple audiences who may use the product or service in different ways.
While this involves much more work up front, the final pieces will prove much more effective than a general, nonspecific piece that does not really speak to anyone directly. In the end, customers want to feel special and singled out by the marketer.
