Advertisement
 
 

An Intercepted Letter to ... Google

February 24, 2011 by Pat Friesen
1
Get the Flash Player to see this rotator.
 

For example: "$100 FREE AdWords + 30 Days FREE Google Tags" surrounded by tons of explanatory copy. And this offer could be summed up by a simple "What's in it for me?" benefit statement: "30-Day Free Trial ($100 value)" OR "Build Your Business on Us — Free for 30 Days!"

Skimmers vs. readers. Few people read every word you and I write. They skim them. When a mailing is strategically written and designed, you entice more skimmers to become readers that then become responders. That's why you need to understand best practices such as hot spots, the 3:33 Rule, and how to apply them appropriately in direct mail. (BTW, direct mail design guru Patrick Fultz and I are hosting a session on creating direct mail March 15 during Direct Marketing Day @ Your Desk. It's a FREE event sponsored by DirectMarketingIQ and Target Marketing. If you're interested in attending, you can register here.)

Last point. The general appearance of your mailing makes me nervous. The letters are dense with small type, long lines and narrow margins. The fine print and disclaimers on the back of the letters are scary ("You will be asked to provide a credit card number to sign up for the free Google Apps trial.") The brochures are boring and don't make use of good eye flow. The overall effect is that your free offers are complicated and require a lot of time-consuming explanation. This isn't what I expect from my friend Google who normally anticipates my every need and solves my problem in seconds.

Google, I sincerely want you to be successful in all you do — online and off. If you'd like more tips, feel free to check out my Message & Media column for Target Marketing magazine. I especially think this particular column will give you some valuable takeaways.

Your faithful and grateful fan,

Pat

P.S. I noticed you've started adding a P.S. to your letters. Good for you! The P.S. is a valuable hot spot — 30 percent of direct mail skimmers look at the P.S. first.

# # # # #

Pat Friesen is a direct response writer/creative strategist who writes for direct mail, email, blogs, catalogs, the Web and other direct response media. She's also a sought-after copy coach, workshop presenter and columnist for Target Marketing magazine. Contact Pat at 913.341.1211 and pat@patfriesen.com


 

Companies Mentioned:
1

MORE ON DIRECT MAIL >>

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

Hitting the Email Inbox: Protect your sender rep, clean up your e-list and improve design to add dollars to your email marketing ROI <i>Hitting the Email Inbox</i> covers all the bases of email deliverability, including everything from the very basics, to reputation management, as well as coding and design, and the connections between email deliverability and ROI. As any good email marketer today knows, there are a number of obstacles standing between you and your prospect’s inbox. With anti-spam technology becoming more and more powerful and prospects being blitzed by rapidly increasing email volume, an email marketer’s concern isn’t just open rate anymore; it’s getting the email successfully delivered in the first place. <i>Hitting the Email Inbox: Protect your sender rep, clean up your e-list and improve design to add dollars to your email marketing ROI </i> features five chapters full of industry-proven best practices to achieve maximum inbox delivery. You’ll also get dozens of surefire tips and methods for improving your deliverability, including: • Developing a trigger email program • Segmenting and reviewing your results by service • Understanding the whitelist/blacklist process • Using different addresses for different segments of your file • Not falling into the whole openers/non-openers/clickers trap • Test mailing at different times of the day • Being smart about timing • Use an ECOA service • Looking into certification, and much more! <b><u>The report also includes four detailed case studies</b></u>, providing practical examples of what email deliverability tactics did and didn’t work for four real-life companies. <b><u>100% Money-Back Guarantee</b></u> Your order is risk-free. If you are not completely delighted with <i>Hitting the Email Inbox</i>, notify us within 30 days for a complete credit or refund, no questions asked. <b><u>About DirectMarketingIQ</u></b> The Research Division of the Target Marketing Group, DirectMarketingIQ (www.directmarketingiq.com) is the go-to resource for direct marketers. Publishing books, special reports, case study stockpiles and how-to guides, it opens up a new world for those who seek more information, more ideas and more success stories in order to boost their own marketing efforts. DirectMarketingIQ has unparalleled access to direct marketing data - including the world's most complete library of direct mail as well as a growing library of promotional emails across hundreds of categories - and proudly produces content from the most experienced editors and practitioners in the industry. <b>Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read <i>Hitting the Email Inbox</i>, which is in PDF format. </b> Hitting the Email Inbox

Hitting the Email Inbox: Protect your sender rep, clean up your e-list and improve design to add dollars to your email marketing ROI Hitting the Email Inbox covers all the bases of email deliverability, including everything from the very basics, to reputation management, as well as coding and design, and...

ORDER NOW

(PDF DOWNLOAD) Who’s not talking about QR codes lately? Since appearing on the US marketing scene two years ago, QR codes have revolutionized the way businesses promote their products and brands. So what exactly is this stamp sized, abstract art-looking module? And how can your business benefit from it? <i>Cracking the QR Code</i> outlines <b>how to seamlessly incorporate QR codes into your marketing campaign</b> by explaining: • How QR codes work and which companies and industries they work for best • How to implement a marketing strategy for QR codes • QR code creative best practices • The future of QR codes and more! Let <i>Cracking the QR Code</i> teach you how to <b>get a passive prospect to take immediate action</b>. See how QR Codes can <b>successfully transform your marketing efforts and increase traffic to your site</b>. Find out how to integrate QR Codes into your marketing campaign and how to track and measure the results. Learn more about the technology that has revolutionized the way businesses promote their products and brands. Read case samples from well-known companies using QR Codes, including: Best Buy, Big Fire Wine, Gap, Calvin Klein, Gap, Home Depot, Time Out New York, World Wildlife Federation, Sibcy Cline Real Estate, and more! <i>Cracking the QR Code</i> helps you navigate your way through this up and coming technology, which has been labeled the <b>“direct link between print and the internet.”</b> In the past year alone, QR codes have skyrocketed in popularity; first quarter 2011 scan rates increased more than 4,500% over first quarter 2010 rates. With numbers like that, it’s difficult to ignore this rising trend in marketing strategy. Don’t get left behind; order your copy of <i>Cracking the QR Code</i> today to learn how you can apply this tool to your business! <u>About DirectMarketingIQ</u> The Research Division of the Target Marketing Group, DirectMarketingIQ (www.directmarketingiq.com) is the marketers’ go-to resource. Publishing books, special reports, case studies and how-to-guides, it opens up a new world to those who seek more information, more ideas and more success stories in order to boost their own marketing efforts. DirectMarketingIQ has unparalleled access to direct marketing data – including the world’s most complete library of direct mail as well as a massive library of promotional emails across hundreds of categories – and producly produces content from the most experienced editors and practitioners in the industry. <b>Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read Cracking the QR Code, which is in PDF format.</b> Cracking the QR Code

(PDF DOWNLOAD) Who’s not talking about QR codes lately? Since appearing on the US marketing scene two years ago, QR codes have revolutionized the way businesses promote their products and brands. So what exactly is this stamp sized, abstract art-looking module? And how can your business benefit from it? Cracking...

ORDER NOW

 

COMMENTS

Click here to leave a comment...
Comment *
Most Recent Comments:
David Vogel - Posted on February 28, 2011
Nice post Pat!

I think Google must be listening to you (although slowly). The last letter I got from them (pushing AdWords) included a glue-dotted "gift card" that reiterated the offer ($100 in free AdWords). While unnecessary (I can't imagine sticking the card in my wallet), the gift card seemed to make the offer value seem more real, and also served as a great indicator that there was a specific action they wanted me to take next.

It's cool to see the leader in online advertising continue to use offline marketing (particularly the letter format). With the level of data analysis they do, you have to know they're seeing a positive ROI from their direct mail campaigns to keep doing them. Their average customer value via direct mail must have increased as well, as their offer values have seemed to double or triple over the last couple years.
Click here to view archived comments...
Archived Comments:
David Vogel - Posted on February 28, 2011
Nice post Pat!

I think Google must be listening to you (although slowly). The last letter I got from them (pushing AdWords) included a glue-dotted "gift card" that reiterated the offer ($100 in free AdWords). While unnecessary (I can't imagine sticking the card in my wallet), the gift card seemed to make the offer value seem more real, and also served as a great indicator that there was a specific action they wanted me to take next.

It's cool to see the leader in online advertising continue to use offline marketing (particularly the letter format). With the level of data analysis they do, you have to know they're seeing a positive ROI from their direct mail campaigns to keep doing them. Their average customer value via direct mail must have increased as well, as their offer values have seemed to double or triple over the last couple years.