Not as much as you might think there is…
There are the obvious differences, the paper and the ink, the list and the lettershop, but the basic process should be closer than you think.
So, let’s go through the components piece by piece.
THE ENVELOPE & THE LANDING PAGE
The goal of your envelope is simple: get the reader inside. Prospects make the decision to open / not open a direct mail package within eight-tenths or a second…literally a heartbeat. In that time, they look for two things: first that you spelled their name correctly. Then, they look for a compelling reason to tear open the envelope and see what’s inside. Sometimes, it’s the word FREE, sometimes it’s a discount. And for some envelopes, it’s a word of dire warning, imminent surprise or looming deadline.
That landing page of your e-commerce web site is the envelope of your promotion. Visitors have just a few tenths of a second to decide if they will hit the “back” button, or go to their favorites list and wander off from your site.
Naturally, they are not checking for the correctness of their name (unless you are using PURL technology.) So, their decision to go any further in their relationship with your site rests solely on the first message they see.
Is your opening message compelling? I mean really compelling… not something that you think is interesting, but something that will grab the attention of a “passer-by” and induce them to continue reading.
THE SALES LETTER & THE LONG PAGE
Great sales letters share common traits. They grab the attention of the reader. They raise their interest in the subject matter. They create a desire in the reader for more. They have a strong call to action.
I like to think of sales letters as a three-act play. “You have a problem. I have a solution.
Here’s how you get that solution.”
It does not matter if the sales letter is two pages or 18-pages. The goal of the writer is to write until the story is complete. In print, the longer the letter is, the greater the cost of production. But on the Internet, the sales letter can continue until the sale closes without increasing the cost of production.
I love writing Web site copy where my client appreciates that fact. That gives me the freedom to present a comprehensive presentation of my case. It gives me the opportunity to overcome all potential objections of the reader. It gives me the chance to present every benefit.
And both the printed sales letter and the web page require a great call to action.
Too often, I see Web sites forget the basic rule that, at some point, you must direct the reader to place an order. (As the old salesman used to say, “If you don’t ask for the order, someone else will.”)
In print, I love using this line: “Get out your pen and complete the Order Form…” So, I can’t say that now, but I can say something like, “Warm up your fingers and get ready to place your order in just a few keystrokes!” In print, we usually give the reader three simple instructions to place the order, and it often looks like this:
1. Take out your pen and complete the Order Form below.
2. Select the size and color that makes the perfect addition to your wardrobe.
3. Place your completed Order Form and payment in the envelope and drop it in the mail
before next Tuesday (so that we can get your request back to you ASAP!)
Three simple instructions, where I include a benefit (the buyer is adding something of value to their wardrobe) and a deadline (next Tuesday) to increase urgency.
Look at most e-commerce Web sites. Do they have a strong call to action? Do they just say, “Click here to order” or do they offer a closing benefit and a deadline?
THE ORDER FORM - ORDER PAGE
Great order forms all start the same, with a USP (Unique Selling Proposition.) It should start with, “YES, I want…” and then spell out amazing, specific and dynamic benefits of the purchase to come. (Here’s something I do when I write that USP: I try to cram in every possible benefit into one sentence. For example, for a lipstick marketer I wrote, “YES, I want to have the sexiest, most luscious, kissable lips that will be the envy of every other woman and the desire of the man of my dreams. I don’t want to endure nasty surgical procedures, needles or expensive visits to a clinic. And I want it in my favorite colors so I can match either my eyes or my wardrobe as I wish. PLUS… If I’m not happy – and that means if I’m not kissed by the love of my life – within 5 days of the first time I use <Lipstick Name>, I want a full refund of what I paid for it today.”
Then, I edit that USP down to something more manageable. But you get the idea.
Look at most e-commerce Web sites. At the top of the Order page you will see, “Yes, send me the lipstick.” No benefits, no guarantee and no urgency. The Web Order Page just is not doing its job. And that hurts results and puts everyone in a lousy mood.
THE BROCHURE & THE SIDE PAGES
The axiom says, “The letter sells and the brochure tells.”
In direct mail, the brochure tells the readers about all the features of the product/service. The benefits are in the sales letter. The brochure has the glossy pictures, the graphics that demonstrate usage or results. Maybe a few testimonials help convince the reader.
On your e-commerce Web site, are you using the “brochure” properly? Do you have sidebar links or drop down menus to cover additional features of the product, graphics and statistics and testimonials?
THE LIFT NOTE - EXIT INTENT PAGE
In the direct mailer, we get to add that wonderful lift note. The lift not is a smaller piece of paper, often with the words “Before you decide NOT to buy today, you MUST read this…” on one side.
And we call it the Lift Note because it really does lift response. It can be – and often is – the final point in the sales presentation. It is the convincer.
So, where is your online lift note? Where is that small box that says, “Click here to see one more vital point…” that leads to a small pop-up box with that great closing point? If you do not have one on your e-commerce Web site, you are not lifting response and you are losing sales and profits.
For more than seven decades, the direct mail presentation proved a successful medium for marketers. You find proven lessons on those pages – proven through testing and re-testing, measuring and analyzing responses.
Does your e-commerce Web site ignore those lessons? Are losing leads, dropping sales and hurting profits because you don’t include proven techniques, just because someone, somewhere, told you “Direct Mail is dead.”
It’s not dead… but it does give you the blueprint for success. Follow the rules (while you are thinking outside the box) and reap the rewards of great direct response marketing.
Feel free to hit that comment button below. Or contact me directly at PeterTBritton@novuscom.net if you have any questions… or maybe need a little help turning your e-commerce site into that moneymaking machine you desire.
Peter T. Britton
Idea Generator. Wordsmith. Resultant
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