Getting Direct Response
Down to a Science
Dear Business-Builder,
You know those bundles of flyers that arrive in the mail each week?
I always make it a point to sit down and read them … usually as soon as they hit my mailbox. Because sometimes, amidst the pizza coupons and satellite TV pitches, I’ll stumble across a great swipe for my collection.
Like the swipe I have for you today.
Chances are, you’ve seen this ad before. Or you’ve seen one like it – because this baby has been running in one form or another for pretty much ten years straight. And that means one thing: It works.
Now, I happen to know a little bit of the background on this particular piece. The company running the ad is Littleton Coin, where I spent a couple years cranking out copy for their catalogs … website … direct mail packages … and plenty of ads like this one.
Back then, this was one of their best performing ads for bringing in new customers. They’d been running it for years, testing (and re-testing) virtually every element of the piece from the headline and layout to the premiums, "Yes!" copy and guarantee.
Each time a coin in the series was released, we would add the new coin’s photo and tweak the copy to make it as strong as possible. But for the most part, once we had a winner, we left it alone.
So needless to say, I wasn’t the least surprised to find this ad still running. Because unlike most advertisers, Littleton Coin understands two great truths in advertising:
Test everything … but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Littleton has direct response advertising down to a science.
The company was founded in 1945 by Maynard Sundman, who previously ran a successful mail-order stamp business from his home from the mid-1930s until he was drafted in 1941. And while it originally occupied two second-story rooms above the small town’s Main Street, today the industry icon employs more than 300 people in its 85,000-square-foot headquarters.
Maynard was one of those businessmen who really got advertising. He wrote ads that spoke directly to his prospects’ desires, with results that spoke for themselves. And although Maynard passed on a few years ago, you can still feel his spirit, enthusiasm, and experience in his company’s advertisements.
That’s why I urge you to study this week’s swipe in detail. And don’t rush, because there’s a lot going on in this ad – all of which represents hundreds of thousands of dollars in testing.
Take in every word of the copy, from the headline to the last word of the continuity program disclosure.
Notice how the layout showcases product and premium … and how the order form is both straight-forward and contains an upsell that perfectly complements the main product.
From the burst shouting the 67% savings to the placement of the guarantee, this ad covers the essential elements with one exception: it has a noticeable lack of testimonials.
And since I happen to know Littleton has binders overflowing with letters from delighted customers … it’s a safe bet this is not an oversight at all, but rather the result of testing.
So click here to download the Swipe of the Week … and enjoy!
Best wishes for success,
Len Bailey
Makepeace-Trained Copywriter
Supplement to THE TOTAL PACKAGE
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11 Comments »
Join the Discussion!
Let us know what you think. Or ask us anything. Or offer your own sage advice.
The only rule: RESPECT THIS HOUSE! Postings that contain abusive language and/or personal attacks will be cheerfully VAPORIZED. One cross word and – POOF! – your well-thought-out post will be gone in a puff of smoke.
– Clayton
Comment by Rezbi — May 28, 2010 @ 9:42 am
“pizza coupons and satellite TV pitches”
You get them, too?
Gosh, who would’ve thought.
Seriously, though, why aren’t I receiving things like this? I used to get them all the time when I didn’t want them.
Comment by Jon — May 28, 2010 @ 9:55 am
Your article reminds me of a mental light bulb, Len!
DING! There! And ON it goes again!
A few years ago I was trying to get a handle on ’sales’ materials. I looked at my old notes on sales techniques, at my old product brochures, I read sales books, I discovered ‘long copy’, and ’short copy’, and testimonials, and psychological triggers. Somehow it all seemed so.. ..complicated!
What I didn’t connect though was that anything that ’sells’ in a written format is sales copy.
It was one of those Homer Simpson ‘DOH!’ moments. I felt like DiNozzo after a Jethro Gibbs slap on the back of the head.
Just how many times a day was I actually looking at ‘Sales’ materials without actually realizing that they were ‘Sales’ materials? How many times a day was I flipping through adverts without considering how the writer was directing my thought processes?
Sometimes, we don’t see the wood for all those blasted trees in the way!
Len, you’ve given us an excellent slap on the head!
Jon
Comment by Bill Henthorn — May 28, 2010 @ 11:48 am
Len,
Fantastic article and using a 10-year offline winner to boot in this day of focusing online.
Len: I want to get some good benchmarks / rules of thumb for direct response, so …
Quick question: What do you consider to be a decent conversion rate: for OFFLINE promotions like the swipe file / for ONLINE promotions like those Clayton and others discuss and also promote?
Thanks kindly,
Bill Henthorn
Ripper Marketing
Comment by Gail — May 29, 2010 @ 3:16 pm
I really look forward to these swipe files and although I don’t have time to read every issue during the week, I always read the weekly review. I can then pickup what I need to help me with current projects.
I particularly resent someone like Mark taking up space and time to add worthless comments to a valuable post.
Comment by Emette Massey — May 29, 2010 @ 10:24 pm
Hi Len,
You are certainly putting more “total” in the Total Package. Great lessons for all to be had. Thanks for sharing!
Emette
Pingback by A Boring Ad That Sells Like Crazy — May 30, 2010 @ 4:00 am
[...] I just read one of the most boring ads of my life – but incidentally, it’s a very successful ad that has been running for around ten years straight. [...]
Comment by Ray — June 1, 2010 @ 3:53 pm
“Quick question: What do you consider to be a decent conversion rate: for OFFLINE promotions like the swipe file / for ONLINE promotions like those Clayton and others discuss and also promote?”
Bill, the conversion %s don’t matter. All that matters is whether the promotion makes money or not.
If a client got 5% response but lost $1000 he would be far less happy than if he got .1% response but made $10,000. (Unless he was just going for names.)
Comment by Len — June 1, 2010 @ 7:49 pm
Sorry for the delayed response, everyone. In response to your comments …
To Rezbi - Pretty much the only time I haven’t received these types of mailings are the two years I spent in the USAF on remote tours in Korea. Otherwise, they show up every 7-10 days like clockwork … with a bump in quantity every time I fill out a “change of address” card…
To John - Thanks for the feedback. And I know what you mean — I had a similar revelation about back in 2005 when I switched from technical writing to copywriting!
To Bill - Again, thanks for the feedback. And to answer your question, your conversion rate is going to vary depending on a number of factors — such as the size of your list, the quality of names, and the price point of your offer. So as Ray points out, it’s the total final result that’s most important. If you’re running a lead-acquisition effort, you want to bring in as many names as possible while breaking even … if it’s a sales promotion, your goal is net profits.
Of course, there’s room for improvement in just about any piece. So it IS important to know your conversion %. But rather than shooting for a percentage that’s working for someone else, I recommend the following 3-step plan:
1. ESTABLISH YOUR BENCHMARKS. Find out your numbers for your open rates, conversion, cancellations/returns, etc.
2. PICK AN AREA TO IMPROVE. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t try to fix everything at once. Just pick one number to improve to start with, then work out your action plan for making it happen.
3. TEST AND REPEAT. Test your idea and see what the result is. If your numbers improve, implement the change across the board … then pick another area to work on and do it again.
That’s exactly how Littleton Coin kept this week’s Swipe running for so many years. Sure, the copy isn’t as exciting as it could be. But it’s not bad given the space restrictions (which are pretty tight in order to have room for the standard continuity program disclaimer) and sheer number of elements in the ad.
And to quote Ray …
“All that matters is whether the promotion makes money or not.”
Hope this helps!
Len
Comment by Bill Henthorn — June 3, 2010 @ 2:41 pm
Ray and Len,
Thanks kindly to both of you for your quality answers & comments on my Conversion Question — I appreciate them.
Bill Henthorn
Comment by Rezbi — June 7, 2010 @ 8:37 am
When’s your next article due? I’m getting withdrawal symptoms.
Comment by Len — June 8, 2010 @ 5:01 pm
Don’t worry, Rezbi — I’ll be back on Friday with another Swipe for your files! Until then…
Best wishes for success,
Len