30 direct mail creative ideas

Direct marketing guru, Herschell Gordon Lewis was the presenter in a recent webinar sponsored by Target Marketing. Lewis has authored 21 direct response books and is a columnist for a half dozen marketing magazines. He is one of the best known direct response writers.

Lewis offered 30 ideas to improve your direct marketing. Here are the first 15. The rest will be featured in the next LetterLink Newsletter.

1. Write the way people talk - In one to one marketing, contractions don’t hurt communications…they help.
2. Specifics out pull generalizations - A 20 year guarantee sounds better than lifetime.
3. Maximize the recipients image – Flattery is a powerful emotion in direct mail.
4. Replace “can” with “will” – Your copy will be more positive.
5. Match the rhetoric to your audience – Does your recipient wear trousers or pants?
6. DM copy should produce direct rhetoric – Generate emotions like guilt, greed or anger.
7. Add to your prospects stature – Exclusivity will trigger important emotions.
8. Don’t use passive copy – Active words get (receive is passive) better response.
9. Watch punctuation – Exclamations might stop the reader!!!
10. Transform a command into question – Will a question involve your reader and build rapport?
11. Avoid the rule of fives – Replace numbers divisible by five with prime numbers like 19 or 31. They’re 97% more believable.
12. Expand claritive words – Expanding the headline, “Save 10% Weekdays” to “Save 10% Mon.-Fri.” will improve response.
13. Practice word economy – Drop words or phrases that slow communication and add nothing to the message.
14. Cliché art is passé – Photos will out pull clip art.
15. Emotion wins over intellect – Benefits are emotional. They’ll beat a list of features every time.

To be Continued in spring LetterLink 11-2. For more information about Lewis, visit herschellgordonlewis.com.