Are you a word nerd? Take the test.

While skimming a recent issue of Advertising Age, I ran across an article called If you’re creating ads, odds are you’re talking to yourself.

And it presents yet more evidence that ad writers and other advertising professionals are disconnected from the people they’re creating ads for.

I’ve been discussing this since 1997 when I wrote about how ad writers don’t relate to ads in the same way as ordinary people.

The Ad Age article talks about research on behavior-based segmentation performed by Xyte Technologies. They tested people in marketing and advertising (including people in creative, media, and research) and found that they’re “word nerds.” They like playing with words and rely on intuition (rather than data) to craft message.

Trouble is, only 18.5% of the general population fall into that category. Ads that appeal to word nerds don’t do so well with the other 81.5% of the population, most of whom are highly practical people and respond to tangible benefits.

Read more

How to sell products with direct mail inserts

There’s a certain pecking order in the world of direct mail projects.

At the top are bulky magalogs and thick direct mail envelope packages with all the bells and whistles.

At the bottom are the lowly workhorses, such as postcards and inserts.

The direct mail insert shown here in the photo comes from a box of plants I ordered from Spring Hill Nursery.

Technically, it’s called a fulfillment insert, meaning it’s an advertisement inserted into the package you receive when you order something by mail.

It’s not the sort of thing anyone wins awards for. In fact, some copywriters and designers look down their nose at humble inserts like this. For them, it’s sort of like the hillbilly member of the family you never talk about and hope won’t show up at weddings or funerals to embarrass you.

That attitude is unfortunate, because direct mail inserts can generate tons of extra income for both advertisers and the companies that offer to include the inserts in their mail or packaging.

Read more

How to explain what you do for a living

When I go to parties, people always ask what I do for a living. When I tell them “direct marketing,” they nod, but I know they’re clueless.

People don’t really know the difference between the various flavors of advertising and marketing. And book definitions don’t help. So I’ve adopted a more pragmatic way of explaining my line of work and how it differs from other specialties.

Feel free to steal this and use it for yourself. I did.

You’re at a party and see a beautiful woman. You walk up to her and say, “I’m great in bed.” That’s Direct Marketing.

You’re at a party and see a beautiful woman. You ask your friend to walk up to her and say, “See that guy over there? He’s great in bed.” That’s Advertising

You’re at a party and see a beautiful woman. You get her phone number from someone. The next day you call and say, “I’m great in bed.” That’s Telemarketing.

You’re at a party and see a beautiful woman. You comb your hair, straighten your tie, then ask if she’d like drink. You chat and joke with her throughout the evening, offer her a ride home, walk her to her door, then say, “By the way, I’m great in bed.” That’s Public Relations.

You’re at a party and see a beautiful woman. She walks up to you and says, “I know you. You’re the one who’s great in bed.” That’s Brand Recognition.

The 25 most popular articles of 2009

Is it the end of the year already? Seems like it was Spring, then I blinked, and now the year is nearly over.

It’s always interesting and instructive to look back over a year’s worth of blog data to see what people are reading. This year, the most popular article by far was the one on website eye tracking. I’m not sure if it was the content of the article or that big blue eye photo that caught people’s attention.

The most controversial proved to be the post on the Dunning-Druger Effect, which sparked some debate about whether it’s real or I’m just an arrogant ass.

So here, in order, are the 25 most popular articles of 2009 based on Google statistics. They were not all posted this year, but they all attracted a great deal of interest.

1. Eye tracking study reveals 12 website tactics
2. What if a corporation created the STOP sign?
3. The power of color in direct marketing
4. 21 great headlines from trashy tabloids
5. Cheap direct mail ideas can work wonders
6. The Dunning-Kruger Effect and the secret for coping with the incompetents around you
7. How to write the “classic direct mail package”
8. Why slogans don’t sell
9. 7 stupid ways to screw up your direct mail
10. Speedwriting: 12 tips for writing faster
11. Design and legibility: 10 basic principles of reading
12. 5 simple SEO tips to boost your search traffic
13. 3 predictions for the future of direct marketing
14. Kaboom! The selling magic of Billy Mays
15. Design and legibility: 7 tips for high ad readership
16. Soup, sand, and rancid cheese: The craziest direct mail test in history
17. 30 Timeless Direct Marketing Principles
18. What does “freelance” really mean?
19. Good direct mail design: let form follow function
20. Snap Pack Facts: An interview with Ted Grigg
21. Wacky Waiving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man
22. Service pricing: Hourly rate or fixed fee?
23. The direct mail envelope quandary: plain or bold
24. How to use “official” envelopes for direct mail
25. FTC cracks down on endorsements and testimonials

Tweets and blogs and stuff

Things have been busy here at Direct Creative recently.

Not only am I getting swamped with work, I’ve been doing a few things to give you more ways to follow the tips I provide, connect with me, and learn about how to write good copy. I’m also looking for a few good copywriters.

So in no particular order, here they are:

Pro Copy Tips blog – If you haven’t visited yet, drop everything and go there now. The new blog is dedicated exclusively to copywriting and freelancing for “smart” copywriters. Here are some recent posts:

31 sales letter openers to kick start your sales pitch
Double your reading speed with this odd little trick
Blab and blather your way to great copywriting ideas
7 ways to drive a copywriter stark raving mad
Secret Google search hacks and tools for copywriters

I’m also in the middle of a series of articles on how to create a website to generate business for freelance copywriting.

Read more

Snap Pack Facts: part deux

Back in March, I posted an interesting interview with Ted Grigg about snap packs, the red-headed step child of direct mail.

Like so many things in direct mail, snap packs work far better than they look, in part because they look personal and important rather than flashy.

If you haven’t read that interview, read it now. Then watch this video from Ballantine Blog showing two types of modern snap packs.

I love the Ballantine Blog videos. Yes, they’re meant to promote printing services, but they’re highly educational for anyone interested in direct mail.

And you should be interested in direct mail. For those of you who think direct mail is going away and everything will be online in about 5 minutes, heed my warning: Direct mail will be with us for many, many years. It works like gangbusters and you ignore it at your peril.

You can see what I have to say about the death of direct mail at DM News.

What if a corporation created the STOP sign?

I have often remarked that the stop sign is a lesson in simple, direct copywriting and design.

But what if the creation of the stop sign were directed by a corporate marketing department?

Interview reveals my mysterious past

Curious about my sordid past? Want to know some of my secret thoughts about freelancing and the copywriting business?

Well, this is your lucky day. I often do interviews with people who are curious about such things and one of them just appeared over at The Web Shop’s Best Practices Blog.

People find it curious that I started out in the weird and wonderful world of television before finding my way (with many twists and turns) into the world of direct mail and direct marketing. But it’s true.

I was a television producer (which sounds more glamorous than it is). My job was to promote syndicated shows on NBC, including The Muppet Show, Dukes of Hazzard, and Laverne & Shirley. Yep, those were real shows, for those of you too young to remember.

I gained some notoriety for driving around in an authentic replica of the “General Lee,” an orange 1969 Dodge Charger, to promote the Dukes of Hazzard. A fellow employee and I whooped and hollered and generally made asses of ourselves, but achieved our objective of getting attention for the show. It was an early lesson in how not to be subtle if you want to achieve an objective.

Other tidbits, if you’re at all curious: Read more

Yogi Berra: Master Copywriter?

A while back, I published this article on Copyblogger. It turned out to be quite popular. So in case you missed it there, I’ll rerun it here.

Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra is a fifteen-time All Star and three-time MVP. He played in 14 World Series games. But what is he famous for? Mixed up quotes.

Someone once asked him what he would do if he found a million dollars. Yogi said, “I’d find the fellow who lost it, and, if he was poor, I’d return it.” When discussing a Steve McQueen movie, Yogi observed, “He must have made that before he died.” Commenting on a pair of gloves, he said, “The only reason I need these gloves is ’cause of my hands.”

On the surface, Yogi seems confused. But perhaps he is trying to convey a deeper meaning for those who care to consider his words carefully. In fact, I think Yogi can teach us about the art of sell copy, the sort of copywriting intended to persuade and motivate.

Let’s listen to what he has to say, and I’ll translate his “yogisms” into clear English.

Yogi: “This is like deja vu all over again.”
Translation: Study proven selling techniques. Every generation of writers thinks they are discovering selling for the first time. Many online writers think writing and selling began with the Web. But selling is based on human psychology and has been going on for thousands of years. If you want to learn how to sell today, study the sales techniques of yesterday. To get started, read Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples and Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins.

Yogi: “If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.”
Translation: Start with a goal. After all, how can you get someplace if you don’t know where you want to go? Your goal must be specific and measurable: 5,000 subscribers, 135 sales, 750 site hits per day, whatever. This tells you where you’re going and gives you a way to know when you’ve arrived. Read more

Is it hypocritical for a professional copywriter to hate the commercialism of Christmas?

The holidays are over. And I have to admit that I’m glad.

That sounds so incredibly cynical. But there it is.

I’m a professional copywriter. I’ve helped over 200 businesses sell all manner of products and services: books, magazine subscriptions, insurance, credit cards, software, sex education videos, corporate training materials, Internet services, computers, newsletters, high-end fashion, mailing lists, nutritional supplements, sports equipment, and on and on.

In other words I sell stuff. Lots of stuff. Yet, I dislike buying stuff. I loath shopping. And when Christmas rolls around, I feel oppressed by the incessant push to buy, buy, buy.

There are things I love about Christmas, though, particularly doing good things for others. At my wife’s workplace, the corporation has a “giving tree” where tags are hung bearing the names and wishes of poor local children.

Employees take the tags and buy gifts for the children. Most people take one tag. My wife waits a few days, then strips the tree of all remaining tags.

We then choose a store or two and begin filling shopping carts with clothing, toys, and games. And I enjoy it. Why? Because I know I’m doing something worthwhile. Because I know the gifts will make the kids happy. Mostly, because it’s my choice to buy the gifts.

Now if someone told me I “must” buy those gifts, I wouldn’t enjoy it at all. And I think that’s my problem with all the other Christmas gifts I buy. I feel I “must” buy them. The season demands it. It’s the culmination of a year of holidays and birthdays where cards and gifts seem mandatory.

But is a gift you are forced to buy really a gift? What would my family think if I took all the money I spent on gifts for them and bought more gifts for needy children? Could I convince my wife to try it? I floated the idea to her, but it didn’t go over very well.

My wife is incredibly generous. But she loves to shop for family, even if none of them really need anything.

So am I a hypocrite for loathing holiday commercialism? Do you feel this way sometimes?

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