For example, if I’m promoting a newsletter on the subject of recruiting, I probably will have to live without subscribers to a hypothetical “Recruiting” magazine (unless I can work out a swap, which is always worth a phone call). But a compiled list of “corporate recruiters” would rate an “A.”

A list of human resources managers might also rate an “A,” but a list of human resource directors or VPs wouldn’t. Why? Because human resource managers often do the actual recruiting work and they need the help. HR directors and vice presidents are somewhat removed from the day-to-day recruiting process (been there, done that) and probably wouldn’t think they need hands-on advice on recruiting.

Watch Out for Fuzzy Logic

OK, you might say, but wouldn’t HR directors want their people to know as much as possible about recruiting and pass the mailing piece along to them? Or, might not some of these HR VPs make hiring decisions? Sure, some might. But that’s not a primary and normally anticipated behavior for this group. Be careful of that kind of fuzzy logic, tempting as it can be. It will have you selecting marginal lists, which will tend to drag down your aggregate response. If the promotion or offer isn’t directly related to the person receiving it, your odds of a sale drop dramatically.

The numbers are assigned according to the total size of the list, relative to the lists I have to choose from. The largest lists rate (1), next largest (2), etc.  Smaller lists (3) can always be added to a continuation or rollout later at low incremental cost, rather than claiming a spot in the initial test. You don’t want to mail too many small lists, since even if you get a good hit on some of them, there won’t be many names to go back to.

I then construct my test list A-1s first, A-2s, B-1s, B-2s, and so on. If you find yourself getting down into “C” lists rather quickly, you may have a list problem, or need to look further.

Some additional points to remember when renting and using lists:

• Be sure all lists are coded by test panel (or order forms are coded if the record is not on the return piece) so you can record results by list.
• Make list selections by “Nth” name to spread your test evenly across the list.
• Always eyeball the list before you mail. You might even pull some names at random and call them to verify that they are who you think they are.
• Remember that the list owner will require a sample mailing piece before approving the list rental. Plan ahead.

#            #            #

Adapted from Streetwise Direct Marketing by George Duncan, Adams Media, Inc.
January 2001.copyright 2000-2001, George Duncan, all rights reserved.

First let’s address the question of grammar and usage when writing to teachers because it’s an exception to the usual rule. Conventional wisdom around direct mail copywriting to most markets is “keep in mind, this isn’t the Great American Novel. It’s writing for dollars. Ms. Grundy or Sister Mary Elizabeth won’t be around to rap your knuckles if you split an infinitive. And if your copy reads more clearly that way, go ahead and split it! Not sure which punctuation is best after a statement? Use an “em” dash—like that—and to heck with it.”

But what if you’re writing to Ms. Grundy or Sister Mary Elizabeth? Ah, now that’s another matter! Like the professional proofreader who was unable to read the daily newspaper—he had to compulsively “proof” it—teachers are in a similar spot. They’re much more sensitive than most to grammatical mistakes, errors in punctuation, and so forth. So, while you still want your copy to flow, you probably don’t want to take quite as many liberties in writing to teachers as you might with a general consumer letter.

The point of grammatical license in sales copy is that you want your writing to be crystal clear to the reader, whatever it takes. You want the reader to move smoothly from the outer envelope teaser to the order form (or telephone, or Web site). Any major interruption in the reader’s train of thought, such as an awkward phrase or sentence, even if grammatically correct, and chances are you’ll be derailed. So copywriters sometimes overlook strict grammatical rules in phrasing and punctuation if it makes the point more clearly or emphatically. In writing to teachers, however, that same tactic could well cause the distraction!

Good copywriting also has a rhythm that helps move the reader along. Alliterations in text, short statements and comments, use of contractions (“you’ll” instead of “you will,” for example), use of italics for emphasis (sparingly!), and rising and falling inflections, all contribute to a sort of iambic pentameter for copy that makes reading more of a pleasure, and less of a chore.

Headlines and Teacher Benefits

The first thing to consider in your letter or brochure is the headline. The headline is critical in determining the success of a mailing piece. It focuses readers’ attention on one quick benefit or promise (or two) and gives them a reason to spend their valuable time reading this material. Put more forcefully, it’s what determines whether readers will or will not spend time reading your material! If the headline doesn’t make it, you don’t make it.

Headlines also help close out other random thoughts and provide a context for what is about to follow. As to length, worry more about whether your headline has captured the essence of your product than about its length, although shorter is better.

Unlike most consumer direct marketing targets, teachers have two primary interests: (1) themselves, and (2) their students.

For themselves, teachers mostly want products that make their lives easier. Curricula and aids that make it easier to teach. Beyond that, what they want most is for students to respond positively to the material. If you can make either or both of those claims, you should at least get a hearing.

As much as possible, you should position benefits headlines in terms of the students, as in, “XYZ software makes mathematics come alive for your students…” and/or in terms of the teacher’s job, as in, “…and makes teaching, class preparation, and research a joyful new experience for you!”

This assumes you’re mailing directly to teachers. But what if you’re mailing principals or district administrators? Then the benefit headline can be made in terms of their teachers, like this one for a K-6 substance abuse curriculum: “Help your teachers respond to students’ fears, concern and confusion over alcohol and drugs, their use and misuse!”

Even a catalog has—or should have—headlines at the top of a page or at the introduction of a particular product category. For example, “A biography program that provides role models for students.” Then, in a product subhead, “Invite Abraham Lincoln, Cochise, and JFK into your classroom!”

Sell Benefits, and List Features

Like everyone else, teachers tune in to station WIFM—”What’s In It For Me?” Benefits are far more significant to us than dry features. Benefits get past the mind’s gatekeepers with greater reliability than do features and all the other image flotsam and message jetsam that bombard us every day.

However, don’t leave out the features—they often provide the basis for the more argument justification a buyer can use to justify a purchase instead of acknowledging the emotional appeal of the benefits.

For example, in the catalog copy example above, the heading, “A biography program that provides role models for students” is the benefit: providing role models for students is what the product will do for you—or them. In the subhead, “Invite Abraham Lincoln, Cochise, and JFK into your classroom!” Abe, Cochise and JFK are the features.

Another way to think of it is that features are expressed in the language of the seller (a sports car’s air suspension), while benefits are expressed in the language of the buyer(a smoother ride). The great Roman orator, Cicero, who knew a thing or two about persuasion, said:

“If you wish to persuade me, you must think my thoughts, feel my feelings, and speak my words.”

Or as a copy chief I once worked with put it, “Tell me about my lawn, not your grass seed.” That remains about as succinct a way to remember the differences between features and benefits as I know.

Starting to Write

Begin writing your package at the beginning—with the envelope teaser—because that synthesizes the major benefit and often flags the offer in a single phrase. Then rough out the headline on the letter and on the brochure, so that those key messages are coordinated to project a common theme, but not in the same words.

Next, write the opening. “I am writing to you about…” or “I want you to know about…” are not openings. The reader, frankly, doesn’t care what you want. She cares about herself (albeit as a teacher with a desire to help students). Direct mail is almost universally written in the second person with “I” and “we” used as sparingly as possible.

Most letters and brochures succeed or fail in their first sentence. The surest way to lose is to begin talking about yourself and your organization.

Going back to the XYZ software example, consider the following opening:

“For you as a teacher, XYZ software is like having a team of crack assistants at your side. One to prepare your lecture notes, another to create overheads, a third to write your exams, plus a tireless researcher who never even stops for coffee.”

Or how about this, for Internet monitoring software depicted as a friendly Labrador retriever named BESS:

“Wouldn’t you like to give your students the opportunity to travel all over the world, to visit famous libraries and museums, to get research information right from the experts and even correspond directly with our government leaders? Now you can, safely and conveniently, with BESS at each student’s side.”

“Give your students _______” (Fill in the blank) is a key phrase in selling to teachers.

Finally, it’s a good idea to write the order form immediately, because that spells out, succinctly, what you’ll be asking the prospect to do when you’ve convinced him or her that he or she can’t survive another day (happily and successfully) without your product.

Sell the Offer—and Date It

In direct mail, you sell the offer, not the product. The free trial, the no-risk 30-day preview with money-back guarantee, the limited-time, half-off deal, the free premium.
It’s much easier to sell a 30-day trial or a free examination than it is to sell the product itself. You’ll discuss payment terms later.

You support the offer basically with benefits, product information, and “reason why” persuasions, urging the prospect to “act now!” You support that in turn with testimonials, research, and/or test results (“classroom tested!”), and then wrap it all in a credible guarantee and a call to action (i.e., ask for the order!).

You’ll want to date your offer. An expiration date (4-6 weeks from the drop date is best) helps to keep your mailing from going up between the lamp and the tape dispenser for “later.” It’s also helpful to “merchandise” the offer by referring to it at several points throughout the letter. For example, “When you send for your free demo (30-day no-risk trial, etc.) you’ll quickly see…”

Sell Copy

From the offer preview, get right into the benefits your reader will realize when she tests, previews, and examines your product. In consumer direct mail you stay in second person throughout the letter. With a teacher, however, you also want to frequently reference “your students” to remind her that she’s really buying this for them, not herself. You’re talking to her (one person, not a group or market) and about her (not you), and so you talk about your company and your product only in terms of what they will do for her and/or her students.

Use Subheads to Introduce New Thoughts

You want to avoid eye-glazing, mind-numbing, wall-to-wall copy, so use subheads to introduce new thoughts and to move from one part of the letter to the next.

Write in short sentences.

And short paragraphs.

Present a list of benefits or features in list form,

• Each item
• Preceded by
• A bullet

instead of in a linear paragraph.

Use words of one syllable as much as possible. The New York Times is written to a ninth grade level, for clarity. Your reader is trying to quickly extract the key information he needs, often by just scanning your letter. Which is another good reason to use subheads…bulleted lists…and…ellipses.

The Guarantee

Mitigating risk is an essential function of successful direct mail. No one wants to make a mistake. Especially not an expensive mistake. Relieve that fear with your guarantee. By law you must refund legitimate requests up to 30 days anyway, so why not make a virtue of necessity? Some worry that a guarantee might somehow cast doubt on the product. But the guarantee speaks not to your product, but to you as an honest and fair businessperson your prospect can trust.

Still, try to avoid the rather abrupt “Money Back Guarantee” or “Full Refund If Not Satisfied” kind of thing. That’s negative. A Free (or Risk-Free or No-Risk) 30-day Trial is the same thing, expressed in positive terms. “Examine it, try it, use it for a full 30 days without risk.” That’s an invitation, not a warning.

The Call to Action

Even after all that, you can’t assume the reader will do what you want her to do, right away. But that’s what she must do. So spell it out. Ask for the order! Does she detach and complete a reply card, call a toll-free number, complete a questionnaire, check a box, punch out a token? What? Is there a postpaid or self-addressed reply envelope to use?

Ask her to do all this right now because that expiration date will be here before she knows it. Because she really wants to try this, but if she lets it go till “later,” she’ll forget.

The P.S.

Punctuate the call to action with the signature, then add a P.S. After the headline and first sentence, the P.S. commands the highest readership in the letter. Use that important space to repeat a key benefit, or add a twist or another idea to something you’ve already said. Also, repeat your call to action here, in slightly different words.

Interactive Copy

In direct mail you want to use words that invite the prospect into the world of your product. Words that help her imagine herself using the product or that project the results of using the product in the classroom.

• Learn, discover, try, explore, test, find. These are words that invite the reader into our proposition and set the stage for action.
• Free, new, now, announcing. These are words that promise something new. Why is every packaged product on the market “new and improved?” Because people are naturally drawn to the latest and newest.
• In addition…furthermore…what’s more…. These are phrases, sometimes called the “bucket brigade,” that help move the reader smoothly from paragraph to paragraph to order form.

The Last Word

Having said all that, copy and creative are only about 10% to 20% of the success of a direct mail campaign. The list and the offer do the heavy lifting at 40% each.

Well-written copy will always enhance the results of any offer, but the right offer to the right list at the right time will likely survive even mediocre copy. On the other hand, if you brought Claude Hopkins back from the dead he could not save the wrong offer to the wrong list. Always test your lists and offers first, before you put additional time and money into testing copy and format.

Further, all copy and creative is a compromise with time. Some top writers agonize over every word and phrase and revise, revise, revise through sleepless nights, while others do a first draft, polish it once or twice, and let it go—often because with the press of deadlines and a heavy workflow they have no choice. Which you are will depend on who you are, and nothing said here will change it.

Good luck.

About the Author:
George Duncan is an award-winning direct mail writer and consultant, frequently numbered among the top direct mail copywriters in the country. He started Duncan Direct Associates in 1976, providing a full range of direct marketing services to a national roster of publishers, software developers, and marketers of business-to-business and consumer products and services. He is the author of Streetwise Direct Marketing, published by Adams Media. He can be reached at duncandirect@pobox.com, or (603) 924-3121.

Recommended Reading
The Copywriter’s Handbook, Updated Edition, by Robert W. Bly,
Henry Holt
On the Art of Writing Copy, 2nd Edition, by Hershell Gordon Lewis,
American Management Association (AMACOM)
Words That Sell, by Richard Bayan, Caddylak Publishing

While many of the elements of effective direct mail for regular consumer marketing also apply to seniors, some require greater emphasis and other less when selling to the 55+ market.

Think people, not markets.

The very first step to take is to lose the very idea of “market” when selling to seniors. As with all direct mail, your letter should be written to a single person, not a group or market. This is especially true of seniors who object to being herded into the “senior,” “golden age,” or similar categories, so you want to be careful not to let that attitude creep into your copy and design.

Soften the sell

Unlike much consumer mail where the three most important elements are “sell, sell and sell,” seniors are hyper-sensitive to being “sold.”  Rather, invite them to consider your offer. As with all direct marketing, translate product features into benefits but stress those benefits that speak to connection and community, to self-actualization and longevity, self-fulfillment and well-being.

A little rhyme I have used in seminars and my book to help dramatize key benefits is, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy, and wise.” One way or another, we all want to be healthy (physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially); wealthy (make money, save money, project wealth); and, most of all, wise (smarter; more productive; more professional; a better leader, mother, father, lover, housekeeper, bowler, etc.). While my couplet has application generally, it seems to me especially apt for appealing to seniors. Just be careful to select the appropriate images for your market. Perhaps “wealthy” can be back burnered, at least in the sense of getting rich. By this time in life, we have what we have – we just want to hold onto it. Clearly, health and wisdom will have great appeal for folks who have lived a while. To these you can add the concepts of safety and security. Indeed, whole markets are built around those concepts, largely for seniors.

Simplify the Structure

As opposed to some direct mail campaigns that seek reader involvement through multiple enclosures, seniors have less patience with our so-called “involvement devices.”
Direct mail is famous, or maybe I should say infamous, for using a variety of devices such as tokens and peel-offs, stamps and tear-offs, packages jammed with lift letters, 4-page sales letters and so on.  Here’s where the old K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) needs to apply. Try to keep your package to a 2-page letter, a color brochure, if necessary, and an order form and reply envelope with no gimmicks.

Direct marketers have a variety of strategies they can apply to the corner card on an envelope (the return address portion in the upper left) ranging from simulated handwritten names to elaborate logos to leaving it blank. For seniors, be direct. Spell out the name of the company offering the product or service with the street address (vs a P.O. box).  A magazine logo could be an exception for subscription efforts, since that’s what they will recognize best. You want to start building trust right from the envelope.

If you decide to use a teaser, avoid hype (a simple R.S.V.P. is reliable and telegraphs “response”). No elaborate claims, but “free” is always acceptable — if it’s really free, and not tied a purchase. Check the FTC’s rules on the use of the word “free” and stick to them.  Seniors especially do not take kindly to “Free” offers that have strings attached. You may be able to justify it legally, but it’s the appearance of honesty and fairness that matters.

If at all possible, personalize the name and address. The added cost will more than pay for itself in increased readership and response. Try to use regular stamps
instead of printed indicias and meters. This is all designed to make the recipient feel special. As I said earlier, these elements are good strategies for any kind of marketing, but they’re especially effective in the senior environment. What you don’t need is a lot of replies from older folks who eagerly read all their “junk” mail and feel obliged to answer the nice people who wrote to them.

The letter: invitation to a relationship

For most direct mail letters, we emphasize writing in short sentences, short paragraphs, using words of one syllable as much as possible. This often produces a somewhat staccato presentation that can be effective for some markets, but may be off-putting to a senior. As we suggested earlier, older folks seek connection and require some degree of trust in order to interact with another person, especially a stranger. That means writing conversationally, not in sales lingo. Be personal. Let the sentences flow, but keep the paragraphs short. They’re easier to digest that way.

Another common no-no in standard dm letters is the use of the first person “I.” We keep direct mail letters in second person — “you”– as much as possible. However, to help establish that all-important connection and trust in this market, the “I” word, used prudently, can help.

Find the connection and trust elements in your product and bring those out in copy. Some years ago, I wrote direct mail packages selling world tours and cruises to a mainly senior market. The company’s very successful theme, repeated often in letters and brochures, was “everything is taken care of.” It provided reassurance that, despite traveling to unknown places, they would be safe because this professional group knew how to take care of them.

Likewise, in writing for a bicycle touring company, we placed great emphasis on the technical assistance and guides that accompany each group. Brochures showed pictures of the tech fixing a wheel, of picking up cyclists in the van that followed closely behind, and so on. The letter stressed testimonials from previous tour members praising the young guides and techs for their friendliness and expertise.

In marketing a retirement newsletter to retirees and almost-retirees, the primary effort was to personalize the letter’s publisher. To make him credible, expert, friendly – and trustworthy. Most points regarding such issues as retirement income needs, asset allocation, risk assessment, etc. were all couched in terms of the letter’s publisher. I stressed his views, his background and experience in these areas, so the reader felt connected to this trustworthy individual.

To an even greater degree than in typical direct mail letters, provide heavy proofs of claims. Use testimonials freely, both from users and appropriate experts in the field.
Testimonials, especially from “folks like me,” give your prospect permission to take your proposition seriously.  Show the results of tests, where possible. If appropriate to the product, provide photos of the manufacturing or testing process. Show shots of the staff at work or whatever will help personalize the offering and make you, your company and your product come alive for your reader. Work to become more inviting, more credible, more friendly.

Keeping words simple is still a good idea. Avoid negative words like “can’t” and don’t” and repeat key points throughout the letter and brochure. Also, use the proven formatting methods that make letters quick and easy to read.  These include short sentences, short paragraphs, words of one syllable, bulleted lists of features or benefits and occasional subheads to draw attention to key points.

#            #            #            #

Copyright 2004-2012, George Duncan, All Rights Reserved. George Duncan is a national award-winning direct marketing consultant and copywriter and author of “Streetwise Direct Marketing,” (Adams Media 2001).  He can be reached at 603-924-3121 or through his Web site at www.duncandirect.com.

As the name implies, prospects are sent a free subscription to your newsletter, completely absent any request on their part – hence “forced.” The term of the subscription can range from three issues for a monthly or bi-monthly to as many as six for a daily or weekly publication.

FFT Drivers

The forced free trial is a hybrid of several newsletter subscription methods tried  by publishers over the years, especially the ever-popular free trial issue, not to be confused with first issue free, which is probably the most widely used offer in subscription marketing today.

Whenever or wherever you find two or three newsletter publishers gathered, such as at the annual conference of the Newsletter and Electronic Publishers Association (NEPA), you will inevitably encounter the running discussion of which is more effective, sending a sample issue with a cover letter or a straight direct mail package with an offer. The answer of course, is always the same: test them! And most do, despite the fact that some newsletter publishers would rather eat broken glass than send out a “junk mail” package. (That, in fact, many be another driver in the decision to use FFT’s, but never mind.)

Even with a powerful sales letter, some specialized newsletters are too complicated to be effectively communicated in a sales letter and are best understood by reading them.

In other cases, when a newsletter price point reaches the $1000 neighborhood, it simply takes more than a well-crafted letter to push the prospect over the fence.  It may also be too costly for a prospect to purchase on his or her own hook, and may require a group decision, best facilitated by 2-3 sample issues.

Costs and Response Rates

Also, you will be sending at least 3 issues, mailing them as flats in 9 x 12 outers, plus “continuation” notices either 6 x 9  or #10 with all the costs these mailings entail. Clearly, it’s not a place for large lists and databases, but rather for the more limited, specialized lists that newsletters most often mail to.

Remember, newsletters, especially in the $1000 price range, usually live in 1% response territory. Indeed, many such newsletter publishers would give their eye teeth for a 1% response, so you won’t be selling a lot of newsletters with this method.

As this is written, in fact, newsletter subscriptions are down, generally. Some publishers will tell you their FFTs are OTL.  Others are still getting sufficient response to continue testing them, while still others are finding signs of life in traditional direct mail packages. A year from now, it could all turn around again.

An FFT Schedule

So you can see where this is going, the following is a typical FFT schedule, built around a 3-issue promotion. Models can vary in number of issues, timing, use of email, mix of print and electronic issues and more. Another client who publishes $2000 newsletters for investment professionals, for example, sends four free issues and eleven “conversion” or sales letters mailed separately – all at a special savings price point. Yet another combines regular print issues of their newsletter with electronic or PDF issues, uses email more heavily. This is one model I work with.

Email #1: Heads-up message prior to 1st mailing. Let the prospect know he/she has been selected to receive a Free Sample issue of Widget World  and to watch for it in the mail.
(Best not to mention the free trial subscription at this point.)
< 1 week >
Mailing #1: Issue mails flat, 9×12 outer, teaser: Free Sample Issue Enclosed
Personalized letter is best, with address block showing through window.) Includes 2-page or 4-page letter*, and fax-back order form.
<30 days>
Mailing #2: 30 days later, 2nd  free sample issue only. Could include a brief note.
(2 weeks>
Mailing #3: Continuation Notice#1 only*. No issue, no letter.
<2 weeks>
Mailing #4: 3rd free sample issue w/ Continuation Notice #2, no letter
<30 days>
Mailing #5: “Sorry you missed this issue” employs the front page from the issue
they would have received had they subscribed by this point. Copy on back
w/ Continuation Notice #3, no letter.*
< 2 weeks>
Mailing #6: Continuation Notice #4. No issue, no letter.
<2 weeks>
Mailing #7: Continuation Notice #5. No issue, no letter.
< 2 weeks >
Email #2: Followup email asks “why” they haven’t subscribed, includes
brief survey questions, offers final subscription opportunity via email or web site landing page.

*We’ll revisit these points below.

The Landing Page

You’ll want to include a web site address as a payment option, along with mail-back/fax-back order form, telephone and email, especially if you have a substantial international market.

The web option is actually a “landing page” on your web site with its own unique url provided in the mailing. In addition to providing a payment option, it affords another opportunity to sell your newsletter and promote the 3-issue “Free Trial Subscription.” It briefly describes – and clarifies – the offer and provides benefit highlights of the newsletter.

I start my page with “Thank you for your interest in Widget World. We hope you enjoy the three FREE sample issues you receive.” I then go on to make benefit points about the newsletter and clearly describe the offer. That’s important, because this is an unusual offer, and a bit complicated for most people. They must understand that they’re getting 3 issues only and then they must subscribe in order to continue receiving issues. This offer can be further complicated with electronic newsletters, because so many are available free on the web and through email.

*Creative Considerations

There are a number of creative elements you’ll want to consider in planning your FFT.

The forced free trial begins life as a Free sample issue mailing, but unlike the first issue free offer, the FFT entails no further obligation or subscription commitment expressed or implied. You can provide a mail-back/fax-back order form with the first newsletter, but you want to sell the 3-issue “Free Trial Subscription” so prospects will give your publication a fair reading. If you could sell it with one issue, you would have.

You can help get your package past the mailroom police with a teaser indicating “Free Sample Issue Enclosed.”  It’s also helpful for that teaser to work in concert with a large, clear corner card featuring the newsletter title. Subsequent teasers can be “2nd FREE Issue enclosed” and “Last Issue Enclosed.”

I headline the 3 issues FREE at the top of the letter, introduce the sample issue with references to 2 or 3 articles in the issue and sell the benefits of the newsletter. While you can test a 2-page letter vs. a 4-page, I usually recommend a 2-page (single sheet front and back) since I’m also including a 16-page newsletter and I want them to get to it.

In the offer section, I make a transition: “…and because no one issue can fully communicate the value of a full year subscription, I have arranged for you receive two more issues, FREE and without obligation of any kind.”

We use a “continuation notice” in place of a “renewal” because, technically, the prospect has not yet subscribed, despite our use of the term Free Trial Subscription. Prospects can get touchy about such assumptions.

Also, you can usually put a benefit/call to action blurb on the continuation notice for added push. In any case, make sure it doesn’t look like an invoice or bill, and include words to that effect: “This is not an invoice, you are not required to pay.”

Editorial Considerations

Certainly, you want to put your best face forward, especially when big promotion bucks are at stake, so it’s a good idea to alert your editor to your FFT plans. Tell him or her which issues will be involved in the mailings – and give him plenty of advance notice so he can rev up those issues and make them as good as they can be.

Be sure those issues include all the most popular features and topics.

But Wait, There’s More!

As I mentioned above, one major financial newsletter publisher sends four issues and mails a series of eleven “conversion” or sales letters separately. The first four are concurrent with the mailing of the issues. Price point is around $2000 with a heavy introductory discount during the FFT.

Some publishers employ a telemarketing effort either toward the end of the trial subscription period, or at the beginning to qualify prospects for the offer. Some publishers find that they can sell ancillary products like a conference with inserts in the FTT packages.

Another technique is to obtain a request for 3 free issues so the prospect is somewhat self-qualified, or position the offer as a request for the newsletter with the first 3 issues free. In that case, you can flat out bill ‘em, Danno!

#            #            #

George Duncan is a national award-winning direct mail copywriter and consultant specializing in business-to-business marketing. Author of Streetwise Direct Marketing (Adams Media) and winner of the 2001 Newsletter on Newsletters Gold Award, he can be reached at 603-924-3121, or through his Web site at www.duncandirect.com.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a critical element in successful electronic marketing, but frankly, to a tech spastic like me, it’s always been borderline witchcraft. Soooo, as on other occasions when faced with an important topic that I’m still learning about, I‘ve called upon an expert to sit in for a “guest” column in this space so readers won’t be deprived of at least the necessary basics. As with most aspects of electronic marketing, however, SEO is a moving target – not the least because Google wants it that way – so you’ll want to explore further, hopefully with Biz Buzz providing some initial direction. Without further ado, therefore, here’s some helpful direction on SEO from Bill Smith, President of Inhaus Media. Take it away, Bill!…

Search Engine Optimization:  How to Turn a Sea of Choices into a Puddle of Choices

As I drive through Peterborough around election time, I am barraged by dozens of political candidate signs everywhere I turn. The island in the circle at Shaws has become a sea of signs. How does this assault on the senses really work? Is the most colorful, the simplest, the boldest, or the quantity of a particular sign that gets attention? Probably none of those factors. The sign that gets the most attention is the strategically placed sign, the one with the best position. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) works much the same way. Imagine your website is one of those political election signs and the driver of the car is someone searching the web. How can you position your website so they see it first? You’re not paying money to reserve your position on the medium in the circle (that would be paid advertising), you’re strategically placing it in front of people in a natural, grass-roots way. This is SEO and here’s how it works.

How Does Google’s Search Engine Work? Beuler?…Anyone?

In simple terms, you have a website and Google has a search engine that people use to find websites. Here’s the catch, Google doesn’t search the web. You heard me correctly. Google doesn’t ‘search’ the web, they ‘index’ the web and store millions upon millions of pages on hundreds of giant computers and when you key in a request, they search their own database. SEO is the art of getting your web pages found and indexed by Google and then to rise above the rest. To come up first position when your keywords are triggered.

Google is constantly sending out spiders (snippets of robotic code) that crawl the web looking for pages to index. Once they find them (if they find them), they store them, and wait for a search to happen. Along comes someone who would like to find something they’re interested in so they type in their keywords into Google’s search engine….tap,tap,tap…. “pizza-peterborough-nh”.  I know from working in Peterborough, that there are at least 7 different restaurants in this tiny town that offer pizza as a main dish. Who is going to come out on top of the search? How does a search engine determine the ranking? The answer is that Google asks over 250 questions for each search and based on these questions it will rank the results in order of importance. We don’t know exactly what all of those questions are but we do know some of them and we know they are relevant to the keywords that were just typed. Are these keywords all on the same page?  Do these keywords appear in the URL of a site or in the title of a page or both? Are the keywords in the first paragraph of the page? How close to the beginning of the paragraph? These are all questions that help Google sort out the importance of the content it is blindly searching in its database. As more questions are asked, the results begin to narrow and now Google is asking questions like…how many other sites link to this site? Are these other sites important and relevant sites? How fresh is the content I’m looking at?

Getting Your Site Indexed

Google will, sooner or later, find your site all on its own, but you can speed up the process by submitting your site directly to Google (and/or any of the other Search Engines) to be indexed. Their little robotic spiders will crawl onto your home page first so this is where you should put all of your business’s vital information. They will then look for ways to get to the rest of your site. If you don’t make this part easy, they won’t try too hard and stop right at your home page. Keep your navigation clean, your links from the home page clear and descriptive, and always provide a site map. The spiders will get into every nook and cranny of your site and index every page back to Google.

Who Likes to “Eat Fresh” More Than Subway? Search Engines, That’s Who

To jump onto another wonderful SEO analogy, fresh pizza is better than stale pizza. Keep your site’s content fresh and relevant and you’ll have a much better chance of pleasing the search gods. Do your own research on your site and your market. Find out what keywords people are using to get to your site or others like yours. Are you using those keywords on the pages you would most like people to visit? Take those keywords and add to them to make them more detailed and unique, by doing this you’ve narrowed the search results and, by default, raised your rank or position in the findings. Instead of just adding “Pizza, Peterborough, NH” to your content, add “Peterborough’s best fresh wood fired pizza takeout” – Google will like the extra descriptors. You’ve increased your possibilities and narrowed the results at the same time. I must now stop the analogies and the salivating.

Search Engine Optimization is a vital part of your online presence. Without an aggressive SEO strategy you might never be seen, like putting a billboard in the desert…..oops there I go again.

Bill Smith is the President of InHaus Media in Peterborough and can be reached at 603.924.9400 or by emailing info@inhausmedia.com.

From America’s largest corporations and most sophisticated marketers to solo service providers and single product marketers, one of the most popular and cost-effective methods of generating qualified leads in the business-to-business marketplace is the offer of a white paper. It’s called a white paper because it’s printed on …white paper. That is, it isn’t a four-color product or company brochure. It carries the look and feel of a scientific or academic treatise, rather than a promotion vehicle.

White papers give the marketer the opportunity to project his expertise in a given category or discipline, without seeming to promote himself.  White papers are objective

studies or overviews of some aspect of the product or service with which the marketer and the prospect are concerned. Take, for example, a customer relationship management (CRM) solution.

A typical CRM white paper might provide some background on the development of customer relationship management theory and practice, include data on the growth of CRM in the prospect’s industry ( the more targeted the better), outline the promise and pitfalls of CRM, and suggest ways to create a cost-effective solution (surprisingly similar to yours).

If yours is a software solution, you may want to demonstrate the need for CRM products to integrate seamlessly with a company’s legacy systems( as yours does). If you are a management consultant, you might stress the importance of upgrading all of the company’s customer touch points and emphasize the need for training (both of which you are eminently qualified to provide).

The paper should answer technical questions, but leave enough open so the prospect is encouraged to seek additional details. It could include a successful case study as an illustration of key points, but it needs to be more than a case study.

It should be substantial — at least 10-12 pages in length — but not oppressive; not more than 25-30 pages, and readable. There is a quality of instant gratification to a free premium such as this, and the prospect wants to feel that he or she can digest it in about 30 minutes. Technical specs and descriptions, if any, should be well within the prospect’s comfort area.

Consumer marketers and even retailers can use white papers as well, depending on their product or service mix. A carpet shop, for example could offer tips on how to identify and purchase kilims and other exotic carpets. A lingerie store could offer tips on how to fit a bra, and so on. Take another look at your product/service for “how-to” opportunities.

Target with the Title

Naturally, the more detailed and authoritative the material, the higher the perceived value of the document.  The title needs to be carefully chosen to target one or more key interests of the prospect and it should be clear that the paper is altruistic in nature — valuable in and of itself — requiring no further contact with you in order to implement its recommendations, strategies or techniques (but obviously, you could help).

You will, however, be sure to require name and contact information  in order for your prospect to obtain the paper. Each request is a qualified lead which you should quickly follow up by email or phone.

The free white paper is your offer.  In lead generation, the offer — not you or your world-class services — is what you sell.  It’s the essential first step in getting your prospect’s attention, establishing credibility, and making him or her available — and hopefully positively oriented– to your sales pitch.

Interactive marketing works best with people who, by virtue of their personal experiences, previous buying patterns, or company responsibilities can reasonably be expected to be predisposed to your product or service.  If you have to sell them first on your product or service category, then sell them again on obtaining that product or service from you, you’re probably dead in the water.  Accurate targeting through careful list selection should help avoid or at least minimize that situation.

An alternative to the type of white paper described above could be a detailed case study that provides a useful blueprint for the process you plan to offer(not a puff piece).  You needn’t identify the company by name although it’s more credible if you do. Size and category can suffice if confidentiality is a concern.

A variation on the straight white paper would be a collection of 10-12 shorter case “stories” carefully titled to project value. For example, “How Fortune 500 Companies Reduce Costs and Increase Sales with Sales Automation,” assuming Fortune 500 companies are your target.  If your target were small business, you might try, “How Small Businesses Reduce Costs and Increase Sales with Sales Automation.”  Another possibility is an industry survey or study, so long as the data are significant and the analysis is sound and meaningful.

Case studies are also powerful marketing tools because they provide the influence of a positive experience with your company described by objective third parties.  They also offer prospects a snapshot of what it might be like to work with your company and to go through the product selection and installation or deployment process.  Further, they act like triggers to give a decision-maker “permission” to contact you, since another peer or colleague – perhaps even someone or some company the prospect knows and respects – has attested to their own good results with your product or company.

Offer the White Paper on Your Web Site

Most white paper offers are designed to direct the prospect to the marketer’s Web site where the paper can be downloaded, as a text document or a PDF file. That gives the prospect an opportunity to become more familiar with your company through your Web site. You’ll want to make sure your Web site properly reflects the look and feel, the expertise and experience you want to project. And as indicated above, follow up quickly by email or phone to maximize the value of the lead.

#                                  #                                  #

How Cloud Computing can help you survive and prosper during the Great Recession

It is tough to navigate in a stormy economy. A lot of companies stick with what’s familiar – they think its safest to make as few changes as possible. But when you are faced with unprecedented economic pressure to cut costs in order to survive, staying the course could be the riskiest decision to make.

Cloud computing is the next big development in Information Technology (IT) and it can save small and medium size businesses a lot of money by helping them to work smarter. So just what is “cloud computing” and why does it matter?

Cloud computing is an evolutionary model for the delivery of IT services that replaces buying, licensing, running and maintaining computing assets on your premises with subscribing to necessary computing services as you need them. These services are delivered by Cloud Service Providers (CSP) over the Internet. Cloud computing services are ideal for managing IT in an economic recession and according to researchers of IT trends, cloud computing is going to be one of the fastest growing IT areas in coming years.

The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a definition of cloud computing that is comprised of five essential characteristics, three service models and four deployment models.

The five essential characteristics of cloud computing are 1) on-demand self-service where the consumers of cloud services can provision the IT service(s) they need without human interaction. 2) broadband network access for the delivery of services. 3) resource pooling by the CSP to serve multiple consumers using a “multi-tenant” model where physical and virtual resources are dynamically assigned and re-assigned according to consumer demand. 4) rapid elasticity to quickly provision and scale up and scale down the use of services in any quantity over time. 5) measured use of services whereby the resources being used can be monitored, controlled and reported for both the provider (CSP) and consumer of the utilized service.

The three service modes are 1) Software as a Service (SaaS) where the CSP provides applications running on their cloud infrastructure which are accessed by consumers using a Web browser. 2) Platform as a Service (PaaS) where consumers can create their own cloud applications using programming languages and tools provided by the CSP. 3) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software (operating systems and applications) on virtual machines provided by the CSP in their cloud facility.

The four deployment models are 1) private clouds which are operated solely by one organization for their own use. 2) community clouds which are shared by several organizations to support a specific community’s needs or mission. 3) public clouds which are available to the general public and are operated by CSP organizations selling access to their services. 4) Hybrid clouds which are a combination of two or more clouds that retain their unique characteristics while being technically bound together to support computing workload requirements.

The work done by NIST to define cloud computing is the closest we’ve come to an “official” definition of this rapidly evolving IT services delivery model. The good news is you don’t need to have complete understanding of how cloud computing actually works in order to begin using it, which brings us to the cloud computing business drivers that make it so compelling.

Own Less and Do More

Cloud computing is mostly an operating expense as opposed to a capital expense. This is beneficial in an economy where the availability of credit and borrowing has been greatly reduced for small and medium size businesses. Own less and do more is a good motto to describe this benefit of cloud computing.

Cloud computing reduces the “carbon footprint” of the computer room by providing a utility based computing model. This saves on electricity costs for servers and air-conditioning because the need for on-premises servers is reduced or eliminated. Cloud Service Providers tend to locate their cloud facilities near cheaper sources of electricity and their cloud infrastructure is shared by many thousands of users.

Cloud computing eliminates the expense and downtime typically required to maintain and upgrade premises-based software applications. Cloud Service Providers who offer SaaS applications are responsible for maintaining the software applications and updating them. This means you get to use state-of-the-art software with the latest features without the pain.

Cloud computing helps to create a virtual organization by reducing the necessity to have everyone in the same physical location to do business. Since cloud computing services are delivered over the Internet via broadband connections, management, employees and contractors can be located anywhere. Businesses can thus reduce their real estate costs and energy costs by moving into smaller quarters.

Cloud computing brings agility and quickness to small and medium size businesses who no longer need to take weeks or months to roll out new applications. It eliminates the regrets and sunk investment in long application development cycles that frequently go awry and over budget. In the world of cloud computing you pay for what you use. If you don’t need or want a particular cloud computing service you can stop using it and move on to something better suited to your needs.

Cloud computing is the IT landscape of the 21st century. It is not without its risks and pitfalls, but with proper navigation and guidance every small and medium size business can reduce their IT expenses while they improve the usefulness and effectiveness of their IT services.
# # #

Tim Wessels can be reached in Jaffrey at 978-413-0201 or by email at navigator@oortcloudcomputing.com

BBI conducted two surveys in late January and February 09, asking 50 leading marketers about their outreach and research efforts for 2009 and 741 SMBs about their online and offline media preferences, top business concerns and brand ratings. And while the survey is a year old at this writing, there’s no reason to believe much has changed, especially in view of the slow recovery.

Among offline tactics, marketers will increase spending on PR and telemarketing versus 2008, while direct mail, print advertising and trade shows will decline. Marketers plan to increase spending on every online tactic surveyed, especially microsites/resource centers, social networking and webinars.

“Marketers are clearly reacting to the difficult economy by using offline tactics much more selectively. They are also moving online aggressively, to reach SMBs efficiently and learn how to get the most from new media opportunities,” said BBI CEO Stu Richards. “However, our survey of SMBs indicates that business owners are not nearly as enthusiastic about many online formats for business purposes – such as social networking – as marketers are.”

Results from the survey of 50 leading SMB marketers include:

• Overall, marketers are more focused on winning new customers than keeping current ones. 48% said they are balancing their acquisition and retention efforts this year, while 32% are concentrating more on acquisition and only 20% are focusing more on retention.
• Marketers said their biggest challenges in 2009 are funding new projects (24%), growing business with limited resources (15%) and increasing awareness (15%).
• Marketers continue to shift their efforts to the Internet. Offline tactics received an average rating of 2.6 on a scale of 1 (significantly decrease versus 2008) to 5 (significantly increase) while online marketing will increase, with an average rating of 3.5. Among offline marketing, PR ranked highest (3.5), followed by telemarketing (3.4), print newsletters (2.8) and direct mail (2.8). The online tactics that will grow the most are social networking (3.7), resource centers (3.7) and search marketing (3.6).
• Marketers will spend less on market research in 2009 than 2008, with an overall average score of 2.5. Online surveys (3.5) and online focus groups (3.3) are the only research formats marketers plan to use more in 2009 than in 2008.

Results from the survey of 741 SMBs include:

• As offline sources of information about products and services, SMBs rely most on newspaper and magazine articles (43.6%) and direct mail, including letters, postcards and catalogs (43.5%). Phone calls (27.4%) and radio/TV ads (32%) are least popular.
• Online, referrals from friends and peers are the most popular source of information on products and services (71.9%), followed by search engine marketing (57.0%), educational websites (44.5%) and email newsletters (38.2%). The least popular online formats are ads on cell phones/PDAs (8.1%), videos/podcasts (19.2%) and forums/chat rooms (20.2%). SMBs rated social networking at 27.8%.
• Among the social networks, SMBs rate Facebook highest (19.7%), followed by LinkedIn (15.6%), MeetUp (11.3%) and Twitter (11.2%). SMBs’ top business challenges include finding new customers (76.5%), managing costs (71.2%) and retaining current customers (51.7%). Ranked lowest are avoiding layoffs (2.9%) and keeping employees productive (3.3%).
• The most important purchase criteria in this economy are high value (61.3%), low price (52.4%) and reliability (35.3%). Least important is buying from a leading brand (1.9%) and having a personal relationship with a vendor (6.0%).
• Among 32 brands, Google received the highest rating (73.0%). The rest of the top 10 are FedEx (65.7%), HP (64.9%), UPS (64.6%), Microsoft (61.8%), Sony (56.5%), Dell (51.9%), Staples (51.4%), Office Depot (49.0%) and Sam’s Club (48.4%).

About the studies

Marketing to SMBs in 2009 is based on a survey of 50 small to medium business marketers. Respondents include Advanta, AT&T, Bank of the West, Cisco Systems, Comcast, Dell, Harris Bank, HP, IBM, Intel, Intuit, NetSuite, Sage, SAP, Sun Microsystems, U.S. Bank and Union Bank. The survey objective was to understand how marketers are targeting SMBs in this economy. The survey was fielded February 2-10, 2009.

SMB Media and Brand Preferences is based on a survey of 741 principals of US-based businesses with fewer than 500 employees. The survey objective was to better understand their marketing preferences and key business concerns. The survey was fielded January 28-February 25, 2009.

How do you keep a prospect interested over the course of 18 months? How do you head off a competitor’s inroads into the prospect while your sales rep is working through the approval/sales cycle?

One answer being discovered by companies in every industry is the promotional newsletter — often used in conjunction with other promotional mailings.

Part gentle reminder, part public relations tool, part sales device, the promotional newsletter gives you an entry into the prospect company when your salesperson can’t be there. It helps keep the prospect informed on product features and benefits, company successes, and more, and it generally maintains a favorable impression of your company in the prospect’s mind between sales calls.

As for customers, a newsletter is the perfect follow-up to a sales call. It keeps customers in the loop on new products, informs them on effective product use through case studies, and provides opportunities for product research, aftermarket sales of support and training, cross-selling of related products, and upgrades of the products they purchased.

A promotional newsletter can:

* Create an awareness of your company and its capabilities
* Burnish your company’s image
* Establish your expertise and credibility in the marketplace
* Show your competitive strengths
* Demonstrate the superiority of your products and/or service

Include Case Studies

One of the most effective features you can include in a promotional newsletter is the case history. These are real-world examples of how companies are successfully using your products — and innovative new ways to use them. Case studies provide powerful peer approval of your products and give your prospect permission to inquire further.

Successful case studies also reaffirm customers’ purchase decisions and help keep them sold on your products and your company.

Keep it “Newsy”

New products and services are, of course, naturals for news stories in your newsletter. Be careful, however, not to write about them in a promotional or hard-sell context. Rather, “report” on them objectively, almost as though they were some other company’s.

You can use your newsletter to announce new white papers or Special Reports. But don’t just announce that they are available. Write about them as news.

Prominent new customers can be featured in news stories as well, together with profiles of key customer end users (your customer’s customers, if appropriate).

Product performance test results can be reported as news, and you can include announcements of product reviews in the trade press. (You can also use your newsletter to correct or explain any unfavorable reviews that might have appeared in the trade press.)

A Research Tool

You can use your newsletter to publish questionnaires designed to acquire information about readers’ business needs and interests…trade publication reading habits…even salary and product usage surveys.

Industry Digest

It can be genuinely helpful to readers if you excerpt news briefs from your industry’s trade publications. Be sure to observe “fair use” laws and obtain permission for any verbatim or other reproductions you may use from other publications.

In some cases, including a request form for readers to recommend peers and colleagues who might have an interest in your newsletter can increase circulation – and provide additional leads.

Make It An e-Letter

If your promotional newsletter contains articles of genuine value to readers, you can also offer it on your company website and use it to capture customers’ email addresses. Or create a separate online newsletter for that purpose.

With so many free e-letters available online today, you’ll need to make it worth readers’ while to download it. Try for an adroit mix of hard industry news items and company information with links to useful information on your website.

Be sure to give prospects an “opt-in” and “opt-out” choice and provide an easy cancel option with every issue.

Keep It Professional

Features to AVOID include “Employee-of-the-Month” and other “house” information…pictures of your building…pictures of the president. In short, keep it a newsletter and not thinly disguised flackery.

One answer being discovered by companies in every industry is the promotional newsletter — often used in conjunction with other promotional mailings.

Part gentle reminder, part public relations tool, part sales device, the promotional newsletter gives you an entry into the prospect company when your salesperson can’t be there. It helps keep the prospect informed on product features and benefits, company successes, and more, and it generally maintains a favorable impression of your company in the prospect’s mind between sales calls.

As for customers, a newsletter is the perfect “follow-up sales call” whether it’s published on a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly basis. It keeps customers “in the loop” on new products, informs them on effective product use through case studies involving your company and products, and provides opportunities for product research, aftermarket sales of support and training, cross-selling of related products, and upgrades of the products they purchased.

Over the years, promotional newsletters have been used by companies to:
•    Create an awareness of the company and its capabilities
•    Burnish the company’s image
•    Establish the company’s expertise and credibility in the marketplace
•    Show competitive strengths
•    Demonstrate the superiority of products and/or services

Enter the e-newsletter
All that was true of print newsletters forever, as I outlined in my book, Streetwise Direct Marketing. Now with the Internet and e-newsletters in the mix, it all applies – on steroids!

The mavens at www.email-marketing-reports.com list the following as benefits of publishing an email newsletter:
•    Provide direct revenue, through offers for your own products and services, subscriptions, advertising sales and affiliate referral fees.
•    Provide indirect revenue, by building customer and partner relationships, contributing to branding efforts, increasing awareness, improving customer services and adding value to a purchase or registration.
•    Complement website promotion, by encouraging subscribers to return to a website

First, though, you need to decide what you want your newsletter and website to do. Sell subscriptions? Bring people to the website? Get leads for sales and info followup?
Sell products online?

Do businesspeople really want e-newsletters cluttering up their inboxes?

Surprisingly, yes. A recent survey by Bred-In Business shows that
Email newsletters still matter, even in the age of Facebook and Twitter.  79% of respondents said email newsletters are as, or more, relevant than ever. 97% rate them an important or very important source of business management advice, ranking them higher than print and broadcast media, major company websites and social networks.

Readers really engage with email newsletters. 58% spend more than a minute reading an email newsletter in their inboxes, and 73% spend more than a minute reading (or watching) content that they click through to from the newsletters. Other findings in the survey include:

•    Readers want to hear from you more often than you think. 42% prefer weekly delivery, 27% monthly and 12% daily. Only 5% prefer quarterly.
•    Readers want “how-to” information. On a scale of 1 (not important) to 5 (important), how-to content rated 3.6, slightly ahead of case studies, perspective pieces, product information and offers, and company news. Ideally, your newsletter should include a mix of these elements.
•    Readers prefer information about their industry. They also want a quick and easy read. Roughly 80% rated these features important or very important newsletter criteria.
•    SMBs use email newsletters themselves. After having a website (70%), an email newsletter is the second most popular online marketing tactic (63%).
That said, Larry Chase, in his Web Digest for Marketers  larrychase@wdfm.komunik.biz), makes a good point about e-newsletters having proliferated to the point where they’re beginning to blur together in an undifferentiated mass of info-porn. The answer? Be sure your material is fresh, hopefully, important, “need to have” information (vs “nice to have”). Having edited a few e-newsletters, I would add make sure your topic is virtually limitless or you’ll soon be scrounging around the Internet for scraps.
You’ll also want to employ one of the many new e-mail tools and/or service providers to help you design, distribute and manage your lists. You won’t need HTML programming ability and the provider can protect you from violating the CAN SPAM act. For my own “Tips” monthly, I use Constant Contact (constantcontact.com). Others include Lyris, Blue Sky Factory, YesMail Direct, and Vertical Response. A Google search will turn up many more.
There’s a great deal more to e-newsletters, of course. The following article lays out helpful tips for a promotional newsletter. It was originally writtenfor print newsletters, but most of it applies equally well to e-newstletters. Try visiting the site mentioned earlier, www.email-marketing-reports.com, for valuable details and a comprehensive marketing guide. eM+C magazines and Silverpop are additional sources of newsletter savvy.