Today's edition of The Daily Feed is slightly longer than normal, so save it for later reading if you're in a hurry.
Most of this week I've been chatting about AB testing and how it can help you sell more or get more signups on your blog or website. When I started learning about AB testing I read a lot of recently written blog entries and articles on ways to test, how to write effective copy, ideas for great headlines and so on. I was picking up bits and pieces of information and some of them worked, others didn't.
What I failed to realize is that the field that I was entering has been around for centuries. Since 1744 in fact when Benjamin Franklin invented it (read on to learn more). Not only that, but there are centuries worth of accumulated wisdom that are collected in one place and ripe for the picking if you know where to look.
The field is called Direct Marketing or Direct Response Marketing. Many non-marketing people think of late night infomercials and old school snail mail marketing campaigns when they think of Direct Marketing. Some Madison Avenue ad executives thumb their noses at Direct Marketing. The irony of this is that one of the greatest proponents of Direct Marketing is also the greatest Madison Avenue ad man who ever lived: The late David Ogilvy.
Ogilvy has been an inspiration for me and his ideas have had a direct and very positive impact on the revenue of my company. I'd like you to watch this video of Ogilvy. It's a very old video, recorded 30 to 40 years ago and Ogilvy is discussing the differences between "general advertising" (Madison Avenue agencies) and Direct Marketers and their approach. Watch the video here.
You should know that the video you just watched inspired me to create The Daily Feed. Many of you will have seen a scratchy old video with an elderly English guy talking about the before times. But a few of you will have recognized the weight and wisdom of this great man's words: Ogilvy predicted the power of marketing on the Web 20 years before the Web was invented and that measurement would become critical to the success of any ad agency or campaign.
In the video Ogilvy emphasizes measurement and that it is the main reason Direct Marketers are more successful than general advertising agencies. AB testing is one of the forms of measurement that Ogilvy is describing. Measuring which headline, photo or text sold better is what turned Ogilvy and Mather into the most succesful ad agency on Earth.
If you are trying to get visitors to take an action on your website, whether it is to buy something or simply subscribe to your RSS feed, you are engaging in Direct Marketing.
As I mentioned before the field has been around for some time now. Benjamin Franklin was possibly the first direct marketer. He sold scientific and academic books via a mail order campaign. He even included a money back guarantee that read: "Those persons who live remote, by sending their orders and money to B. Franklin may depend on the same justice as if present."
Now that you know what the field is called - and has been called for some time now, you can start digging into that accumulated wisdom I was telling you about. One of my favorite books is now out of print. It's called "The Complete Idiots Guide to Direct Marketing". The book contains some great established Direct Marketing wisdoms. Most current books on direct marketing focus on technology and software. This book was written in the early days of the web and it's focus is on what gets people to buy (or take action).
Here are a few things I learned from this book and other old school resources on Direct Marketing:
- Offers are important. The right offer can increase response rates up to 1000%
- Long form sales copy (up to 400 words) will often increase response rates, especially for complex products that need to be explained.
- When direct marketing on a website or in any other media, you need to do everything a sales person would normally do. Another reason why longer copy often increases response rates.
- Putting a time limit on an offer almost always increases response rates
- Premiums or discounts are extremely effective at closing the sale
- Not offering a money back guarantee is a mistake and will depress your response rate.
- In direct marketing, test results are the only opinion that matters.
- The best direct response prospects are those that have previously responded to direct response offers
- Successful direct marketing campaigns ask for the order and give people a reason to respond now.
- It's a good idea to do limited marketing tests to see which campaign is the most effective before rolling it out to a larger audience.
- The first step in writing successful copy is to get the reader's attention.
- The quickest way to engage the reader in your message is to appeal to self-interest, promise of a big benefit or a revelation of important information.
- Back up your claims with proof. Consumers are skeptical and you have to work to get them to believe you.
- Write in friendly, conversational language.
Gary Halbert is another late Direct Marketing legend who passed away in 2007. He has written some of the most effective sales copy the world has ever seen. This is one of his most famous ads for a weight loss campaign. You can find the archives of Halbert's newsletters on this site. Halbert claimed that he once earned $5.2 million from two newsletters.
Now that you know what the field you're engaged in is called, start poking around used bookstores and the darker dustier corners of the Web and you'll be surprised what you'll find. Remember that many of the things that caused people to buy 200 years ago are just as effective today. Technology might change, but people largely remain the same.
Regards,
Mark Maunder
Feedjit Founder & CEO.
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