B is for basics
By this I mean Drayton Bird, John Watson, Christian Brann et al -- essentially the founding fathers of DM copywriting. Although some of their books can now sound a little outdated, many of the rules they describe still hold true. Take John Watson's anatomy of a letter. His seven essential elements (the headline, summary, copy, reprise, call to action, PS and tracking) should be in the head of every good copywriter as he or she constructs a letter.
In terms of the headline, you can either use a feature headline or benefit headline, depending on who you are talking to and what you want the letter to do.
Feature headline
A feature headline works on the assumption that the person you are talking to is already interested in your product. "Wheelbarrow only 拢29" is not a riveting headline unless you are in the market to buy a wheelbarrow. From a DM point of view, as we can target distinct groups of people who have told us what they are interested in, this can be a very effective way to attract interest. The way you arrive at the right feature headline is by interrogating the product and finding something unique, or at least key, for the audience you're talking to.
Benefit headline
A benefit headline enables you to cast your net to a wider audience by creating a desire for something which people didn't even know they wanted. One of the most famous examples of this is: "They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but when I began to play....". This headlined a campaign in the 60s to sell a course of piano lessons. I think we can all relate to the emotions this headline is playing upon and it is no surprise that this campaign was hugely successful.
Summary
John Watson also said: "The idea is to tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and tell them that you've told them." If you can set the scene with a summary that outlines exactly why you're contacting someone, and what they will gain from your letter, they are more likely to read on.
Copy
As well as being important in headlines, features and benefits are an essential part of letter copy as we use them to create desire for what we are selling. The key is to take a feature and then think about what benefit that provides for the target audience. In a recent Nissan mailing for the new Tino, a small people carrier, there was some great copy which did just this. "Put them in something with plenty of growing room." the headline said, before continuing in the body copy: "Whether you're taking them to school or away for the weekend, we wanted your children to feel at home in the new Tino. For instance, we've given them reading lights for stories when its dark, and fitted a 12-volt power socket in the back so they can play electronic games for as long as they like."
Reprise
Adding a reprise, such as "And remember, simply by applying for a Tax Free Savings Plan you could save up to 拢150 a year," is an excellent way of ensuring that you hammer home the essence of what you are offering.
Call to action
I've talked about it before, and it's so important, I'll talk about it again. If you have managed to get someone to read down to the end of the letter then they must be potentially interested in what you have to offer. Your job then is to push them over the edge in whatever way you can -- be it with flattery or reassurance, conviction or urgency.
PS
Research has shown that people often read the PS before they read the rest of the letter, which shows how important it is to put one in. You need to try to sum up the whole proposition in a couple of lines.
Tracking
When clients read letter copy, they tend to start at the beginning and finish at the end -- this is not how people read direct mail in real life. In reality, people look at the front page, signatory, PS, opening paragraph, subheads and then the copy.
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