Direct Mail Marketing With Postcards -- The Headline Factor
If you're spending money on a direct mail / postcard marketing
campaign, but you're not spending time developing headlines --
you're wasting time and money.
Why is the headline so important to a direct mail marketing
postcard? We'll get to that in a moment. First, let's demystify
the headline by breaking it down to its purest form.
A headline is a line of text at the head of a document, hence
the name. I don't tell you this to insult your intelligence. I
tell you this to open your mind to what all a headline might
accomplish.
When you use the word "headline," most people think of
newspapers ("12 Arrested in Whoopee Cushion Incident") or
advertisements ("Lose 15 Pounds in 30 Days, Guaranteed.") But
headlines can be found on a much wider array of publications
than that.
The Purpose of Headlines
In general terms, a headline is designed to:
1. Get the reader's attention so that it's the first thing they
read.
2. Describe the information that follows.
3. Identify the intended audience (within the context of the
publication).
These goals apply to direct mail headlines as well. Only in
direct mail, there's a much stronger desire -- and financial
incentive -- to getting the message read completely. If somebody
buys a newspaper, glances at it and then tosses it in the trash,
the newspaper has still made a sale.
But in direct mail, a quick glance followed by a trash toss
equals money lost.
The Purpose of Headlines in Direct Mail
So for direct mail marketing, we could rewrite our headline
goals as such:
1. Grab the recipient's attention within the first five seconds.
2. Highlight the value of the information that follows. Promise
readers you will save them time or money, make them healthier or
happier, or help them avoid something terrible.
3. Evoke some form of response from the intended audience.
A Headline Should Move the Reader Forward
In direct mail marketing, your headline must channel the reader
toward a desired response. Maybe your postcard offers a freebie
-- some product or information of value -- as a way to generate
phone calls. Maybe you're pointing toward a website where some
kind of sample or free trial can be obtained.
Whatever form it takes, your offer is an essential part of your
postcard. But how will people know what you're offering? How
will they know the value to be obtained by taking the action you
want them to take?
By the headline, that's how. So if your headline falters, your
entire direct mail piece falters. It doesn't matter that your
offer is spectacular or your product first-rate. Without a
headline that identifies the audience, grabs their attention and
evokes a response, all else is lost.
Conclusion
I've known direct mail marketers who put all their energy into
cool designs and flowery prose, while tacking on a headline
almost as an afterthought. But I've never heard these marketers
brag about their response rates or ROI.
Headlines have the power to make or break a direct mail
marketing campaign. Treat them accordingly. Write them. Revise
them. Hone them. Track and test them. And then start the process
over again. You can't afford to do anything less.
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