Direct Marketing Guide Part 8: It’s All About Style

Posted: September 1st, 2011 by Marketscan 0

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It’s not what you say – it’s the way that you say it. The actual style will depend very much on your product and customer type. Some of the biggest expenditure Direct Mail campaigns you will see push the creative boundaries as far as they will go. Sometimes they push them too far and fail to communicate the message effectively to their customers. Don’t let your message get lost in the rest of the design. For a simple sales letter,  or eshot, follow some simple guidelines.

50. Be personal. Committees don’t write personal letters, individuals do. Don’t be afraid to use ‘I’ and even more important ‘You’ rather than third-party expressions like ‘This company’ or ‘customers’.

51. Be simple. Write as you would talk. Sales letters aren’t meant to be great works of literature; they ARE meant to be clear, easy and friendly.

52. Be crisp. Use short words, (‘news’ not ‘information’, ‘show’ not ‘indicate’ etc), sentences and paragraphs. Break the writing up with subheads into ‘bite-sized’ chunks.

53. Be the right length. Take just as long as it needs to tell your story. If it’s a complex technical matter, don’t be afraid to take the time to explain it properly. Research shows that 2 or 3 page letters actually pull BETTER than 1-pagers.  But whatever the length, remember to keep it interesting all the way through.

54. Keep the reader moving. Use ‘link’ phrases like ‘But that’s only part of the story…’ ‘Just as important’, ‘On the other hand…’. Let a sentence or paragraph run over from one page to the next. This is especially important with longer communications.

55. Use vivid imagery and words. ‘Diamond-hard’ instead of ‘tough’. ‘Hate’ instead of ‘Dislike’.

56. Use ACTIVE not PASSIVE words. Not ‘Deliveries within 3 days’ but ‘We’ll rush it to you within 72 hours’.

57. Aim for visual interest. Use indented paragraphs, italics, Bold, tables/charts/illustrations, underlining, bullet points, CAPITAL LETTERS…whatever makes your meaning clearer and more dramatic.

58. Use a PS at the end of your letter, even PPS’s if you like! The end of a letter is the most-read part after the opening line.

59. Repeat your benefit or offer. Remember the old saying about ‘First tell them what you’re going to tell them, then actually tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them.’

60. Now circulate your material. Show friends, colleagues and even existing customers. Get their views or comments and be prepared to adapt your communications.