[One of the biggest benefits of direct response marketing (this includes snail mail or email) is that you can get almost immediate feedback from your market. You should be constantly testing to see if you can beat your “control” mailing.
So what should you be testing? Obviously, you should always be testing your lists. Today, you can refine and redefine your target audience to the nth degree. Don’t be afraid to segment and sub-segment.
You should also test your offers. Does a certain dollar-amount discount create more inquiries than a percentage-off deal? What if you add in something free rather than money off? How about putting in a deadline or shortening the current one? What does that do to responses?
Those are the basics. But where do you go from there?
Copy Length: Many direct response writers swear by the maxim “the more you tell, the more you sell.” While some still argue that’s true, we point to the USA Today mentality of today’s audiences. They want it fast, visual or bullet pointed.
Headlines: This is the make-or-break-it moment. The headline either lures the reader in or tells them not to bother going any further. Your headline should be the “once upon a time” part of the story. It sets the stage and tells the reader what’s in it for them.
The P.S.: In readership studies, the P.S. is one of the most read elements of any direct response piece. In many studies, a piece with a P.S. outperforms 3 to 1 over the same piece without the P.S. So be sure to include one.
In today’s social media marketing world, sometimes the tried and true strategies are overlooked. It’s a rare marketing tool that can be so specifically tracked, measured and analyzed. Take advantage of these features to maximize your response.
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