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Learn About Direct Response Marketing
It's not uncommon for people to have heard the phrase "direct response marketing," but most people don't know what that phrase means. By definition, direct response marketing is when a business runs promotions that allow or require consumers to respond immediately to an ad that has been sent by mail, email, phone, fax, or other form of communication. Everyone with a mailbox or email address has likely received an ad that fits the definition of direct response marketing, but immediately identifies it as "junk" and throws it in the recycle box or clicks the Delete button. There are very few direct response marketing efforts that actually produce the desired results and stand out from the mass of discarded attempts. These efforts are the result of carefully planned direct response marketing campaigns that likely followed a basic but important list of guidelines to be successful.
A little research is essential before attempting any type of direct marketing campaign. There are a number of "experts" who can guide a direct marketing campaign to a target audience based on the product being sold or the service being offered. There is no point in launching a blind direct response marketing campaign and reaching hundreds of disinterested people.
Nobody spends a lot of time looking at what could eventually be considered spam. A direct response marketing message should be short and direct within the first sentence of any letter. If a letter that tries to evoke a response is not expressed in the first sentence of a letter, it was not worth sending it in the first place. If the letter has made your point clear, you don't need to dwell on the features that come with or may arise as a result of a product or service. People want to know how something will benefit them and nothing else. If a product saves a person time or improves their quality of life in any way, those are the kinds of things that should be pointed out in a short letter to the point.
The more personal a direct response marketing campaign is, the better. If a person feels that a letter is specifically addressed to them, they are more likely to take a look at the correspondence than an obvious form letter that was probably sent to thousands of other people. Keep in mind that a direct response marketing effort is the first step in getting someone interested. The next step is for the person to make a phone call or return a response of some kind.
Studies in direct response marketing have uncovered some interesting tips that can improve the way a letter is written for any target audience. People don't like being challenged when they read complicated ideas and language in unsolicited communication, so the writing of any letter should be simple and easy to understand. This provides an excellent opportunity for direct response marketing writers to reiterate their offer or request and spark interest.