Unique Original Articles » Secrets to Money-Making Direct Response Copywriting!

Direct response copywriting is without doubt the most powerful but most poorly understood and poorly used marketing weapon available to the small business owner.

More than once I've had clients complain, "I tried direct mail... and it didn't work!".

But what it actually means it didn't work for them on that occasion. Because the truth is, a well crafted direct mail piece to a good list and containing an irresistible offer is as good as money in the bank.

I personally have written a direct mail letter for a small-business client which yielded a 57% response rate and a 46% conversion rate on a £6,000 item. Her Return on Investment (ROI) was a huge 36:1!

That means for every £1 she spent on the piece, including my fees, she got £36 back in her pocket.

Now tell me direct response copywriting doesn't work for small businesses!

Two Vital Direct Response Copywriting Basics!

Of course, there's more to it than just having any old letter sent haphazardly to a list of people you think might want to buy your stuff.

The very first two things to understand are ROI and testing.

The first, ROI, is critical because you need to make sure your marketing is at least breaking even, and better yet turning a profit; even though occasionally you can profitably not make money on an initial mailing.

Secondly, testing: don't send more than 1000 pieces of any new mailing. Even as few as 500 is enough for you to get a good idea how it's going to perform on the whole.

Don't send 10,000 pieces of direct response copywriting in an untested mailing unless you like losing a lot of money! I know a fellow ... and lost about £15,000.

So let's get on to the other things you should consider before you even think about writing your direct mail piece.

Make Sure It's Going to the Right Person!

It's no good sending a letter selling pork sausages to a list of vegans, or condoms to a list of nuns! And your database of existing clients is the most profitable place to begin!

In the example above, the one which gave my client a 36:1 ROI, she sent it, against my advice, to a badly chosen list... and got a ZERO response rate, ZERO sales and ZERO ROI! Yes, and she blamed me... meaning she was instantly an ex-client.

The list you use is the most vital element in any mailing. It's that simple. So take your time and really think it through before you decide whom you're going to mail to.

Ensure Your Letter Gets Delivered!

Hand-address your envelopes to a named individual, don't use corporate stationary, and use a real live stamp, not a frank! Make it look like a personal piece of correspondence.

Why?

Because, like it or not, the postal service isn't always that good. Mail looking like "junk" mail is neither anticipated nor valued. It's too easy for the recipient to throw it out without opening it.

But if your direct response copywriting is in a letter that looks personal then it's going to be treated more seriously by the postman and the recipient - meaning it's more likely to get delivered and opened.

Give Them a Reason for Opening It!

Now you have the letter in their hands.

But will they open it?

If they don't open it, they can't read it. If they don't read it... then they can't respond to it and give you money

Hand-addressing the envelope and using a real stamp go a long way to getting your direct mail opened as well as delivered.

But we can do more, as well.

For instance... place something "lumpy" in the letter to pique their interest, or some compelling "teaser copy" on the outside of the envelope to get them to open it.

The only limit is your imagination.

Get Your Letter Read!

Most letters don't get read.

It's amazing... you've managed to get this far... then you turn off your reader with a dull and insipid letter which very "professional" but deadly dull to read.

So rather than start your letter with your logo or company name, use a compelling headline.

Follow the AIDA formula: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action! Write long copy rather than short copy and forge that emotional connection.

Make sure you have an an irresistible offer, a genuine reason for them to respond to you. Don't just say, "call us if we can help". They won't. There's no drive, no urgency there.

Get Them to Respond!

It's called direct response copywriting for a reason: it's direct. Straight from you to your prospect, and the response comes right back to you if you tell them how to respond to it!

Not only do you need to make them an offer in all your direct mail, but you need to tell them exactly why, how, and when they need to respond to it! And the more ways you give them to reply, and the more urgent your offer is, the more responses you'll get.

People are fundamentally lazy. You've got to tell them very clearly how and why they need to respond otherwise they just won't bother.

Learning the art of profitable direct response copywriting isn't difficult - it's simply a matter of sticking to some well established, battle-tested and proven rules.

British Direct Response Copywriter and marketing big-hitter Jon McCulloch is the hottest property in marketing since Dan Kennedy. Discover for yourself exactly why marketing guru Bill Glazer used so many pieces of Jon's work in his book, Outrageous Advertising: http://www.jonmcculloch.com
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