The other day I got a flyer on my front door with a menu for a new pizza place that just opened nearby. It was a pretty shoddy job, tons of typos, missing sentences, crooked printing, obviousely done by hand. And the biggest mistake, no mention of why their pizza is any better than the other 2 dozen competitors within 5 miles of my house.
It's another case of a guy/girl with a dream ... "I want to have my own pizza shop someday." Nice dream, but probably a big waste of their money, as several others have tried and failed. Not to be cynical, but he/she has no marketing plan. The first attempt (and impression) was simply bad.
In today's economy, shelling out likely tens of thousands of dollars to refit space, buy equipment and supplies, and take on a payroll, is not a good idea. Especially with rising food prices, and shrinking family budgets that are cutting down on eating out habits. With so many good, low-cost-to-start home businesses today, I wonder what they were thinking.
At the very least, he/she should tell us why to choose their pizza over their competition. My prediction: Six months and they're gone. UNLESS they can convince us they have the best pizza in town. But I don't see it happening. Moral of the story ... A good/smart marketing plan could save him. And a poor one, or lack of one, will make him wish he'd never tried.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Where do Most Mail Packages Fail?
After writing DM copy nonstop for 14 years, I've now written well over 1000 mail packages. And while not all of them worked, most of them have. I've been asked before, "What is the most important part of a direct mail package?" The offer ... the headline ... the P.S. ... the envelope ... the price point ... the graphic design?
And my answer is that's it's ALL important! That's why I succeed more often than I fail. I've written enough of them to know that you can't let ANY of the parts fail.
Though if I had to pick one thing that causes a mail package to "fail" it's not any one technical component, it's lack of connection. What I mean is that it fails to connect with the reader. It comes across as a sterile, corporate, non-personal communication that fails to get one step in front of the reader, and know before-hand, what their thoughts, feelings, ideas and hesitations are about your product or service.
A direct mail package is supposed to be a PERSONAL letter from a real person. Yet, so many simply add a signature at the end of the letetr and call it personal.
It has to go way beyond that! It has to be an emotional mail package. It has to be written with emotion so it causes emotion from the reader. So yes, the offer has to be red hot and appealing, too good to pass up ... the headline has to be bold, specific, powerful and intriuging ... the P.S. has to make the reader want to go see what they may have missed if all they read was the P.S. ... the envelope HAS to make them want to tear it open to see what's inside ... the price has to make sense and be affordable ... and the design has to be pleasing to the eye and help them to walk down the intended path to the order form.
So what is the most important part of a mail package? I say personality, common sense, intuition. When a mail package comes together correctly, all the parts come together WITH emotion, and connectivity to make a great piece of advertising. Any copwriter can go down the checklist and make sure all the "parts" are there, but only a good one can make those parts work synergystically to make a sale.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
And my answer is that's it's ALL important! That's why I succeed more often than I fail. I've written enough of them to know that you can't let ANY of the parts fail.
Though if I had to pick one thing that causes a mail package to "fail" it's not any one technical component, it's lack of connection. What I mean is that it fails to connect with the reader. It comes across as a sterile, corporate, non-personal communication that fails to get one step in front of the reader, and know before-hand, what their thoughts, feelings, ideas and hesitations are about your product or service.
A direct mail package is supposed to be a PERSONAL letter from a real person. Yet, so many simply add a signature at the end of the letetr and call it personal.
It has to go way beyond that! It has to be an emotional mail package. It has to be written with emotion so it causes emotion from the reader. So yes, the offer has to be red hot and appealing, too good to pass up ... the headline has to be bold, specific, powerful and intriuging ... the P.S. has to make the reader want to go see what they may have missed if all they read was the P.S. ... the envelope HAS to make them want to tear it open to see what's inside ... the price has to make sense and be affordable ... and the design has to be pleasing to the eye and help them to walk down the intended path to the order form.
So what is the most important part of a mail package? I say personality, common sense, intuition. When a mail package comes together correctly, all the parts come together WITH emotion, and connectivity to make a great piece of advertising. Any copwriter can go down the checklist and make sure all the "parts" are there, but only a good one can make those parts work synergystically to make a sale.
Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com
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